Ginger is typically not as effective as standard drugs for motion sickness, but it has the advantage of not causing drowsiness. Some physicians recommend ginger over other motion sickness drugs for older individuals who are unusually sensitive to drowsiness or loss of balance. Ginger is also used for the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, and some conventional medical textbooks mention it. European physicians sometimes give their patients ginger before and just after surgery to prevent the nausea that many people experience when they awaken from anesthesia. However, this treatment should be attempted only with a physician's approval.
Scientific evidence suggests that ginger can be helpful for various forms of nausea.
A preliminary double-blind study performed in Denmark concluded that ginger can significantly reduce the nausea and vomiting that often accompany pregnancy. 1 Effects became apparent in 19 of 27 women after 4 days of treatment. The first scientific study of ginger for motion sickness followed 36 college students with a known tendency toward motion sickness. They were treated with either ginger or the standard antinausea drug dimenhydrinate and then placed in a rotating chair to see how much motion they could stand. Both treatments seemed about equally effective.