Nausea and vomiting

Often described as "coming in waves," nausea is an overall uncomfortable, woozy feeling. It's frequently accompanied by sweating, chills, or increased saliva production. Sometimes nausea ends in what doctors refer to as emesis (most people call it "throwing up"). In this process, your stomach muscles relax, and the normal rhythmic contractions that propel food through your small intestine shift into reverse, sending the contents back into the stomach. The stomach then contracts and pushes the contents upward through the esophagus. Though unpleasant, vomiting is actually valuable because it enables the body to rid itself of toxic matter-and most people feel much better afterward.

Spoiled food (which may contain bacteria or the toxins they produce), illnesses such as the flu, some medications (even those that are helpful in other ways, such as chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer), and too much alcohol can induce nausea and vomiting. Additional causes include overindulging or eating rich foods, strong smells (from smoke, perfume, food odors), stress and anxiety, and motion sickness.

In other cases, the nerves in the stomach just get confused and transmit warning signals to the brain, even when no real threat to health exists. For example, the high levels of hormones released during pregnancy are beneficial, but they are also thought to be the cause of morning sickness. And elevated hormone levels may be the reason nausea is one symptom of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Supplements and herbs

When you are nauseated and feel the urge to vomit, there is almost nothing you can do to stop it. In fact, if you have eaten something foul, it's better not to fight this powerful reflex because the offending food needs to be purged from your system. But when nausea persists or is the result of pregnancy, motion sickness, stress, essential medications, or strong odors, natural remedies can provide welcome relief.

Your first choice should be ginger, in capsule form or as a tea. The herb's restorative powers originate in its volatile oils, which enhance digestion, soothe irritated membranes, and tone the muscles of the digestive tract. In addition, ginger stimulates the liver to produce bile, which helps digest fats; this action is especially useful in cases of overeating. To combat motion sickness, take your first dose of ginger three to four hours before traveling. If you're pregnant, you can probably use ginger safely for morning sickness as long as you don't take too much; check with your doctor. If you are trying to relieve the nausea of chemotherapy, consult your doctor; avoid ginger if your blood platelet count is low-high doses may interfere with blood clotting.

Because it helps ease spasms in the digestive tract, peppermint oil or tea may be worthwhile for nausea accompanied by intestinal cramping. Peppermint oil is fairly powerful when taken internally, so peppermint tea is probably a better choice for any nausea associated with pregnancy. If ginger and peppermint don't work (and your nausea is not caused by pregnancy), try goldenseal. Taken in pill or tea form, this herb increases digestive secretions and soothes the stomach and liver.

Homeopathy

In severe cases, a dose of the 6, 12 or 30 potency (c or x) can be taken every fifteen to thirty minutes for the first hour or two, reducing the dose to hourly with improvement. For simple nausea, sometimes a single does is sufficient, repeated again when symptoms require.

