Kitchen Cures

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All my life I’ve been prone to motion sickness—not a good thing when your husband has a passion for sailing.

My mother, a nurse, used to give me ginger ale to settle my belly when I complained of nausea. Now I use ginger to calm my churning stomach when I’m sailing rough waters or flying on a bumpy plane.

I’m not the only one who’s thought of using a kitchen-based remedy to soothe symptoms. And interest in homegrown remedies may be on the rise. A government-sponsored survey reported that worries about the economy are driving more people to alternative remedies as they look for ways to save money on expensive doctor visits and prescription medicines.

How do we know which foods will truly help us feel better? I decided to find out what research says about some popular “kitchen cures.”

1. You’ve heard: “If you’re feeling queasy, sip some ginger ale.”

Scientific research shows that ginger may help control nausea related to pregnancy, surgical anesthesia and, yes, even sailing the high seas. In one study out of Denmark, consuming 1 gram of gingerroot reduced the severity of naval cadets’ seasickness. How does the spicy root alleviate queasiness? Ginger contains compounds called gingerols that, like anti-nausea medications, “help block serotonin receptors in the stomach,” says Suzanna M. Zick, N.D., M.P.H., assistant research professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan. (Serotonin, that famous “feel-good’ brain chemical, is also associated with vomiting.) Zick recommends steeping 1 to 2 grams of fresh gingerroot (1 gram is about the size of a quarter) in boiling water to make a tea or eating about 2 teaspoons of candied ginger. Don’t go overboard, Zick warns: consuming more than 6 grams of ginger in one sitting can irritate the stomach. As for ginger ale: only a few companies use real ginger in their brews—and since most manufacturers don’t disclose amounts of ingredients it’s hard to know whether even those drinks have enough ginger to provide anti­nausea benefits, says Zick.