Natural Nausea Treatments

Nausea can be an incredibly uncomfortable condition, but it tends to respond well to natural remedies. Following a few basic natural nausea treatments may help alleviate some of your nausea symptoms.

Your first step in treating nausea should be to find a calm and safe spot, get some fresh air and change into some loose, comfortable clothing. If these steps don't make your nausea flee, try some of these natural remedies:

Soda crackers and/or a baking soda mouth rinse. Sometimes just getting a little bit of food into your stomach can help you get rid of your nausea. Soda crackers and baking soda both have the added advantage of being able to neutralize stomach acid, as well as adding salt to your diet. This can be helpful in restoring your mineral balance and encouraging your appetite to return.

As unappealing as it may seem, just nibbling on some soda crackers when you're nauseated can help your stomach settle. Take a nibble of cracker every 15 minutes or so until your nausea is resolved. If you are suffering from morning sickness, try eating a soda cracker as soon as you wake up, before you get out of bed.

Baking soda is another frequently used natural remedy for nausea: ½ teaspoon dissolved in four ounces of water can be used as a mouth rinse or, if you choose to drink it, as an antacid. Although baking soda is an effective antacid, it must be used with care, or it could exacerbate your stomach problems. Make sure that it is dissolved completely before you swallow it, and don't use this remedy if you have high sodium, or if your doctor advises you against it.

Teas. Alfalfa, peppermint, catnip or chamomile herbal teas are classic natural remedies for nausea. They have been used for hundreds of years, and are gentle, safe remedies when used in moderation. Make sure to buy your tea from a reputable manufacturer, and use the tea while it's relatively fresh for best results.

Other teas, such as comfrey tea, that are commonly recommended as nausea remedies, may be less gentle and may have undesirable side effects (reputed liver toxicity).

Avoid strong smells and food preparation. This may seem obvious, but understandably, it's not always practical. However, if you can convince your kids to make their own lunches, or plead with your housemates or family members to skip the tuna sandwiches, you may be able to prevent or reduce the severity of an episode of nausea.

Ginger, ginger, ginger! Ginger is reputed to block the serotonin receptors that cause nausea, as well as increase blood flow to the digestive tract, which also helps nausea dissipate. Ginger can be taken in many forms, including candy, soda (ginger ale), tea, popsicles and pill forms. In Asia, ginger has been used as an appetite stimulant and nausea remedy for thousands of years.

A typical dose of ginger can be as much as eight 500 mg. capsules per day, but don't feel compelled to take that much if less will do the trick for you.

Peppermint or ginger oil. If you can't stand to eat anything when you're nauseated, you can try applying peppermint or ginger oil to your stomach area, the bottoms of your feet, your temples (avoid your eye area), your neck or anywhere else that seems to help ease your nausea.

Peppermint and ginger oils can be bought as essential oils and then mixed into base oils such as avocado, almond or wheat germ oils before they are applied.

The essential oils can also be used in aromatherapy diffusers (or dabbed onto a low-wattage light bulb which causes them to diffuse when the light bulb is turned on).

Acupressure. Many people claim that applying pressure to the "nausea" pressure point (on the inside of your wrist, three finger's distance below your thumb) can relieve nausea. There are specially made anti-nausea acupressure bracelets that continuously press on your anti-nausea spot and can be purchased online or at drugstores.

All of the remedies listed above have their devotees. Although no remedy will work for everyone, through trial and error, you're likely to find one that eases your nausea.