Ginger to prevent motion sickness
It is really on this remedy that we must bet. Numerous studies, controlled with placebo, have demonstrated the effectiveness of ginger in the prevention and treatment of nausea due to motion sickness or seasickness. And moreover, the World Health Organization recognizes as “clinically justified ”its use to combat this inconvenience. Its action involves the presence of gingerols, components that contribute to the normal functioning of the stomach.
A few tips to avoid nausea while traveling
• From half an hour to an hour before departure, you can chew 1 slice of fresh ginger – you have to love its tangy side! – or to decorate your dishes and desserts consumed at that time. Candied ginger can also be enjoyed.
• Prepare yourself an infusion with 1 fresh grated slice (1 level teaspoonful for 1 cup of boiling water, let steep for 10 minutes). And feel free to sweeten the taste by adding lemon or honey to it.
• Modern version : you can swallow the ginger in the form of capsules: 4 capsules half an hour before departure.
For children, buy them ginger candies (organic stores, Asian stores, or even on the Internet). They must suck 2 or 3 half an hour before departure in order to fully produce the desired effects. You can also make these sweets yourself (recipes on the Internet); they keep for about 4 months. Note that we now also find ginger chewing gum in pharmacies, against motion sickness.
Lemon and company to stop the evil on the way
There are plenty of tips when things start to go wrong. Pick your choice …
• The lemon : suck on a quarter or drink a few sips of the juice.
• Lemon balm water : a few drops on a sugar, our grandmothers adored, and it is often radical.
• The same goes for the well-known Ricqlès mint alcohol: it has proven itself for over 175 years and has not aged a bit. A product to have on hand: 1 to 3 drops of this remedy on a sugar or in a glass of water, and no more hassle! Reserved for older children and adults, because of the alcohol.
• Ginger, again : suck on ginger candies or candied ginger bits, and it will pass. You can also renew the capsule intake (2 every 3 hours). Also excellent formula, take a small bottle of ginger essential oil: you put 1 drop pure on half a sugar, or directly under the tongue, to stop the onset of nausea.
Breathing tip: you can inhale this essential oil from the open bottle, or put a few drops on a tissue.
• Peppermint essential oil can also be breathed in at any time during the trip to stop nausea.
Remember to eat before departure!
Contrary to what we often think, and what we do, leaving on an empty stomach will not help! Spasms of the stomach and hypoglycemia increase the discomfort. You should take a light meal based on solid foods: starchy foods, bananas, toast for breakfast. But we avoid the liquid type milk. And we take snacks for the road, cookies for example.
Massage the bone behind the ear called a “rock” with 1 drop of lavender essential oil.
How and where to be placed so as not to be sick
Our grandmothers advised them intuitively, and they were right!
• A good rest before departure t, for both children and adults, is important: fatigue tends to increase nausea. For the journey, wear loose clothing that does not compress the stomach. They should not be too hot or too light: heat or cold worsen the symptoms.
• Limit head movements as much as possible because the problem comes from the fluids in the inner ear which move and move with the movements of the car during braking, changes of direction, in the bends, or, in boat, with the pitch: this confuses the brain, which reacts by causing harm to sensitive people. Try to prop up your head with a cushion. It is advisable to look at the landscape in the distance, or to keep your head tilted a little backwards, without closing your eyes. It should not be tilted to the side or forward: therefore no reading or video games for children …
• Choose the right place: there are places that are better than others because they are more stable. In the car, the place before – when you are old! – is to be preferred; by bus, also at the front; by train, in the direction of travel; by boat, in the center.
• Open windows: in the car, do not drive in a confined atmosphere but open the windows (and ban perfumes!). When on a boat, if possible, sit on the deck, away from engine odors.
Is the bunch of parsley effective against motion sickness?
Our grandmothers recommended placing a bunch of parsley on the chest by attaching it to a garment. Well, not very fun today! And, besides, not sure that it works! How was parsley supposed to work? Thanks to its smell? Unless you have very fragrant ones in your garden, the one you buy often doesn’t smell much. Or was it because parsley has always been considered a strength plant? If you feel like it, you can give it a try, but there is no guarantee …
For further
A new method to prevent seasickness
Ginger to help with nausea during pregnancy
Beware of drug abuse against motion sickness
