Ground Your Motion Sickness With Ginger Root!

Have you ever felt the all consuming feeling of uneasiness? Motion sickness can catch us by surprise with its unforgiving misery at any time, and it can affect anyone. So it’s important we learn strategies to help us through the triggers and symptoms. Thankfully, one of the most important and widely consumed herbs is a convenient remedy. Ginger root is easy to use for
motion sickness because it is very accessible; most of us have ground ginger in the spice cabinet already. Ginger has a long standing record as a folk herbal remedy for motion sickness including being airsick, carsick or seasick.

While women and children are more prone to motion sickness, it can affect anyone. Estimates say one in three people get motion sickness at some time. Certain familial, hormonal or medical condition factors may increase one’s chances of getting sick. The feeling is most common for people traveling by airplanes, boats, cars or trains. People can also feel it on amusement park rides or while playing video games.

What happens that causes these sensations?
It’s a matter of the vestibular system. Our sensory system is responsible for providing signals to the brain. Our brain receives information about motion, head position, and spatial orientation from our eyes, ears and body. When the motion sensing parts of our body don’t match up with the incoming signals, we can feel sickness.

For example, if you’re riding in a car/bus/train, your:

• eyes see passing trees and registers movement
• inner ears sense motion
• muscles and joints sense the body is still
• brain senses a disconnect between these messages

When our brain gets confused with conflicting information, its reactions make us feel sick. For example, changes in air pressure, like in the cabin of an airplane, can cause stress on the inner ear, throwing off equalization and feelings of balance. The same pressure changes cause the gasses in your stomach and intestines to expand, so you may feel bloated and queasy.

Symptoms of any form of motion sickness may include:

• Cold sweats
• Disorientation
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Increase in saliva
• Irritability
• Lack of focus
• Nausea
• Pale skin
• Rapid breathing or gulping for air
• Vomiting

So what is a simple herbal remedy that can help with all of that?
Ginger, Zingiber officinale! Ginger is a blooming plant harvested for its rhizome (root). Ginger root is a potent pungent tasting bitter healing herb offering a wealth of health benefits. It can do amazing things for the digestive system including soothe nausea and settle an upset stomach. There are many reasons why it has a long history of being helpful as an alternative medicine. Simply put, ginger is amazing. Especially in the case of prevention, lessening the effects of and improving recovery from motion sickness.

There are different methods to get your helpful doses of ginger, thankfully many of them are packable travel friendly options. A preventative dose would be helpful taken an hour before travel. Repeat your dose every two to four hours as needed.

1. Ginger Liquid Extract is the most concentrated form, check out our herbal extract dosing guide for ideas on how to dose and consume your liquid herbal extract.
2. Encapsulated Ginger & Gentian Powders bitter herbs paired to promote digestive support for overindulgence or queasiness.
3. Shop for organic fresh ginger and grate it over your favorite cuisine of choice or steep a cup of warm ginger tea. This can also be enjoyed before bed the night before your travels to help prime the body with support.
4. Ginger lozenges are available in chewy or hard candy form. Typically made by boiling pieces of pure ginger until soft and pliable, then adding sweeteners such as honey, sugar or citrus.
5. Sips of carbonated ginger ale may help curb nausea as well

In addition to aiding healthy digestive function and soothing nausea, it also supports a normal response to temporary stress and stops the production of free-radicals in the body. As an added bonus, it supports a normal healthy immune system.

Consume ginger for motion sickness to keep it from spoiling your trip. Ginger is a true superfood packed with bioactive compounds and nutrients. These powerful constituents bring benefits to both the body and the brain. A widely used herbal remedy that is considered safe to use in moderation during pregnancy and is gentle enough for both the elderly and children. There is mixed evidence of ginger interacting with blood thinners, so use caution and reach out to your trusted healthcare provider.

This blog was written by Meg Ramirez, please click here to learn more about the author.