Nausea is an unpleasant sensation that usually occurs before vomiting. Typical symptoms related to nausea include brain fog, a cold sweat, and fatigue. A few of the most common triggers for this uncomfortable feeling include motion sickness, food poisoning, and intense stress. Women who are pregnant or nursing also have a higher risk of experiencing nausea every day.
Although there are prescription-grade anti-nausea medications, many of these drugs have serious side effects. Thankfully, there are many safe and effective natural remedies for nausea.
Raw Ginger
The aromatic spice ginger has been used for centuries in folk medicine to cure nausea-related symptoms. Numerous scientific studies now confirm ginger works better than placebo when it comes to treating nausea. Scientists still aren’t sure why ginger has such a profound healing effect, but it might have to do with its anti-inflammatory compounds.
In addition to eating slices of raw ginger, patients can add ginger to herbal teas, take ginger capsules, or diffuse ginger essential oil to take advantage of its many benefits.
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint is another potent nausea remedy that has been used for thousands of years. Some doctors believe peppermint is beneficial because of its antispasmodic properties. A 2013 study found that chemotherapy patients who smelt peppermint essential oil throughout the day saw a significant reduction in nausea symptoms only 24 hours after being exposed to the diffusion.
In addition to diffusing peppermint essential oil, drinking peppermint tea on a regular basis is a great way to keep nausea symptoms at bay.
Lemons
One of the easiest ways to nip nausea symptoms in the bud is to cut a lemon in half and smell. The reason the scent of lemon has such a powerful anti-nausea effect might have to do with its ability to flush toxins out of the body.
You can also get the health benefits of lemon by regularly drinking lemon water, making lemon ice cubes, or diffusing lemongrass essential oil.
Vitamin B6
Taking a regular dose of vitamin B6 has been shown to help decrease nausea-related symptoms, especially in pregnant women. There’s also a great deal of evidence vitamin B6 supplementation can help women experiencing nausea due to PMS.
In addition to taking a vitamin B6 supplement (about 75 milligrams per day), it’s also important to get this vitamin from food sources. Vitamin B6 is water-soluble, meaning the body cannot store it. Foods rich in vitamin B6 include chickpeas, avocados, and beef liver.