• Colchicum
  Nausea, vomiting and faintness at the smell, sight or thought of food.
  Weakness. Sensitive to rudeness. Burning or icy coldness in stomach.
  Worse: cooking odors, fish, eggs, broth, meat, damp, motion, touch.
• Ipecacuanha
  Constant nausea, though tongue is not coated, not relieved by vomiting.
  Cutting pains, cramps. May vomit shiny mucus, food, bile or bright blood.
  Much salivation. Sinking or hanging loose feeling in stomach. No thirst.
  After fruit, pork, rich food, sweets, smoking, in pregnancy, in addiction.
  Worse: overeating, smell of food, motion, warmth, smoke. Better: open air.
• Blue Flag
  Extremely acidic, sour vomit, saliva. Bitter, sweetish taste. Worse 2-3 a.m.
  Weekly attacks. Vomiting during headache, which does not relieve it.
  Burning of whole digestive tract, wants cold drinks. Worse: sweets, milk.
• Nux vomica
  Difficult to vomit, must strain, dry retching. Vomiting of sour or bitter mucus, bile. Cramps. Angry and irritable, critical, driven personality.
  From overeating, drugs, alcohol, smoking, coffee, milk, pregnancy, menses.
  Worse: after eating, morning, motion. Better: after vomiting, lying down.
• Pulsatilla
  Nausea with coated tongue and bad taste. Averse to any food; no thirst.
  May be dry retching, vomiting of mucus, bile or food eaten long before.
  From greasy, fried food, fats, ice ream, eating or drinking. Cramping.
• Sepia
  Nausea in a.m. before eating, better after eating. Gnawing feeling, not better eating. Wore from smell or thought of food. Vomits solids only.
  Worse: vegetables, milk, bread, fat, meat, motion, pregnancy, menses.
• Tabacum
  Wretched, "deathly" nausea. Cold, clammy sweats, tremor, paleness.
  Sinking, faint sensation in pit of stomach. Hawking and spitting. Hungry.
  From tobacco, seasickness, pregnancy, carsickness. Worse: motion, light, noise, warm room. Better: fresh air, uncovering the abdomen.
• Veratrum album
  Violent projectile vomiting, often with diarrhea. Intense thirst for cold drinks.
  Greenish, slimy, acidic vomit. Weak and faint, looks gray. Much saliva.
  Cold sweats, cold breath, cold stomach. Worse: drinking, motion, fruit.

What else you can do

• Lie down with a cool cloth on your forehead to relieve nausea. Focus on your breathing to prevent thinking about how you feel.
• Avoid exposure to strong, unpleasant odors that can trigger nausea, such as tobacco smoke, solvents, cleaning supplies, or perfume.
• Don't eat food for two hours after vomiting, but drink as much as you can to replenish lost fluids. (Water, juice, and no caffeinated beverages in small sips are best.) If you vomit again, suck on ice cubes.

How much to take

Ginger

200 mg every 4 hours as needed.
Standardized to contain gingerols.

Peppermint oil

1 enteric-coated capsule 3 times a day.
Each capsule should contain 0.2 ml peppermint oil.

Goldenseal

125 mg standardized extract every 4 hours as needed.
Don't use during pregnancy or with high blood pressure.

For kids

See age-appropriate dosages of herbal remedies

• Aloe vera juice helps to clear and resolve a stomachache that a child may describe as "burning." Make sure to get a food-grade product. Give your child 1 tablespoon diluted in 6 ounces of water, up to three times daily. Use it sparingly; it can be a strong cathartic.
• To help calm a sick and restless child, make chamomile tea and give him one dose with or between meals twice daily.
• Ginger tea is helpful for nausea, vomiting, and stomachache. Give your child one dose, as needed. If the tea tastes too strong for your child, mix it with apple juice or make it with equal amounts of ginger and licorice root to sweeten the taste.
• Green clay helps to neutralize an acid stomach. Mix 1 teaspoon of clay in 1 cup of spring water. The mixture can be taken immediately, but most children won't like the taste. It's usually better to permit the mixture to stand overnight to allow the clay to settle out and have your child drink it in the morning.
• Either raw honey or barley malt extract can be used to settle an irritated stomach. Give your child 1/2  to 1 teaspoon every hour.
  Caution: Never give honey to a child under one year old. It is associated with infant botulism, a potentially life-threatening form of food poisoning.
• Licorice root is very settling to the stomach. Give your child one cup of licorice root tea, three times a day.
  Note: This herb should not be given to a child with high blood pressure.
• Peppermint tea is an effective and safe digestive aid. It is especially helpful for stomachache or vomiting that occurs after a heavy meal. Give your child one dose of tea, with or between meals, twice daily.
• For a stomachache that is accompanied by gas, brew a beneficial stomach tea by blending one part each anise seed, fennel, peppermint, and thyme. Give your child one dose, as needed.
• Umeboshi plum paste is very settling to an upset or acidic stomach. Give your child 1/8 teaspoon every thirty to sixty minutes. It can be combined with ginger and/ or kuzu root.
• A 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal formula, available today as a product called Curing Pills, is effective for any stomach upset. Follow the age-appropriate dosage directions on the product label.

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