| |  | | Herb to Prevent Gas from Bean Soup
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: No Name Given
Posted on: February 16, 2006
I was watching a cooking show the other day and the cook mentioned adding "Well Root" to prevent the bean soup from causing gas. It looked like a basil leaf, but she never told exactly what it was or where to purchase it. Do you know what this "Well Root" is? Apparently you can use it in whatever foods that cause gas.
Neither our culinary herbs expert, Yvonne Tremblay, nor any of us at Richters have heard of this herb. Nor can we think of any herb with a similar sounding name that looks likes basil.
It is worth noting that many culinary herbs and spices help digestion and prevent gas. These herbs and spices are called "carminatives" and they include dill, fennel, anise, and many others.
Savory is specifically recommended for bean dishes. In German, it is called the "Bean Herb" ("Bohnenkraut") because it is widely used in bean dishes of all kinds, especially string beans. Savory does two things: it helps to bring out the flavour of beans and it helps improve the digestibility of beans. It has the latter effect because it increases the flow of digestive juices in the body, a process that helps the body to absorb more nutrients. It will not necessarily eliminate gas, but it will help lessen the discomfort of gas. Savory doesn’t look anything like basil so this is not the herb used on the cooking show.
You need to contact the producers of the television show to get the name of the herb and sources. We are interested in knowing what you find out. | | |
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