Motion sickness, less known by the scientific name motion sickness, is the result of a conflict between visual perception and the inner ear. This results in a series of unpleasant symptoms: nausea, dizziness, vomiting, hot flashes, dizziness... It is a fairly common syndrome, which can affect anyone. In this article we will explain to you where motion sickness comes from and how to deal with it with natural treatments based on essential oils. And because travel is already vacation, we will give you some tips to make the most of the journey to a well-deserved rest.
Peppermint and lemon essential oil against motion sickness
Why we like it: This synergy of 2 essential oils against nausea and motion sickness is very effective and easy to use. It also helps with digestion and reduces headaches sometimes associated with travel sickness. Peppermint and lemon essential oils are 2 must-haves!
Ingredients :
- 1 drop oflemon essential oil
- 1 drop ofpeppermint essential oil
- In a teaspoon of honey
Preparation: EOs can also be placed on a sugar or on a neutral tablet.
Precautions: all the precautions for each of the two EOs are described later in this article. If necessary, and in case of contraindication with peppermint, lemon can be used alone in the same way.
How to use it ?
to swallow 30 minutes before departure. Can be renewed once during the trip if necessary.
Synergy of essential oils against nausea in pregnant women and children
Why we like it: one of the only effective synergies for pregnant women and children from 6 years old. And what's more, it smells good!
Ingredients :
- 2 drops oflemon essential oil
- 1 drop ofginger essential oil
- On the inside of the wrists
Directions for use: pour the 3 drops of HE on the inside of the wrists: breathe in the scent just before the journey or in the morning in case of nausea in pregnant women. In case of persistent nausea, drops of EO can be lapped on the wrists or the back of the hand, for a joint action, by olfactory route and orally. Up to 6 olfactions per day and maximum 3 times orally.
How to use it ?
Preparation: The EOs can also be placed on the back of the hand for greater ease.Precautions: not recommended during the first 3 months of pregnancy. In children aged 3 to 6 years, do not ingest, but the smell of the EOs on the back of the mother's hand can be inhaled for a very gentle effect.
Complete blend of anti-nausea + essential oils for good digestion + motion sickness
Why we like it: one of the most effective synergies: anti-nausea, it aids digestion, relaxes cramps, soothes headaches and calms the mind. What's better during stressful, long and confined trips?
Ingredients :
- 10 drops ofpeppermint essential oil
- 4 drops ofginger essential oil
- 4 drops ofexotic basil essential oil
- 4 drops ofRoman chamomile essential oil
- 2 ml d'olive vegetable oil, of hazelnut or of macadamia
Preparation: prepare the mixture in a codigouttes bottle: take it everywhere with you! (Quantities can be doubled or tripled proportionally if you wish to prepare a larger quantity for a long journey or recurring nausea)
Precautions: reserved for adults and children over 15 years old, it is also prohibited for pregnant and breastfeeding women. It is also prohibited for the elderly and epileptics, who are at higher risk of laryngeal spasm and choking from peppermint. No prolonged use without medical advice.
How to use it ?
place 2-3 drops of the mixture under the tongue. You can repeat the dose up to 3 times a day during the trip if necessary.
Relaxing roll-on with essential oils against motion sickness
Why we like it: for those who are reluctant to ingest an essential oil, here is an effective alternative against motion sickness and nausea.
Ingredients:
- 30 drops ofginger essential oil
- 30 drops ofpeppermint essential oil
- 30 drops ofRoman chamomile essential oil
- 10 ml d'sweet almond vegetable oil
Preparation: make the mixture in a small glass roll-on bottle (with a stainless steel ball) or, failing that, in a codigouttes.
Precautions: reserved for adults and children over 15 years old, it is also prohibited for pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly and epileptic people. No prolonged use without medical advice. Limit application to the solar plexus and do not spread over too large an area.
How to use it ?
Massage the solar plexus with the roll-on up to 6 times a day during the trip.Contraindications:
Carefully read the contraindications of each recipe and each essential oil.
These properties and methods of use do not constitute medical advice. For therapeutic use consult a doctor.
Where does motion sickness come from/the origin of nausea.
Motion sickness occurs when our balance center, located in the brain, receives conflicting information from the eyes and inner ear. Have you ever wondered why when you read in the car you get sick but not when you stare at the road?
