Ayurvedic colic remedies: what the evidence says

0-3 months · Health · Reviewed 20 June 2026 · All articles

Parent holding a crying newborn baby

A baby screaming for hours every evening is one of the hardest things a new parent can face. The crying is relentless, the cause feels invisible, and the only thing you want is something, anything, that will help. It is no surprise that many families turn to traditional remedies passed down through generations: fennel seed water, a smear of hing on the belly, a spoonful of gripe water. These remedies carry the weight of centuries and, crucially, the reassurance of grandmothers who swear by them.

But how much of that trust is backed by evidence? And how much is traditional belief, comforting but unverified? This article works through the most common Ayurvedic-adjacent remedies for infant colic, looks at what the research actually shows, and explains what the NHS and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend instead.

What is colic: the rule of threes

Colic is not a diagnosis with a clear mechanism. It is a descriptive label for a pattern of crying in otherwise healthy babies. The AAP defines colic using the classic "rule of threes": crying for more than three hours per day, on more than three days per week, for more than three weeks, in an infant who is well-fed and healthy in every other respect.

According to the AAP, colic affects somewhere between 10 and 40 percent of all infants worldwide, making it one of the most common concerns in the first few months of life. It typically peaks at around six weeks of age and almost always resolves on its own by three to four months. Despite decades of research, there is no universally agreed cause. Theories include gut immaturity, gas, changes in gut bacteria, altered pain sensitivity, and overstimulation of the developing nervous system. None has been definitively proven.

The NHS notes that colic is not harmful to the baby, even though it is distressing for the whole family. Babies with colic gain weight normally, feed normally, and show no signs of illness. The challenge for parents is that this information, while true, does not make the crying any easier to endure in the moment.

The Ayurvedic perspective on infant colic

Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine that originated in South Asia thousands of years ago. It understands health through the interplay of three biological forces called doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha. Each person is thought to have a unique constitution, and health is maintained when the doshas are in balance.

Within the Ayurvedic framework, infant colic is traditionally attributed to an imbalance of vata dosha, which governs movement, including the movement of air and gas through the digestive tract. A disturbed vata is thought to create irregular, spasmodic movement in the gut, producing trapped gas and the associated discomfort and crying. The digestive fire, known as "agni," is also considered relevant: a weak or irregular agni is traditionally believed to impair digestion and allow gas to accumulate.

It is important to be clear: this is a traditional conceptual framework, not a clinical or physiological model. The concepts of vata imbalance and digestive agni have no direct equivalent in modern biomedical understanding of gut function, and they have not been validated in clinical research. The remedies that flow from this framework may or may not have biological effects, and those effects need to be assessed on their own merits through evidence, not through the plausibility of the underlying theory.

Fennel seed water (saunf ka paani)

Fennel seed water, known in many households as saunf ka paani, is probably the most researched of all traditional infant colic remedies. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) has a long history of use as a carminative, meaning a substance believed to relieve gas and digestive discomfort, in both adults and infants across multiple traditional medicine systems.

The strongest clinical evidence comes from a 2003 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial by Alexandrovich and colleagues, published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. The study enrolled 125 infants aged two to twelve weeks who met the criteria for colic. Infants were randomly assigned to receive either a fennel seed oil emulsion (at a dose of 12 mg/kg body weight per day) or a placebo. The results showed that the fennel group had a statistically significant reduction in colic episodes compared to the placebo group, with 65 percent of infants in the fennel group showing improvement compared to 24 percent in the placebo group.

This is meaningful evidence. It was a properly controlled trial, not just anecdotal reports. However, several important caveats apply.

If you want to try fennel for your baby, speak to your doctor or health visitor first. Do not prepare a homemade version without guidance on appropriate concentration. The evidence is promising, but preparation errors carry real risk.

Hing (asafoetida) paste on the belly

Hing, also known as asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida), is a pungent dried plant resin used extensively in cooking and in traditional medicine. In many households, a small quantity of hing dissolved in warm oil or water is applied as a paste around the navel area of a crying baby. The practice is traditionally believed to dispel trapped gas and relieve colic discomfort by drawing the "cold" from the baby's belly or by being absorbed through the skin.

The honest evidence picture here is straightforward: there is no peer-reviewed clinical evidence that topical application of hing to an infant's abdomen reduces colic symptoms. No randomised trials, no controlled observational studies. The practice exists entirely in the realm of traditional use and anecdote.

There are also safety considerations worth noting. Hing applied to intact skin is generally considered unlikely to cause systemic harm in the small quantities typically used. However, it should not be applied to broken or irritated skin. More significantly, oral ingestion of hing is not recommended for young infants without medical guidance. Safety data on ingested hing in the neonatal and early infant period is limited, and some practitioners advise caution given the lack of formal studies in this age group.

If your family has a tradition of using hing and you find it comforting to do something, the topical navel application in very small quantities is unlikely to harm an otherwise healthy baby. But it should be understood as a cultural comfort practice rather than a clinically validated treatment.

Gripe water: a long history with thin evidence

Gripe water has been in use since the 1850s, when it was formulated by an English pharmacist as a treatment for malaria in infants. It quickly became a catch-all remedy for colic, teething, and digestive upset, and it remains widely sold today in many countries.

