This may come across as being a somewhat crude question, but is there any way to stop or reduce the flatulence from eating lentils and beans? I tend to cook them from raw without soaking them if that's relevant.

I think understanding the cause is useful.

Food is dealt with by enzymes, proteases for protein, lipases for oils/fats and amylases and others for carbohydrates. Although the enzymes associated with chewing up the carbs start in the mouth, they don't start to get to be absorbed until they reach the gut. If the carbs are in hard to digest food, the digestion is slow, with the production of much gas.

To overcome the gas problem, the food must be very soft and digestible. This is usually achieved by cooking for a long time, in the case of dhal, an hour or two.

It is said all sorts of spices aid digestion, I have yet to be convinced.

To deal with the flatulence problem associated with dals and beans, Indians usually 'temper' or 'tarka' their dals with cumin and asafoetida, both of which reduce flatulence.

I've cooked varying pulses for different thingss (dried broadbeans for making Maltese Bigilla, steeped peas for ham and pea soup, lentils for tarka dal etc) and never have any real problems with bloating...

I put this down to pre soaking, changing the water several times over the night and cooking slowly for a long time ..

Steve

are you sure its the herb and not the way you are cooking the mexican dishes?... Do you do things differently when doing mexican like soaking over night, then simmering and finally re-frying... etc ?

Steve

not really, the only thing that differs is the spicing. Just as an experiment i might try adding some epazote in with the indian lentils to see if it helps. I don't know what it will do to the flavour but it will be interesting to try.

Isn't Asafetida purportedly supposed to help counteract flatulence from pulses and 'windy' vegetables like cauliflower as well as prized for its antiseptic qualities and its ability to tenderize meat?

It has a strong, pungent smell, but once fried in oil, it's flavour becomes quite nice. It is used for tempering or ?tarka? in almost every North Indian vegetable and dal dish. Use only small quantities. Medicinally, it helps in reducing flatulence, often a result of eating lentils and beans. In India, it is used to relieve stomach cramps and flatulence in children. It is heated in ghee, cooled a little and then rubbed into the naval, using a cotton bud.

read enough on the internet, and you will probably find every spice is a cure for everything. As I said, I'm yet to be convinced of any of it, including a cure for gas. If problem foods are cooked for long enough, so the carbs start to break down, the problem diminishes.

Lapis most early modern medicine derived from old plant knowledge, the chemicals being used just get extracted and sometimes synthetical reproduced... so why wouldn't there be some use in many herbs and spices?

off the top of my head, things in nature that help us...

Salt - basic of spices is needed to keep the body healthy, too much isn't good but if you were void of salt a little would do you good...

Tea Tree Oil, natural extract used for many things including dandruff, cleaning wounds etc..

Cloves - the oil extract has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years for toothache (all though If I'm not mistaken its actually a little toxic to the human body)

Eucalyptus oil, helps you to breath more easily... (I'm sure its that in those oil and spray nasal things...)??

and doesn't Cauliflower contain Co-Enzyme Q10 which is supposed to help remove free radicals from your body ?

Steve