Digestion5 min
Ginger and cardamom for nausea and travel sickness
Queasy on a winding bus ride or after a rich meal? A sliver of fresh ginger with a pinch of salt, or a crushed green cardamom pod to chew, are two of the gentlest kitchen answers to nausea.
The Ayurvedic view
Ayurveda sees nausea (hrillasa) as energy that should move downwards starting to move upwards — often when the stomach is overloaded, digestion is weak or motion unsettles vata. Ginger is called vishwabheshaj, the ‘universal medicine’, and has long been used to settle the stomach. Cardamom is aromatic, freshening and lighter on the stomach, which makes it useful for people who find ginger too hot.
Ingredients
- A thin slice of fresh ginger (about the size of a coin)
- A pinch of rock salt and a few drops of lemon
- 2 green cardamom pods (elaichi)
How to prepare
- Sprinkle the ginger slice with salt and a drop of lemon.
- Lightly crush the cardamom pods so the seeds are exposed.
How to use
- Slowly chew the ginger slice when nausea starts, or 15 minutes before travel.
- Alternatively, chew the seeds of one cardamom pod and spit out the husk.
- Sip small amounts of water or lemon water rather than gulping a full glass.
Helpful habits
- On journeys, sit facing forward near a window, look at the horizon and avoid reading on a phone.
- Eat a light snack before travel rather than travelling hungry or very full.
- Fresh air and slow breathing through the nose help many people.
Precautions
- In pregnancy, mild nausea is common, but ask your doctor before using ginger regularly; seek care for vomiting that stops you keeping fluids down.
- Ginger may not suit people with acidity, gallstones or those on blood thinners in larger amounts.
- Nausea with severe headache, chest pain, confusion, abdominal pain, yellow eyes or vomiting blood needs urgent medical attention.
- For children, keep quantities small and consult a paediatrician for repeated vomiting.