The original formulations of gripe water contained alcohol, dill oil, and sodium bicarbonate. Modern formulations have largely removed alcohol (which is clearly inappropriate for infants) but vary considerably in their ingredients. Some contain fennel extract, some ginger, some chamomile, some sodium bicarbonate, and some a combination of several of these.

The NHS does not recommend gripe water as a first-line treatment for colic. The NHS guidance notes that there is no reliable clinical evidence that gripe water reduces colic, and that its ingredients vary too widely between products for any general recommendation to be made. The sodium bicarbonate in some preparations is a particular concern: it can alter the acid balance in an infant's stomach, which is not desirable in a young baby whose digestive system is still developing.

Where modern gripe water formulations contain fennel extract, the positive fennel evidence described above may be partially relevant, but the dose and concentration of fennel in most commercial gripe waters is not standardised and has not been independently tested in trials. The products with the most evidence behind their individual ingredients are not the same as products with evidence behind their combined formulation at a specific dose.

The practical takeaway: gripe water is unlikely to cause serious harm in small quantities if it does not contain alcohol or sodium bicarbonate, but you should read the label carefully, check the ingredients with your health visitor, and not expect reliable results.

Massage and movement: the best-supported physical approaches

Tummy massage and leg cycling are recommended by the NHS and paediatric physiotherapists as safe, gentle ways to help a colicky baby. These are not specifically Ayurvedic practices, though massage of various kinds is central to Ayurvedic baby care and the overlap is real.

Tummy massage. The NHS recommends gently massaging your baby's abdomen using two or three fingers in small, clockwise circular movements, following the natural direction of the large intestine. This may help move trapped gas along the bowel. The evidence suggests that massage can ease gas passage and provide comfort, though studies on whether it reduces total colic crying duration are mixed. A 2016 Cochrane-adjacent review found no strong evidence that massage reduced overall crying in colicky infants, but most families and clinicians still recommend it as a low-risk, soothing intervention.

Cycling legs. With your baby lying on their back, gently hold their legs and move them in a slow, cycling motion. Alternating this with gently pressing their knees toward their tummy can help encourage gas to pass. The NHS includes this in its standard advice for managing colic. It requires no equipment, has no risk, and many babies respond positively to the movement and the physical contact.

It is worth being clear about what the evidence says and does not say. Massage and movement help with gas passage and provide comfort. They do not appear to dramatically reduce the total amount a colicky baby cries, because colic likely has multiple causes and gas is only one of them. But they are safe, they are free, they help you feel like you are doing something, and they keep you in physical contact with your baby, which matters for both of you.

What NHS and AAP actually recommend

Both the NHS and the AAP are cautious about recommending specific remedies for colic, because the honest answer is that nothing has been proven to reliably cure it. Their guidance converges on the following.

Neither the NHS nor the AAP recommends any herbal remedy, supplement, or commercial colic product as a routine first-line intervention. Simethicone drops (an anti-gas product widely marketed for colic) have been studied and found no more effective than placebo in multiple trials.

When to see a doctor

Not all persistent crying in a young baby is colic. There are situations where the crying pattern warrants prompt medical review, and it is important to know what they are so you can act quickly if needed.

Contact your doctor, midwife, or health visitor without delay if:

These warning signs can indicate conditions including gastro-oesophageal reflux, a milk protein allergy, an infection, or less commonly a surgical cause. A doctor can rule these out quickly and, if needed, point you toward treatments that actually address the underlying issue.

Frequently asked questions

Is fennel seed water safe for newborns?

A 2003 randomised trial found fennel seed oil emulsion significantly reduced colic symptoms in babies aged two to twelve weeks compared to placebo. European regulatory bodies consider fennel safe in small amounts for infants. However, preparation and concentration matter enormously: over-concentrated fennel preparations can be harmful. Do not prepare homemade fennel water without guidance from your doctor or health visitor, and never give any herbal preparation to a newborn without professional advice first.

Does hing (asafoetida) help with colic in babies?

Applying a paste of hing around the navel area is a traditional practice used across many families. There is no peer-reviewed clinical evidence that topical hing application reduces infant colic. Oral ingestion of hing is not recommended for young infants without medical guidance, as safety data for this age group is very limited. The practice is traditionally believed to relieve gas but this claim is not supported by clinical trials.

Is gripe water effective for colic?

The evidence for gripe water is very limited. The NHS does not recommend gripe water as a first-line treatment for colic. Modern formulations vary widely, some containing fennel extract, some containing ginger, and none have been shown in robust clinical trials to reliably reduce colic crying. Older formulations contained alcohol and sodium bicarbonate, which are not appropriate for infants. Always check the ingredients of any gripe water product before giving it to a young baby.

What does the NHS recommend for colic?

The NHS recommends reassurance as the first step, noting that colic is distressing but not harmful and resolves on its own by around three to four months of age. Practical measures the NHS supports include holding the baby close, skin-to-skin contact, gentle motion such as rocking or swinging, white noise, and burping the baby carefully after feeds. Tummy massage and cycling the baby's legs may help with gas. There is no single proven cure for colic, and the NHS advises against unproven remedies.

Track your baby's crying patterns

Logging cry time in Cubby helps you spot patterns, monitor progress as colic improves, and gives your doctor useful information if you need to seek help.

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