Symptoms:

Paroxysmal abdominal pain due to smooth-muscle spasm, obstruction by calculi, nervous indigestion, or distention or enlargement of any of the hollow viscera.

Cause:

In all cases, this is due to improper diet, digestive disorder, and poor elimination.

Herbal aids:

Wild yam, cramp bark, some nervines and antispasmodic tinctures relieve cramping.  The bowels should be cleansed with a catnip injection.  Hot bran fomentation over the stomach-abdominal area will give ease and comfort.  For gassy colic, the following decoction is excellent; dandelion root, fennel seeds, marshmallow root, sweet flag root (with cayenne and ginger added as stimulant carriers).  For bilious colic, use a decoction in equal parts of agrimony, barberry bark, centaury, dandelion root, or an infusion of a handful of fresh parsley will decoction in equal parts of agrimony, barberry bark, centaury, dandelion root, or an infusion of a handful of fresh parsley will do the job.

Useful herbs:Angelica, anise, balm leaves, balsam of Tolu, bayberries, black walnuts, blessed thistle, blue cohosh, bogbean, boneset, buckthorn bark, calamus, camomile, camphor gum, caraway seed, carrot seed, cascarilla, catnip, cayenne, celandine, centaury (European), cinnamon, galangal, gentian root, ginseng, ground nutmeg, guaiac wood, gum guaiacum, gum hemlock, gum myrrh, Indian turnip, Ipecac, juniper berries, licorice root, linden flowers, masterwort, motherwort, nutmeg flowers, orange peel, origanum, Peruvian bark, pimpernel, pleurisy root, prickly ash, raisins (seedless), rosemary, rue, sassafras, senna, silverweed, spearmint, sternanis, stone root, summer savory, sweet flag, tansy, thyme, tormentil, valerian, wild yam, wintergreen, wood betony, wormwood.