GINGER

The third most popular herb was ginger (zingiber officinale), an antinausea and motion-sickness remedy. In fact, Chinese sailors chewed ginger for sea sickness thousands of years ago. Modern studies comparing the effectiveness of ginger to Dramamine, the standard motion-sickness drug, show that ginger is at least as effective. Taking one half teaspoon of powdered ginger shortly before sailing, flying or driving can reduce motion sickness symptoms (vertigo, nausea and vomiting) by 70 percent (The Lancet 1982, i, 655-7). Two capsules of ginger 30 minutes before departure, and every four hours while traveling, prevents motion sickness, says Varro Tyler, Ph.D., professor emeritus of pharmacognosy (natural product pharmacy) at Purdue University, in Lafayette, Ind., one of our herbal experts. The German Commission E, the special agency of the German government responsible for reviewing the safety and effectiveness of herbal products, recommends mug a teaspoon of ginger for indigestion, mild stomachaches and loss of appetite. Ginger not only soothes the sensitive lining of the gastrointestinal tract but aids digestion by increasing peristalsis (wave-like motion of the tract), which moves food through the digestive system.


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