Natural Home Remedies: Nausea

photo credit: shutterstockSource: Adapted from 1,801 Home Remedies, Reader’s Digest

Natural home remedies for nausea

While nausea can be caused by motion sickness, morning sickness and the stomach flu, sometimes it’s no more than a natural reaction to something you’ve eaten-something bad the body wants to get rid of. A concussion, heart attack, some types of cancer and chemotherapy can also trigger nausea. Try these home remedies to calm the waves.

What you can do for nausea

• Drinks containing sugar are likely to calm a shaky stomach. Flat soft-drinks at room temperature are good examples.
• When you’re nauseated, lie still. Moving around disturbs the balance mechanism in your middle ear, which can worsen nausea and lead to vomiting. While you’re lying down, place a cool washcloth on your forehead and focus on your breathing so you don’t think as much about your stomach.
• If you think you can handle it, nibble on some toast or a few crackers-dry foods that are high in carbohydrates. Avoid foods that contain fat until you’re feeling better.
• Try an acupressure trick: Place your right thumb on the inside of your left forearm, about two thumb-widths from the crease of your wrist. Press firmly for about a minute, then move your thumb a little closer to your wrist and press for another minute. Repeat on the other forearm.

A natural boost

• One of the oldest and perhaps the best remedy for nausea is ginger. Try a warm cup of ginger tea. Peel away the root bark, then chop or grate the whitish part of the roots until you have one full teaspoon. Put the gratings in a mug, add a cup of boiling water, cover with a saucer and let it steep for 10 minutes. You can drink the tea when it’s still warm or after it has cooled down a bit. If you don’t have any fresh gingerroot, try eating a few gingersnaps or a piece of crystallized ginger.
• Second to ginger is peppermint, which has a calming effect on the lining of the stomach. There are many brands of peppermint tea, sold in bags or as loose tea leaves, and you can drink a cup any time you feel nauseated.
• Create your own anti-nausea syrup with a half-cup of white sugar and a quarter-cup of water. Pour both into a saucepan, turn the heat to medium and stir steadily until you have a clear syrup. After the syrup cools to room temperature, take 1 to 2 teaspoons as needed.