Can ginger relieve morning sickness for pregnant women?
A. Those symptoms of nausea, vomiting, or dry heaves in pregnancy, called “morning sickness,” can actually occur at any time of day. Ginger, a popular spice in Hawai’i, may relieve these symptoms. In China, ginger has been used in cooking and as an herbal medicine for digestive problems for centuries. Studies have shown ginger’s ability to prevent many types of nausea, especially motion sickness. There are only a few studies of its use for morning sickness. A report in the April 2004 journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has added to the evidence that ginger may be beneficial. Three-hundred women who were less than 16 weeks pregnant and suffered from nausea and vomiting were studied. The researchers compared the effects of ginger with those of vitamin B6, which is known to improve nausea and vomiting in some pregnant women. Participants were given 350 milligrams of ginger or 25 milligrams of B6 three times a day for three weeks. Ginger was just as effective as vitamin B6 at relieving na
