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Everyone has those tricky days.
You suddenly feel like vomiting, and so you start replaying prior actions in your head.
What did I eat for breakfast?
When was my last period?
Have I recently been around anyone who was sick?
Nausea can have many causes, most commonly motion sickness and splitting migraines. Its cures are quite straightforward, though. That’s all you need to remember before you worry about how to relax your body during an unexpected bout. In this post, we discuss how five essential oils have been studied to alleviate those uncomfortable symptoms that can derail your entire work week.
In other words, this is how you beat nausea.
The Five-point Plan to Take Down Nausea
There are some basic measures you should first take to weaken your nausea.
Doctors recommend that you refrain from drinking large volumes of beverage in one go, and, instead, sip it slowly over decently spaced intervals. Similarly, it is recommended that you eat in small portions every two hours instead of eating a whole meal. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t lie on your stomach!
Further, the food you consume has a lot of say in whether you leave or remain in a state of nausea. Fish seems to create the most nauseous reactions in people, so it would be a good idea to avoid it completely. Starchy foods like noodles, potatoes, and rice are recommended instead.
Yet, these are only temporary, preliminary measures.
The cognitive feeling of nausea can persist despite them. In such a situation, the best plan of action is to use the depth of palliative science, especially within aromatherapy, in order to mitigate your symptoms.
You do not have to go far. These five essences have been researched to reduce the symptoms of nausea.
1. When Life Gives You Lemon Essential Oil…
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Lemon essential oil has to be one component of your treatment.
In 2014, a randomized clinical trial involving 100 nauseous and vomiting women was undertaken. The experimental group was made to inhale lemon essential oil, which significantly improved their symptoms. In a 2023 study involving 90 children with cases of nausea, the experimental group undertook aromatherapy inhalation of lemon essential oil through a diffuser which then successfully improved their quality of life. Lemon essential oil contains the compound limonene. Limonene has been demonstrated to exert anti-nausea effects and is therefore the perfect ingredient for any nausea relief essential oil.
Make sure to include this citric substance in any nausea-related issue!
2. Lavender Lays You Down Gently…
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Lavender essential oil has also been studied to have anti-nausea effects.
In a 2018 study involving 32 women, aromatherapy with lavender essential oil was observed to be more effective than the same with ginger. In 2019, a randomized controlled study involving 184 patients with nausea focused on the effect of aromatherapy with ginger, rose, and lavender essential oil. The experimental groups given ginger and lavender essential oil outperformed the groups given rose essential oil and the placebo (water). Lavender essential oil contains linalool and linalyl acetate compounds that have been shown to have a calming effect on patients, and are used as a therapeutic measure in cases of depression and more.
If you’re choosing a nausea essential oil, remember that it would perform better with lavender!
3. Peppermint Plays a Part in Your Peace…
Peppermint essential oil puts the brakes on the vomiting train, too.
In 2013, a randomized controlled trial involving 100 women was conducted in Abha maternity teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia. Peppermint essential oil was shown to reduce the severity of the experimental group’s nausea episodes. A 2014 study involving 339 patients showed that the groups who were made to inhale ginger, lavender, spearmint, and peppermint essential oil reacted favorably to the treatment. On a related note, peppermint’s menthol, when consumed internally, has an inhibiting effect on smooth muscle contractility, which is useful against digestive disorders like dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome.
Any nausea relief essential oil would pack quite a punch with peppermint essence!
4. Cardamom Keeps You Cool-headed…
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Cardamom’s spicy reputation has a cooler side, too.
In a 2013 randomized trial that involved 303 nauseous subjects, inhaling cardamom essential oil was observed as an effective treatment for nausea. In a 2022 randomized trial, 70 nauseous subjects were equally split between the intervention and placebo groups, and the group that inhaled cardamom essential oil was observed to have episodes of nausea that were less severe. On a related note, cardamom contains 1,8-cineole, which has been researched to have digestive-relaxing properties that could counteract nausea.
So, choose a product that has a generous blend of cardamom essential oil!
5. Fight Fire With Fennel…
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Fennel seed oil is quite popular for its digestive benefits.
The fenchone in the seed is a prime mover of antidiarrheal and antifungal activity in your digestive tract. But there are other hidden gems in the treasure chest of health benefits this seed oil owns. The topical application and inhalation of fennel essential oil has been researched as an effective treatment of nausea. This means that whenever you experience that familiar discomfort in your chest and stomach, you can deeply breathe in fennel essential oil to calm your senses.
A nausea essential oil without this elixir is not worth it!
Choosing and Using an Effective Nausea Relief Essential Oil
Most essential oils are available in dropper bottles.
Given their high concentration, you would have to mix them with carrier oils before applying them on your skin or in an inhaler solution. The problem with this method of preparation is that it can be tedious to mix and match the various essences with the various carrier oils—carrier oils can have overpowering scents themselves, such as coconut oil.
Some wellness brands have already circumnavigated this utility barrier. For example, Oilori has devised a specialized ‘Nausea Relief Roll On’, which contains, in solidified form, the five nausea-destroying essential oils discussed above. Not only does this simplify your preparation time, but it also improves your chances of a peaceful day.
As always, the right essence matters—in the case of multiple right essences, the more the merrier.