Ginger for Seasickness

[FrenchAngel]

anyone use ginger as opposed to one of the other remedies (ie: triptone, bonine)? I'm concerned about the increased DCS risk factor of taking one of these meds and would like to try something natural. I dont however want to spend my next boat trip feeding the fish!

 

[raviepoo]

They only time I have had a problem with seasickness was a trip in the keys when I was using dramamine instead.

 

[NJDiveGirl]

raviepoo once bubbled...
They only time I have had a problem with seasickness was a trip in the keys when I was using dramamine instead.

hey R!

I've used dramamine - even the less drowsy formula makes me feel sluggish... About the ginger - how much do you take? When do you take it?

I hear snacking on ginger snaps helps too.

 

[cyklon_300]

recommendations for ginger dosages...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=SA00050

 

[saf_25]

I regularly use Ginger Altoids on boat trips. I've found that I've never gotten sick to the point of throwing up when I've used them, yet every time I've left the tin of them at home (or at night, on the one liveaboard I was on, where I woke up sick because I wasn't able to suck on them), I have thrown up. I don't know if it's just psychological, but it's been consistent enough that I don't take any chances - I've bought about 15 of the tins, and usually have them hidden about my dive bags, so I can't accidently forget to bring them with me!

 

[Scuby Dooby]

I use ginger on live aboard trips and on especially choppy days and it seems to work, though I don't seem to be especially predisposed to motion sickness in the first place. Fresh ginger is a common ingredient in food in my neck of the woods and when I compare the strength / taste to things like ginger snaps, ginger ale and dried ginger concoctions that I've heard of scubaboard people using I have to wonder whether those will have much of an effect. The amount of ginger in any of them does not seem to be much compared even to a little bit of fresh ginger.

I tend to take about a 1/2 inch off of a ginger root and peel, crush and chop it (like you would garlic) and then put it in a cup of boiling water, steep for a few minutes and add honey to taste. It can be a bit 'spicy' but I enjoy the taste.

I know that on a few trips when I didn't take it, or didn't take it soon enough, I felt much sicker. I once converted a boat full of friends who were feeling queasy and then after drinking the ginger concoction we were all 'cured' within an hour or so though the boat kept on pitching!

hope this helps!

 

[DocVikingo]

Truth is many of the guidelines for the use of ginger in preventing nausea, vomiting & seasickness come from herbal lore, although one pretty solid study found 1 gram/1,000 mg of powdered ginger to do the trick.

I found sources that variously recommend anywhere from 1/2 gram/500 mg to as much as 4 grams/4,000 mg.

As with any drug or supplement, one is generally better off using the smallest effective dose. This may involve some trial & error.

Ginger in powdered, root or crystallized form is probably the easiest to control in terms of the amount of active ingredient ingested. Eating ginger snaps, or drinking ginger soda or tea makes control more difficult. And be aware that some products contain only ginger flavoring not real ginger--read the labels.

As for timing, estimates range from several hours to 20 minutes prior to departing, depending on the source. The matter really hasn't been studied sufficiently to say with any precision. The same issue pertains to frequency of dosage. The limited studies involving repeated doses used intervals of 4-6 hours.

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[Bob3]

My roomie does the candied ginger thing, she claims it works for her even after she begins to get squeamish.
Your mileage may vary.