Editing Carminative

{{Short description|Herb or preparation for the gastrointestinal tract}}
A '''carminative''', known in Latin as '''carminativum''' ([[plural]] '''carminativa'''), is a herb or preparation intended to combat [[flatulence]] either by preventing formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract or {{clarification needed span|text=facilitating its expulsion.|reason=This is contradictory, as flatulence *is* the expulsion of gastrointestinal gas.|date=October 2024}}

==Name==
The word ''carminative'' is a derivative of Latin {{lang|la|cārmen}} "[[carding|card for wool]]", according to Hensley Wedgewood, on the  [[humoral medicine|humoral theory]] that carminatives "dilute and relax the gross humours from whence the wind arises, combing them out like the knots in wool".<ref>[https://archive.org/details/adictionaryengl03wedggoog/page/n334 Hensleigh Wedgwood, ''A Dictionary of English Etymology'', ''s.v.'']</ref>

== Varieties ==
{{refimprove section|date=June 2014}}
Carminatives are often mixtures of [[essential oil]]s and [[spice]]s with a tradition in [[folk medicine]].{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} Some examples include:
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* [[Agasyllis]]
* [[Angelica]]
* [[Ajwain]]
* [[Anise]] seed<ref name=Pitasawat>{{cite journal|last1=Pitasawat|first1=B|last2=Choochote|first2=W|last3=Kanjanapothi|first3=D|last4=Panthong|first4=A|last5=Jitpakdi|first5=A|last6=Chaithong|first6=U|title=Screening for larvicidal activity of ten carminative plants.|journal=The Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health|date=Sep 1998|volume=29|issue=3|pages=660–2|pmid=10437975}}</ref>
* [[Asafoetida]]
* [[Basil]]
* [[Acorus calamus|Calamus]]
* [[Caraway]]<ref name=Harries>{{cite journal|last=Harries|first=Nicola |author2=James, K. C. |author3=Pugh, W. K.  |title=Antifoaming and Carminative Actions of Volatile Oils |journal=Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics |date=1 July 1977 |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=171–177 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2710.1977.tb00087.x}}</ref>
* [[Cardamom]]
* [[Cinnamon]]<ref name=Harries /> 
* [[Coriander]]
* [[Molopospermum|Coscoll]]
*[[Cnidium monnieri]] (She Huangzi)
* [[Cumin]]<ref name=Pitasawat />
* [[Dill]]<ref name=Harries /> 
* [[Epazote]]
* [[Eucalyptus]]
* [[Fennel]]<ref name=Pitasawat />
* [[Garlic]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The Living Gut|date=2008|publisher=Nottingham University Press|isbn=9781904761570|author=W.N. Ewing|author2=Lucy Tucker }}</ref>
* [[Ginger]]
* [[Goldenrod]]
* [[Haritaki]]
* [[Hops]]
* [[Lemon balm]]
* [[Liquorice]]<ref name=Pitasawat />
* [[Lovage]]
* [[Marjoram]]
* [[Motherwort]]
* [[Muña]]
* [[Mustard plant|Mustard]]
* [[Nigella]]
* [[Nutmeg]]
* [[Onion]]
* [[Orange (fruit)|Orange]]<ref name=Harries /> 
* [[Oregano]]
* [[Parsley]]
* [[Black pepper|Pepper]]
* [[Mentha pulegium|Pennyroyal]]
* [[Peppermint]]<ref name=Harries /> 
* [[Rosemary]]
* [[Saffron]]
* [[Salvia officinalis|Sage]]
* [[Triphala]]
* [[Winter Savory|Savory]]
* [[Spearmint]]
* [[Thyme]]
* [[Valerian (herb)|Valerian]]
* [[Wintergreen]]
* [[Artemisia (genus)|Wormwood]]
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Modern drugs used for the same purpose include [[simethicone]], which simply lowers the [[surface tension]] of gas bubbles rather than having {{clarification needed span|text=physiological effects.|reason=What is meant by "physiological effects"?  This is opaque.  And the distinction between whatever is intended (on the one hand) and (on the other) is also unclear.|date=October 2024}}{{cn|date=October 2024}}

==See also==
* [[Antiflatulent]]
* {{slink|Flatulence|Management}}
* [[Anti-foaming agent]]
* [[Dalby's Carminative]]

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==
{{wiktionary inline}}

[[Category:Biologically based therapies]]
[[Category:Drugs acting on the gastrointestinal system and metabolism]]
[[Category:Flatulence]]