Explanations: When we read in the car, our eyes are fixed on an object that is not moving (the book or the map). Conversely, our inner ear, where the vestibular system is located, responsible for the perception of position and movement, perceives that we are moving in the car. When these two contradictory pieces of information are sent to our balance center, it does not know how to process the information and "motion sickness" occurs (in short: our eyes tell it that there should be no movement, but our inner ear indicates exactly the opposite -> the brain reacts).
Note: This is exactly the same phenomenon that occurs in train, bus, plane, boat, when we cannot see our trajectory (for example in the cabin of a boat or plane).
Symptoms of motion sickness
Travel sickness is most often mild... But very unpleasant! It is initially characterized by nausea and dizziness and a feeling of general malaise. Then come hyper salivation, hot flashes, headaches and vomiting. No serious complications are attached to motion sickness and usually the symptoms stop soon after the car or boat comes to a stop. However, care must be taken in young children in whom vomiting can quickly lead to dehydration.
Nausea and motion sickness, the most effective essential oils
Here are our top 5 most effective essential oils for nausea and motion sickness:
Peppermint essential oil (Mentha piperata):
Properties: ideal for all nausea, vomiting, poor digestion, reflux... It is also a powerful anesthetic, and local analgesic: the EO for headaches and local pruritus! A general stimulant in low doses, it is perfect for when you're feeling sluggish.
Uses: difficult to use, if the usual precautions are taken, it nevertheless proves to be an exceptional EO. A single drop on a neutral tablet 30 minutes before traveling proves to be of great help for travel sickness.
Precautions: reserved for adults and children over 15 years old, it is also prohibited for pregnant and breastfeeding women, whatever the method of use. Orally, it is also prohibited for elderly and epileptic people, who are at higher risk of laryngeal spasm and choking. Risk of hypothermia and “very cold” when applied to too large an area. In diffusion and in the bath, use very sparingly.
Lemon essential oil (Citrus limon):
Properties: among its many properties, lemon EO is digestive and depurative for the liver. It is also tonic and a very good general antiseptic. It is also an excellent anti-cellulite and fat burner.
Uses: As with peppermint, a drop can be placed on a neutral tablet, 30 minutes before departure, to be renewed during the journey if necessary. It can be recommended instead of peppermint in people for whom the latter is contraindicated. A drop can also be placed on the inside of the wrist, to be breathed during the journey.
Precautions: much less restrictive than peppermint for oral use, it is on the other hand dermocaustic and phototoxic: no exposure to the sun after local use and do not apply pure to the skin (maximum concentration of 3% in dilution in a neutral oil). The concomitant use of anticoagulants and lemon essential oil is not recommended.
Exotic Basil essential oil (Ocinum basilicum):
Properties: used for a number of digestive problems, exotic basil is a powerful antispasmodic. It helps fight against aerophagia, nausea and digestive spasms. Anti-inflammatory and painkiller, it is also very effective against headaches, osteoarthritis, rheumatism, period pain and muscle contractures.
Uses: a drop on a sugar works miracles for all the above indications: spasms, cramps, nausea and even hiccups! A few drops mixed with olive oil will season your salads wonderfully.
Precautions: be careful, this EO is neurotoxic in high doses: prolonged oral use (more than a few days) must be supervised by a professional. It is also dermocaustic when applied pure to the skin: always dilute in a neutral oil. Prohibited for children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Roman Chamomile essential oil (Chamaemelum nobile):
Properties: digestive tonic, it can be used in a lot of conditions of the gastrointestinal tract: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps. It is also, and above all, a powerful anxiolytic and calming agent for the nervous system: it will comfort all stressed and anxious little ones. Very good antipruritic and local analgesic, it can even be used pure on the skin, in small quantities and on a small area.
Uses: easier to use than the 3 EOs mentioned above, 3 drops of this essential oil mixed with 3 drops of a neutral oil of your choice and applied as a massage on the solar plexus, will calm anxious and agitated children of all ages. by too long a journey.
Precautions: In children aged 6 and over. Not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Do not confuse with other types of chamomiles (with different properties): always refer to the Latin name! Generally well tolerated by the skin.
Ginger essential oil (Zingiber officinale):
Properties: in all its forms, ginger is a powerful anti-nausea. No exception to the rule, EO is a digestive tonic, activates transit, is anti-reflux and relieves nausea of all kinds. It has aphrodisiac properties and is used for any type of fatigue: physical, mental, or sexual.
Uses: for travel nausea, it works miracles: 2 drops behind the ears and one drop under the tongue will relieve the toughest nausea (even that of pregnant women!). A few drops mixed with calendula or sweet almond oil will help, as a back massage, to stimulate the libido.
