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Everyone experiences nausea at one point or another. Whether it's related to pregnancy, acid reflux, or cancer treatment, natural remedies may provide some nausea relief. Stocking up your pantry with natural treatments for nausea can help you sail through the worst of it next time.
Nausea arises in a variety of situations, and understanding the cause is important to deciding the most appropriate treatment. For example, pregnancy-related nausea requires a different response than nausea due to cancer treatment.
Pregnancy is a most crucial time for natural treatments. Especially in early pregnancy, when you want to avoid taking medications as much as possible, nausea can be draining and fatiguing. Most natural remedies will work during this stage, however. Every woman’s response is different, so it may take some experimenting to find out which natural treatment provides the greatest nausea relief.
Ginger
Ginger has been used for thousands of years to treat nausea, stomachaches, and diarrhea. "[It's] an excellent treatment for nausea, especially in pregnancy,” says Lauren Richter, DO, assistant medical director of the clinic at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Other types of nausea helped by ginger include post-surgical nausea, nausea due to chemotherapy, and even motion sickness. Dr. Richter recommends using raw ginger in cooking, drinking it as a tea, or, for those who are not enamored of its taste, eating candied ginger. “Dissolve it in the mouth like a mint,” she says.
Peppermint
Peppermint and peppermint oil are good for nausea relief and may also be helpful in dealing with indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome. “Peppermint is also wonderful for nausea,” says Richter. You can make a peppermint tea or suck on a peppermint candy. “This is also very safe in pregnancy.”
Acupuncture and Acupressure
For thousands of years, Eastern practitioners have been manipulating pressure points throughout the body to address physical symptoms, including nausea. One version of this approach, called acupuncture, involves inserting long, thin needles into the skin to balance the energy pathways and correct health problems. Just remember to only seek acupuncture treatment from a licensed professional, Richter advises.
Acupressure is a version of the same approach which can be performed at home or by a massage therapist. Both acupuncture and acupressure can help nausea caused by pregnancy, cancer, acid-reflux, and other situations. “Again, these therapies are particularly useful in pregnancy, where drug interactions are critical and most drugs are to be avoided,” notes Richter. “There are good reference books out on the market to instruct people on how to do acupressure at home on their own.”
Aromatherapy
Controlling the scents in your environment is another way to approach nausea relief. This means removing the scents that may be contributing to nausea and adding scents that can provide relief, such as peppermint oil or lavender.
“You can place a drop or two [of peppermint oil] on a tissue and inhale the scent when you feel nauseated, or put it in an essential oil diffuser,” says Richter. These essential oils also may be used in massage therapy. Some people may find they have a slight allergic reaction to essential oils placed directly on their skin, however. You should always use a neutral oil, like mineral oil, to dilute essential oils before putting them on your skin.
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