There’s nothing worse than feeling nauseous. It’s enough to ruin anyone’s day! Your nausea can be caused by lots of things, from menstrual pain to sickness. Other possibilities include pregnancy, surgery, or eating leftover food.
Luckily, you don’t have to pop a pill. Using ginger for nausea is a natural way to get relief. Here are the three major ways ginger helps nausea and some ideas for taking it.
3 Ways Ginger Helps Nausea
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1. Vomiting Relief
Feeling nauseous usually means that you have the urge to throw up. Thankfully, ginger can ease vomiting and therefore, help nausea.
According to American Family Physician, it works by inhibiting serotonin receptors, also known as 5-hydroxytrpytamine receptors or 5-HT receptors. These cells induce vomiting when they link up with the neurotransmitter serotonin. However, ginger can fight vomiting by blocking those receptors.
Many anti-nausea medications are designed to block serotonin receptors. But if you want a more natural remedy, take ginger for nausea and vomiting.1
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2. Anti-Inflammatory
Inflammation is a common cause of nausea. For example, allergies2 and gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach lining3 are inflammatory conditions that make you queasy. But ginger helps with nausea because it has anti-inflammatory properties.4
It’s all thanks to gingerol, ginger’s active anti-inflammatory compound. A study in Chemico-Biological Interactions even found that it can protect the brain, ovaries, and uterus in rats.5 This ingredient is also responsible for ginger’s spicy kick.
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3. Improved Gastrointestinal Motility
Ginger is good for nausea because it helps in gastrointestinal (GI) motility. This involves the movement of food throughout your body, from the moment it enters your mouth to the moment you make the bowel movement. Healthy digestion depends on good GI motility.6
Abnormal GI motility is linked to nausea and vomiting. These symptoms can show up even if other gastrointestinal factors are normal. It’s also not uncommon to have delayed gastric emptying, too.7
Ginger has been shown to improve both GI motility and emptying. It works even better with chamomile. The best part? There are zero adverse effects, unlike many anti-nausea medications.8
How To Use Ginger
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1. Tea
For a natural nausea remedy, make ginger tea. You can adjust the amount of fresh ginger according to your taste. Cut it up, boil in a pot of water, and add honey and lemon. The fresh ginger tea can also be added to smoothies and juices.
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2. Capsule
Like most herbs, ginger can be found in the capsule form. It’s an easy way to eat ginger on the go. A study in the Electronic Physician also found that capsules can benefit nausea and vomiting after surgery, even if the patient had general anesthesia.9
If you want to take ginger for nausea during pregnancy, four 250 milligram capsules will help. Don’t forget to check with your doctor before taking ginger.10
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3. Essential Oil
Aromatherapy with ginger oil relieves nausea. It’s been proven help for people dealing with surgery11, menstrual pain12, and chemotherapy.13
To use ginger essential oil in aromatherapy, add a few drops to a diffuser. You can also just take a whiff from the bottle! A massage oil can also be made by diluting ginger oil in a carrier like a grapeseed, coconut, or almond oil.
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4. Food
Ginger can also be eaten as is. Minced ginger works well on toast, while pureed ginger tastes great in soup. You can even sprinkle grated ginger onto dishes for an anti-nausea boost.
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5. Candy
For a fun way to ease nausea, eat candied ginger. Many health food stores also sell lozenges that look like cough drops. These options are useful when you’re traveling and don’t have access to a kitchen.
Compared to medications, ginger is natural and safe. It’s also easier on the wallet. Prepare yourself by always keeping ginger on hand.
References