Precautions: Can be used by pregnant women (except during the first 3 months). Slightly irritating to the skin in its pure state, this EO is quite safe to use. Not in children under 6 years old (especially due to its very strong taste when taken orally).
A little herbal medicine against nausea
Ginger ! The plant par excellence against nausea and travel sickness. Ginger can be used for nausea due to motion sickness, for nausea in pregnant women, nausea resulting from indigestion but can also be useful as a complement to pharmaceutical treatments during the terrible nausea due to anti-cancer treatments.
Fresh cut ginger? Ginger essential oil or ginger capsules? As you see fit...
Here are some recipes and ideas for treating nausea of all kinds with herbal medicine:
- Ginger :
Ginger infusion: Infuse 1 teaspoon of cut ginger for 2 minutes in boiling water, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for another 10 minutes. Drink a large cup before departure.
Ginger capsules dosed at 250mg: 3 capsules when nausea occurs (or before departure) or 2 with each meal, if nausea occurs after meals. Maximum 6 capsules/day. - Lemon balm:
Lemon balm capsules: here is another reference plant for digestive disorders, bloating, nausea and headaches: 2 capsules morning and evening until improvement.
Melissa infusion: 2 teaspoons of crushed lemon balm leaves per cup of water. Proceed as for the ginger infusion. Drink a cup morning and evening until improvement. - German chamomile:
German chamomile infusion (matricaria): for all types of slow and difficult digestion: 2 teaspoons of chamomile flowers for a cup of water. Proceed as for the ginger infusion. Drink a cup morning and evening until improvement.
German chamomile capsules (matricaria): 2 capsules morning and evening until improvement.
Who are the people most affected by motion sickness?
All people, of both sexes and of all ages, can be affected by motion sickness. Women (especially if they are pregnant), however, are more sensitive than men, as are children and the elderly. Typically, fatigue, stress, and lack of air (in the confined space of a car) make symptoms worse. Fatty and heavy meals before departure generally don't help either.
Tips and tricks to avoid nausea and motion sickness
- Avoid eating too much before departure. Also avoid alcohol, tobacco and coffee
- Relaxing is very important
- Significant fatigue can make symptoms worse
- Closing your eyes and lying down as much as possible can also help.
- Drink only sugar water during travel to avoid dehydration (especially in young children)
- By train: sit in the direction of travel
- By boat: go out on deck rather than staying in your cabin
- By plane: seats near the wings or at the front of the plane are the most stable.
- In the car: Do not read and limit head movements + Focus on the horizon rather than the interior of the passenger compartment + Open the windows if necessary + Encourage the driver of the car to drive calmly, without sudden accelerations or turns when this is not necessary.
- If travel sickness is recurring or the symptoms are too severe, it is advisable to seek medical attention. This will be able to help you if prevention measures have not been enough. There is something called vestibular physiotherapy, if the symptoms are very disabling: we stimulate the eyes with images and we put the body in movement (rotary chair for example) to accustom the nervous system to receiving this contradictory information. Virtual reality can also be used in vestibular physiotherapy.
Bibliography for motion sickness
- http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ear-infection/tc/motion-sickness-topic-overview#1
- Mowrey DB, Clayson DE Motion sickness, ginger and psychophysics. The lancet. 1982; 319:655-657
- Pierre M, Gayet C My bible of herbalist secrets. Ed. Leduc. S 2016
- Pierre M the bible of healing plants. Ed. Du Chêne 2017
- Baudoux D. Practical aromatherapy notebooks according to the French school Vol. 1 Pediatrics, Vol. 2 dermatology and Vol. 5 pregnancy. Collection: Aromatherapy professionally. 2011 edition
- Baudoux D. and Breda ML Chemotyped essential oils. Scientific aromatherapy. Ed. JOM 2015
- Baudoux D. Practical guide to family and scientific aromatherapy. My 12 favorite essential oils in 100 very effective formulas for 300 diseases. Ed JOM 2014
- Festy D. My illustrated primer on essential oils. Ed. Leduc.s 2015
- http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Motion-sickness/Pages/Introduction.aspx
NOTE: This article was written by a pharmacist. The data summarized there come from the scientific literature and the references cited above. For medical advice, in the event of specific or prolonged symptoms, please consult your doctor. Only he will be able to make a precise diagnosis and provide you, if necessary, with the most appropriate treatment.
OUR