Plenty of people get seasick on a boat or carsick in a vehicle. There are medications that can help folks avoid motion sickness, but some individuals find that these drugs can lead to confusion or other problems. How else might you deal with this travel dilemma?
Wishing for a Way to Avoid Motion Sickness:
Q. My husband and I will be spending two weeks in Italy this summer. Most of the driving in the area around Naples to Rome to Florence will be by tour bus. We’ll take a high-speed train to Venice.
I get motion sickness easily, especially in hilly, mountainous areas. What can I take for this that won’t make me drowsy? I’ve tried stretchy pressure-point wrist bands, but I didn’t find them really effective.
I read about a product called Quease Ease. I believe it is an aromatic inhaler. What can you tell me about it? Do you have other recommendations?
Aromas to Avoid Motion Sickness:
A. Quease Ease contains four essential oils with distinctive fragrances: peppermint, ginger, spearmint and lavender. A study published in the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia (Sept. 2013) reported that aromatherapy including spearmint, peppermint, ginger and cardamom was superior to placebo at relieving post-operative nausea.
Other studies have shown that sniffing isopropyl alcohol from a gauze pad can alleviate nausea within 10 minutes (Annals of Emergency Medicine, July, 2016).
How About Ginger?
Another option is taking ginger by mouth, either as an extract, in capsules or as crystalized ginger candy. Some research shows that this can have an anti-nausea effect (European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, April, 2015). Although this research focused on pregnancy and chemotherapy as causes of nausea, some readers have found ginger helped them avoid motion sickness.
Ginger Wine to Avoid Motion Sickness?
One of the more unusual forms of ginger people have used is ginger wine. Here is one reader’s story:
Q. You have written about ginger combating motion sickness, but you missed the best ginger remedy of all.
Stone’s Original Ginger Wine has been produced since 1740, according to the label. It is made from currants and slowly matures before finely ground ginger is steeped in the wine. It is imported from England.
I can attest that four ounces of the wine prevents motion sickness.
A. Ginger has a long history against motion sickness dating back thousands of years in China. To learn more about this amazing herb and its healing properties, click here.
People have suggested everything from taking ginger capsules to munching ginger snaps or sipping ginger ale to get their dose. Thanks for sharing a novel approach.
Be Aware:
One word of caution is warranted, however. Some people find that alcohol makes motion sickness worse. Since Stone’s Original Ginger Wine is 13 percent alcohol, that could pose a problem. If you would like to know more about it, check out their website.
SC uses still a different form of ginger:
“Ginger gum is also good. I have gone on several cruises and it’s the only thing that keeps me from being seasick. When the nausea begins, I chew 1 or 2 pieces of ginger gum.”
