Ginger Tea for Nausea

Focused breathing, dry toast and peppermint are all common remedies for nausea, but ginger is the oldest and probably the most effective home remedy for treating nausea, according to "Best Health" magazine. Though you can find ginger in many forms -- capsules, tinctures and even candied snacks -- ginger tea is a soothing, classic way to treat nausea.

Identification

Ginger tea is made from ginger root, an underground stem -- or rhizome -- that contains powerful phenol compounds and volatile oils that give ginger its medicinal benefits. It's not clear exactly how ginger affects nausea, but the University of Maryland Medical Center says that ginger has a calming effect on the digestive system, soothing nausea and stomach discomfort.

Types

Ginger may help relieve several different types of nausea, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Ginger can relieve some of the discomfort of nausea associated with motion sickness. Ginger tea can also alleviate some morning sickness for pregnant women. And drinking ginger tea may help some people relieve nausea caused by chemotherapy or recovery from surgery.

Expert Insight

To treat nausea, plan to drink about four glasses of ginger tea per day, recommends the University of Maryland Medical Center. You should limit your intake to 4 g of ginger or less per day, unless your doctor advises otherwise. Children can take ginger tea to relieve nausea, too, but you should check with your child's pediatrician to get the right dose.

Method

To make ginger tea, "Best Health" magazine offers a simple preparation method. Grate a piece of peeled ginger root until you have one heaping teaspoon of grated ginger. Steep the grated ginger in 1 cup of hot water for about 10 minutes. If you like, you can add a little honey or sugar to sweeten your tea.

Warning

If you're drinking ginger tea for morning sickness or other pregnancy-related nausea, be sure to make tea with fresh ginger root rather than with dried ginger, recommends Christopher Hobbs, a botanist, herbalist and acupuncturist, on BabyCenter.com. Hobbs says Chinese medical tradition advises against using ground ginger during pregnancy.