Gas
The same spices that improve a poor appetite also relieve intestinal gas. If you suffer from a gas problem, try using coriander, anise, caraway, fennel and basil when you cook your own meals. Or make yourself a tea of peppermint, thyme, lemon balm or chamomile. Even though many herb books describe all these herbs as digestive "stimulants," researchers have found that most of them actually relax intestinal muscles and relieve cramping. This slowing of the stomach's action gives food more time to be digested, which in turn prevents gas. Peppermint's versatility has made it the most popular of all these herbs. In 1985 a team of researchers in Germany compared peppermint with drugs that relieved stomach spasms, promoted digestive fluids, killed bacteria and cut down on gas produced in the intestines. In these tests, peppermint proved equally as effective as any of the drugs.