Ginger: A Traveler's Aid

While studying herbal medicine, I noticed an interesting trend that's worth passing along: if a particular herb had a large role in the cuisine of any ancient culture, look further. It usually means that the herb has valid medicinal properties the ancient people figured out centuries before modern medicine ever invented the concept of the research study.

I think ginger falls into that category. A favorite flavoring in Asian cuisine, ginger has a solid history of over 2500 years in Chinese medicine. Used particularly for gastrointestinal problems, it was believed to help improve digestion, calm nausea and aid in the expulsion of gas from the intestines (the perfect food additive, no?). In western cultures, ginger tea continues to be a common folk remedy for upset stomachs and for morning sickness.

Fortunately for those of us skeptics not a hundred percent sure that two millennia of medicinal use is proof enough of an herb's benefit, modern science has studied ginger fairly thoroughly in at least one area-that of its use in the prevention of motion sickness.

Several recent studies have put ginger to the test in controlling the nausea some people experience when riding in a moving or spinning vehicle. One particular study published in Lancet in 1982 gave subjects either ginger or dramamine prior to giving them a "ride" on a spinning, tilting chair. Those who took ginger experienced far less nausea than those that took dramamine.

Another study out of Denmark tested ginger versus a placebo in subjects who then took to the open sea on a ship. Again, ginger showed effectiveness in controlling the nausea commonly associated with seasickness.

I personally prefer ginger because it lacks the side effects of most modern medicines used for motion sickness-namely, fatigue, dry mouth, dizziness and rapid heart beat. Whenever I've used dramamine, for example, I have a difficult time staying awake to enjoy the scenery I went to look at in the first place.

Capsules of ginger usually contain approximately 500 milligrams of dried ginger rhizome and the recommended dose is two capsules up to three times daily. Doses of up to 4 grams per day are considered acceptable. Try some the next time you travel!

A word about ginger and morning sickness: several sources, including the German Commission E Monograph, caution against the use of ginger for the treatment of nausea in pregnancy. None of the sources gave what I thought was a valid reason for the recommendation. My guess is that nobody has tortured enough pregnant lab rats to make any particular recommendation one way or the other about ginger's safety in pregnancy. My personal advice would be to avoid the high dose capsules containing ginger and to stick to a warm cup of ginger tea instead.

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