Ginger is often effective in motion sickness

Different results in studies on ginger in motion sickness

07/10/2013

It has not been a secret for many years: ginger is particularly well-suited to prevent travel sickness. Numerous scientific studies have already shown positive effects of the old naturopathic remedy. In conventional medicine, the healing power in relation to seasickness is controversial.

Nausea and vomiting and dizziness are associated with a travel or seasickness. Turn on the brain „alarm“, It can no longer be located correctly on a rocking ship, a winding route in the car or on the plane, where left, right, up or down. Doctors call this phenomenon „kinetoses“. That means translated: „A disease caused by movement“. In Naturopathy, those affected by ginger in the form of teas, if at least 500 milligrams or at most one gram of the Far Eastern medicinal root is taken.

Study situation not clear
But the data is as in many cases not clear, at least from a scientific point of view. Non-medical practitioner Susanne Mertens: „My experiences speak a clear language. Most patients have confirmed to me a positive effect. They suffered significantly less vomiting and nausea from taking ginger extracts.“ The physician Dr. Claus-Martin Muth from the University Hospital Ulm is somewhat more restrained in his statements here. „The data is inconsistent. There are many scientific reports that say ginger helps with seasickness. But there are just as many who notice no effect.“

The reason for excessive sweating, vomiting to depressive episodes is a conflict of the senses. Normally „The information available to the brain is consistent with each other.“ This can change abruptly when patients are inside the ship. While the eyes do not detect any abnormalities, all the receptors report movement. But the sense of sight does not detect any movements because you are in a room.

In the case of kinetosis also the subjective feeling seems to play a superordinate role. In a double-blind study, a placebo preparation was able to significantly alleviate the symptoms in 45 percent of the subjects. So if ginger is good at alleviating the symptoms, it should continue to take before traveling. The doctor also clearly says that nothing is clear. A final opinion is not possible because of the contradictory results. (Sb)

Picture: w.r.wagner