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Ginger: A Natural Remedy for Motion Sickness

Good for alleviating motion sickness, upset tummies and inflammation, ginger makes a good addition to any travel kit.

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Ginger is a great remedy for motion sickness and troubled tummies. Cultivated for millennia in the Far East, this useful root was approved by the German Commission E to prevent motion sickness and dyspepsia. (Commission E was established by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices in the 70s to review herbal remedies.)

Ginger's anti-inflammatory properties also have been shown to improve joint pain associated with arthritis. And its blood-thinning properties also may help reduce cholesterol levels by stimulating the secretion of bile and hindering fat absorption, says James A. Duke, Ph.D., in his book, The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook.

In The Herbal Drugstore, Linda White, M.D., recommends ingesting ginger in one of the following forms:
- Fresh root
- Teas
- Capsules
- Tablets
- Tinctures
- Liquid extracts
- Candied slices (See our previous Candied Ginger recipe.)

Take ginger about half an hour before traveling to prevent motion sickness. Duke recommends taking one 480-milligram standardized supplement twice a day, or 2 to 4 grams of dried ginger up to three times a day. To ease joint stiffness, you can soak a towel in ginger tea and apply it directly to your skin.

Those with gallbladder disease should avoid using ginger, and it also may interact with anticoagulant drugs. Pregnant women who wish to use it to prevent morning sickness should first check with their health care practitioner.

Have you used ginger medicinally? Share your experiences and favorite recipes with ginger by posting a comment below.


15 Comments

  • ETTA 11/15/2008 6:54:10 PM

    WHY SHOULD ONE AVOID GINGER IF ONE HAS GALBLADDER PROBLEMS

  • Jan Trent 9/8/2008 12:14:35 PM

    I love ginger. I love it in cooking. I have had to deal with nausea and motion sickness forever and ginger really helps. Dramamine and other drugs just made me feel ill. Ginger also helps when my stomach just feel a bit 'off' so to speak. i love to make fresh ginger tea - chop up about 2 inches fresh ginger and simmer in a few cups of water for 10 minutes. I think the important thing is to get real ginger. I found some natural ginger mints called Meltzer's pure mints, that I absolutely love - they really help my nausea. They are the best all natural ginger mints and use real ginger extract - I think that's why they work so well for me. I highly recommend them. Some of the other ginger mints I have tried did not use much ginger, if any I don't think and I havent gotten the same results from them. Oh yes - try a bit of honey in the ginger tea. Phenomenal. Add some soda water and make your own ginger ale with real fresh ginger.

  • Theresa Haas 7/22/2008 4:34:05 PM

    Following chemotherapy there is a time where I could actually "taste" anything, as though my palate was burned, not to mention the nausea, etc. However during those times, Verner's Gingerale is my dear friend. I only wish I could find ginger ale without all the high fructose corn syrup (at a reasonable price)!!!!

  • Cris 7/21/2008 2:22:29 PM

    A word of caution to anyone taking medication for depression(such as prozac or zoloft), ginger supplements can lessen its effectiveness.

  • Barb Gerhardt 11/25/2007 12:00:00 AM

    I really need help with a problem with my dog. He has a really
    bad case of worms and i have tried the over the counter remedies
    and they have not worked. Does anyone have a safe natural way to
    get rid of them?

  • dianne carey 11/21/2007 12:00:00 AM

    i use freshly grated ginger to sooth IBS and or tummy bloat - it
    works like a charm.i grate approx 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches of
    ginger.

  • JODY Oaks 9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM

    I heard about using ginger to fight nausea on the show
    Mythbusters and decided to try it for motion sickness. I bought
    some ginger Altoids and ate one before we went out on the water and
    another while on the boat. The water was choppy which would
    normally make me very sea sick. I think the ginger really did help
    prevent nausea and was able to enjoy the boat ride without focusing
    on not vomiting.

  • LYNNE Smith 9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM

    Quite often a young pup will be nervous and have car sickness
    when they first start to travel. The kennel where I board the pups
    suggested feeding the pups giner snaps before travel. I only have
    to give them the ginger snaps a couple of times, and they relax and
    get over it. I could not believe something so simple would work,
    but it does. They also love the ginger snaps.

  • LYNNE Smith 9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM

    Quite often a young pup will be nervous and have car sickness
    when they first start to travel. The kennel where I board the pups
    suggested feeding the pups giner snaps before travel. I only have
    to give them the ginger snaps a couple of times, and they relax and
    get over it. I could not believe something so simple would work,
    but it does. They also love the ginger snaps.

  • LYNNE Smith 9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM

    Quite often a young pup will be nervous and have car sickness
    when they first start to travel. The kennel where I board the pups
    suggested feeding the pups giner snaps before travel. I only have
    to give them the ginger snaps a couple of times, and they relax and
    get over it. I could not believe something so simple would work,
    but it does. They also love the ginger snaps.

  • JOYCE Fleming 9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM

    My favorite Ginger recipe is for Gingered Key Limeade. I have a
    key lime tree which provides me with a bounty of fruit every year
    so I tried to think of something beside key lime pie to do with
    them.I squeeze the juice out and freeze it till I am in the mood
    and then when life gives you key limes you make limeade !1 cup key
    lime juiceGrated or Shredded Fresh Peeled Ginger Raw SugarPure
    Water I make syrup out of the raw sugar and pure water by simmering
    it untill all the sugar is disolved and I use it to sweeten the
    limeade.Strain it. Sweeten to taste as some people do not like it
    really sweet. The leftover syrup will stay good in the refrigerator
    for several days.If you like to munch on ginger eat the leftovers
    that is in the pot after you strain it out of the syrup or put it
    in a stir fry. For those unfortunate enough to not have a key lime
    tree,This can be made with regular limes or even lemons and fresh
    Ginger.

  • juella kit 9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM

    I've benefited personally from using ginger with stomach issues.
    If using ginger ale, it's been my experience that some of the
    brands (readily available in stores) are better than others. I've
    recently tried candied ginger from a health food store and although
    it possessed quite a potent taste, it worked amazingly.

  • Allyson Ramage 9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM

    Though I have always loved ginger in my cooking and hot
    spicey-sweet ginger tea, I have just recently started taking ginger
    capsules for two days prior to my arial dance rehearsals. I was
    terribly ill the first time without them and with them can fly all
    day!Allyson

  • john fain 9/18/2007 12:00:00 AM

    Ginger indeed is reputed to be a wonder drug and has been for
    centuries. In his book "Ginger Common Spice %Wonder Drug", Paul
    Schulick delivers a comprehensive and exhaustive commentary on the
    why's ,how's and wherefore's of Ginger. Probably the most
    definitive source available.Yours for the asking, and no, no
    connection to the book other than it's in my personal library. John
    Fain

  • Deborah McHenry 9/18/2007 12:00:00 AM

    I am a breast cancer survivor. I did use conventional treatment,
    and chemo-induced nausea was an issue. Ginger-ale calmed my stomach
    and helped me tolerate the chemo side effects.Later on, I found out
    that ginger was the reason for this.I highly recommend ginger-ale
    for chemo patients.

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