Many of us are familiar with the unpleasant symptoms of motion sickness, but these can be alleviated with some simple herbal remedies.
Any travel – car, plane, boat, train or coach – can trigger sensations of dizziness, fatigue and nausea. In severe cases, repeated vomiting may occur. Children are especially prone to being sick on long journeys, but susceptibility usually decreases with age and increased experience of travel. Tiredness and feeling of anxiety can also contribute to travel sickness, so try to rest and relax before traveling.
By taking natural preventative measures, such as herbal preparations or using acupressure techniques, motion sickness can be reduced to make traveling more pleasurable.
Many conventional motion sickness drugs can cause drowsiness or a dry mouth, whereas herbs such as ginger or peppermint can be equally effective, but without the unpleasant side effects. Other herbs believed to be beneficial for travel include liquorice, cayenne, catnip and black horehound.
Prepare some natural herbal remedies to pack in a travel bag before setting off on your journey.
Our senses are constantly updating our brain about our environment. Different parts of the body – our eyes, ears and skin – send separate signals to the brain about motion. Travel sickness results when the brain receives conflicting messages.
Motion is detected by fluid changes in the semi-circular canals of the inner ear, but if the eye and skin receptors don’t experience this the brain becomes confused. This triggers nausea.
Herbal remedies, such as ginger and peppermint, co not act on the brain to block these conflicting signals but act on the gastro-intestinal tract to gently soothe and calm the stomach from these ill effects.
There are many herbs that can help to soothe the symptoms of travel sickness, such a catnip, liquorice or valerian. These can be taken as teas, tinctures or even as travel lollies.
- Ginger – The tuberous rhizome, or root stalk, of ginger contains gingerols, which calm and soothe the stomach. Ginger can be taken as an herbal decoction, tincture or as a sugar-coated lolly before and during a journey. Oriental sailors have chewed fresh ginger root to combat seasickness for centuries. Its effectiveness has been confirmed through numerous clinical trials.
- Valerian – This tall, perennial herb often grows wild alongside river banks in Europe. Extracts of valerian root are rich in valepotriates, which act to sedate the nervous system. It can reduce the fears of travel that can trigger motion sickness. An infusion of tincture of the fresh root is more potent than using the dried root. Valerian can also aid sleep, which is useful for long journeys.
- Catnip – Related to peppermint, catnip is a mild herb with a pleasant taste and gentle action that makes it particularly suited to use for children. Its active components are iridoids, tannins and volatile oils, which act to gently soothe and sedate the stomach and nerves. Catnip can be taken as an infusion before long journeys.
- Peppermint – This familiar garden her is an effective remedy for travel sickness. Its pungent, peppery leaves have volatile oils to balance gastro-intestinal activity and calm the stomach. Create a dry inhalation for a journey by adding a few drops of peppermint essential oil to a handkerchief.
- Black horehound – This perennial herb with pretty, purple flowers is believed to prevent nausea association with travel sickness. It is related to peppermint and is rich in active compounds diterpenoids, saponins and volatile oils, which help settle the nerves. Take it as a tincture or as an herbal infusion.
- Liquorice root – Liquorice root can be taken as an infusion, as a tincture or as a decoction. It has a potent anti-inflammatory effect, soothing the mucus membranes of the stomach and reducing the fatigue often associated with long journeys. You should avoid taking liquorice if you are pregnant, diabetic or suffer from hypertension.
- Chamomile – As well as easing the discomfort of a hangover, this herb can be used to counter the effects of travel sickness. Chamomile’s active ingredients include sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, coumarins and phenolic acids. When making a chamomile infusion it is best to use the German variety of the herb’s flower heads as opposed to the Roman variety; German chamomile has a milder flavor and lacks bitterness.
Ginger and cayenne tea – Include making a herbal remedy for motion sickness as part of your preparations before a long journey. The recipe below is easy to prepare and uses everyday ingredients you should find in your kitchen cupboard.
- Grate 2cm fresh ginger root into a heat-resistant glass jug.
- Add a dash of ground cayenne pepper.
- Pour on boiling water and steep for around five minutes.
- Strain off the liquid and sip a cup half an hour before your journey. You can take the remaining herbal infusion in a thermos flask to sip along the way.
The spicy remedy should taste quite palatable, but sweeten with honey if
