Uses

Related Terms

  • Car Sickness
  • Motion Sickness
  • Sea Sickness

Nausea is an uneasy feeling in the stomach. It may make someone want to vomit. It is a symptom of many health problems.

Treatment depends on the cause. Diet and healthy habits can help ease nausea. Natural therapies have been used to ease nausea and prevent vomiting.

Natural Therapies

Likely Effective

These therapies are likely to ease nausea:

  • Acupressure applies pressure to body points. D2, D3
  • Acupuncture inserts fine needles into body points. A1-A5
  • Ginger is root that can be taken as a supplement or made into tea. C7
  • Cannabis is an herb that can be taken as an approved supplement. (Note: It should not be taken by women who are nursing or pregnant.) C3-C6
  • Non-needle acupoint stimulation is a type of acupuncture done without needles. D5

Aromatherapy that contains ginger and mint oils is likely to ease nausea. B1

May Be Effective

These therapies may ease nausea:

  • Chamomile is a flower that can be taken as a supplement, made into a tea, or applied as a cream. (Note: People who are pregnant or taking blood thinners should talk to their doctor before taking chamomile.) C8
  • Chinese Herbal Medicine is a branch of Chinese medicine that uses herbs. C2
  • Moxibustion burns the herb moxa on or near a person’s skin. D1, D4
  • Noni is a tree with a small green fruit that can be made into juice. It can also be taken as an extract. (Note: It should not be taken by people with liver problems).C1

Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.

Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.

Herbs and Supplements to Be Used With Caution

Talk to your doctor about any supplements or therapy you would like to use. Some may get in the way of treatment. They can also make illness worse or cause new problems. Examples include:

  • Cannabis should not be taken by women who are pregnant or nursing.
  • Chamomile may cause problems in women who are pregnant. It may also cause problems in people who take blood thinners. Talk to your doctor before taking chamomile.
  • Noni should not be taken by people who have liver problems.

References

Acupuncture

REFA1 Cheong KB, Zhang JP, et al. The effectiveness of acupuncture in prevention and treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting--a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2013 Dec 13;8(12):e82474.

REFA2 Rithirangsrirok K, Manchana T, et al. Efficacy of acupuncture in prevention of delayed chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting in gynecological cancer patients. Gynecol Oncol. 2015;136(1):82-86.

REFA3 Lee A, Chan SK, et al. Stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point PC6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Nov 2;(11):CD003281.

REFA4 Shin HC, Kim JS, et al. The effect of acupuncture on postoperative nausea and vomiting after pediatric tonsillectomy: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Laryngoscope. 2016 Aug;126(8):1761-1767.

REFA5 Lu D, Lu D, et al. [Electrothermal acupuncture in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a randomized controlled trial]. Zhonggguo Zhen Jiu. 2017;37(4):355-359.

REFB Aromatherapy

REFB1 Hines S, Steels E, et al. Aromatherapy for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;3:CD007598.

REFC Herbs and Supplements

REFC1 Prapaitrakool S, Itharat A, et al. Morinda citrifolia Linn. For prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. J med Assoc Thai. 2010;93(7):204-209.

REFC2 Li SG, Chen HY, et al. The efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine as an adjunctive therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e57604.

REFC3 Smith LA, Azariah F, et al. Cannabinoids for nausea and vomiting in adults with cancer receiving chemotherapy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(11):CD009464.

REFC4 Whiting PF, Wolff RF, et al. Cannabinoids for Medical Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2015 Jun 23-30;313(24):2456-2473.

REFC5 Morales M, Corsi O, et al. Are cannabinoids effective for the management of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting? Medwave. 2017;17(9):e7119.

REFC6 Allan GM, Finley CR, et al. Systematic review of systematic reviews for medical cannabinoids: Pain, nausea and vomiting, spasticity, and harms. Can Fam Physician. 2018;64(2):e78-e94.

REFC7 Tóth B, Lantos T, et al. Ginger (Zingiber officinale): An alternative for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. A meta-analysis. Phytomedicine. 2018;50:8-18.

REFC8 Zargaran A, Borhani-Haghigi A, et al. Evaluation of the effect of topical chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) oleogel as pain relief in migraine without aura: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Neurol Sci. 2018;39(8):1345-1353.

REFD Other Therapies

REFD1 Lee MS, Choi TY, et al. Moxibustion for cancer care: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Cancer. 2010 Apr 7;10:130.

REFD2 Liu Y, Tang WPY, et al. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Acupressure for Postoperative Gastrointestinal Symptoms among Abdominal Surgery Patients. Am J Chin Med. 2017;45(6):1127-1145.

REFD3 Miao J, Liu X, et al. Effects of acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting-a systematic review with meta-analyses and trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials. Int J Nurs Stud. 2017 May;70:27-37.

REFD4 Zhang HW, Lin ZX, et al. Moxibustion for alleviating side effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy in people with cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Nov 13;11:CD010559.

REFD5 Sun R, Dai W, et al. Non-needle acupoint stimulation for prevention of nausea and vomiting after breast surgery: A meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Mar;98(10):e14713.

Revision Information

  • Reviewer: EBSCO NAT Review Board Eric Hurwitz, DC
  • Review Date: 02/2020
  • Update Date: 05/26/2020