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The knotty, twisted underground stem of the ginger plant (Zingiber officinale ) has been used as a spice and a drug in China for the last 25 centuries. Chinese sailors chewed pieces of it to relieve their seasickness thousands of years ago. Today ginger is a leading folk remedy for nausea and digestive problems as well as a flavoring for food and drinks throughout the world.

In the past two decades, a handful of studies in the United States and Europe have examined ginger's effects, and the results have been convincing enough for the German government to approve it as a treatment for motion sickness and indigestion. In one small U.S. study, a group of motion sickness-prone college students who took ginger were able to endure being spun around in a tilted, rotating chair almost twice as long as the group who took the drug, Dramamine®. In another study, 80 naval cadets in heavy seas who took ginger threw up less, though they still felt nauseated and dizzy. The root may work for other kinds of nausea as well, including nausea caused by cancer chemotherapy. While some experts caution against using ginger for morning sickness until more is known about its safety in pregnancy, preliminary research is encouraging. In a 2005 study with 675 participants, researchers found ginger to be an effective and safe treatment for nausea in pregnancy. What's more, a 2007 study of 126 pregnant women found it to be even more effective than vitamin B6, with fewer side effects.

Researchers are not yet sure how ginger prevents motion sickness. Compounds in ginger might work on the stomach and possibly on the inner ear, where motion sickness originates. Other compounds might have anti-inflammatory effects, although ginger has not proven effective for treating people with osteoarthritis. Ginger has a big advantage over other motion sickness drugs: In normal doses it doesn't cause any of their nasty side effects, such as drowsiness, blurred vision, dry mouth, and heart palpitations.

Ginger has an excellent safety record in humans. In high doses it may cause sleepiness or heart palpitations. It may also thin the blood. To be safe, don't use it if you are already taking prescription anti-coagulants such as Coumadin (Warfarin).

Powdered ginger is available in capsule or liquid extract form. To prevent motion sickness, take two 500 mg capsules 30 minutes before traveling and one or two more after four hours if you begin to feel nauseated. Keep in mind that the government does not regulate herbal remedies, so quality and potency can vary from product to product. Asian food markets and many natural food stores sell crystallized or candied ginger; an inch-square slice is roughly equivalent to a standard 500 mg capsule. Ginger tea is a less potent option. You can make it by chopping up a two-inch section of fresh ginger and steeping it in water for about 15 minutes; it's good with honey and lemon. You can also try ginger ale, but make sure it's made with real ginger.

References

First published September 3, 1998
Last updated January 23, 2008
Copyright © 1998 Consumer Health Interactive and OneBody, Inc.

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