Ginger for Motion Sickness

A piece of fresh ginger root

Ginger for motion sickness? Yes. Motion sickness can quickly put a damper on any travel. Nothing crushes the fun quite like turning green and vomiting, or feeling like you might vomit at any moment!

I’ve blogged about a great way to prevent motion sickness in the past. My patients have reported great results with that technique. However, today I have a new way to deal with and prevent seasickness to share with you. This one has even been studied and found effective against nausea from motion sickness and several other causes in clinical studies.

The studies tested ginger (which in Chinese medicine is known as Gan Jiang) usually in the form ginger powder. They used ginger alone and found it more effective than placebo. Herbs are usually combined into formulas in Chinese herbal medicine, but we’ll excuse the researchers for trying to simplify the study. A little ginger tea (put the ginger in some warm water) might go a long way to deal with queasiness.

Ginger is a common ingredient in Asian and Indian cuisine. However, ginger has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries among many cultures. The root or underground stem (rhizome) of the ginger plant can be consumed fresh, powdered, dried as a spice, in oil form or as juice. Ginger is part of the Zingiberaceae family, alongside cardamom and turmeric, and is commonly produced in India, Jamaica, Fiji, Indonesia and Australia.

Using fresh ginger is an easy way to flavor foods and drinks without adding unnecessary sodium. Since it is often consumed in such small amounts, ginger does not add significant quantities of calories, carbohydrate, protein or fiber.

The great thing about this finding is that you can safely combine ginger with other ways for reducing nausea from motion sickness, such as acupressure, acupuncture, ear seeds, and pharmaceuticals.

If you’re interested in learning more, simply schedule an appointment. To schedule an appointment call 919-228-8448, or use our online scheduling system.

Bon voyage!