BoatUS.com - Seaworthy Magazine

Seasick Remedies

Ginger

Only get seasick in certain kinds of surf. I’m a lifelong sailor but the first time I got seasick was on a big cruise ship. They happened to have ginger tablets in the drug store on board, which by the next day had sold out. I took several and rested. Had to re-do a couple of times, but the sickness went away. Has worked on our sailboat a couple of times too and I make sure to always have some on board.

Vicki Lathom
Annapolis, Maryland

***********

There are two remedies we use, but prevention is the best cure. for this we use BONINE, an OTC medication with very few side effects.

If the unfortunate happens, and illness sets in, try the two old standards:
1) Ginger ale, not the clear kind, but the brown kind, or ginger beer (non-alcoholic). The stronger the ginger flavor the better.
2) this sounds cruel, but split pea soup works well. when we were on a cruise in the Caribbean, the weather was bad, and many passengers felt ill, so the cook came up with pea soup as a first course for dinner. When I teased him about being cruel, he said that the soup works well to settle, and calm the stomach.

Also get out of the cabin, and focus on the horizon, as it does not move, and will settle your mind.

R. Duda
Roscoe, Illinois

***********

There is no doubt in my mind that Ginger is one of the best seasick remedies. In 2006, prior to my first cruise with my husband and 16 other family members, we watched an episode of Mythbusters on TLC. Mythbusters debunked most of the seasick remedies on the market, with the exception of a doctor-prescribed medicine (which had a side-effect of drowsiness) and standard extract of Ginger.

I purchased a bottle of ginger tablets from my local health store. The first night during dinner, my sister-in-law and I felt a little queasy. Nothing terrible, but we decided to take a Ginger tablet. Within 20 minutes, we felt great! Could this be real? Or the placebo effect?

My opinion was sealed when one of our nephews spent the entire dinner laying on the chair and floor of the dining room, while the other kids were having a wonderful time. I gave him one tablet of Ginger and we all watched as after about 10 minutes, he was sitting in the chair. After another 10 minutes, he was running around with the other kids. He took one tablet a day for the remainder of the trip and never felt sick again.

The final litmus test was for my husband, who has a relatively strong stomach. One night, he had a headache, his stomach wasn't feeling good. It might have been a combination of too much beer, sun and food instead of seasickness, but after taking a ginger tablet, he felt great!

It's cheap, natural, doesn't require a doctor visit and anyone can take it.

Suzanne Dondrea
Woodstock, Georgia

***********

We have used Ginger Root capsules for years. We keep a bottle on the boat for newcomers and people prone to motion sickness.

At the first sign of problem, you just swallow a couple of pills - more if needed and the seasickness is gone!! We have used this remedy many times with great results. Ginger Root is a completely natural food product available at any Health store.

Works far better than wrist bands!!

Jim Fitzpatrick
Catalina 320
"Senior Moment"

***********

My Dad (when we were little) used to shave fresh Ginger Root onto white bread w/ mayo............it wasn't too bad and we never got sick!!!!!!!!

Tucker Beck, CCIM
Memphis, Tennessee

***********

My story is short but important. I used to get seasick in the bathtub, one of those folks who got woozy on a boat that was docked. On a trip from Los Angeles to Catalina I was sick the whole way there and the whole way back. I now go to Catalina, by boat, quite often, and rain or shine, flat water or 4 foot swells, I'm the picture of rosy, happy sailing. My cure? Ginger. No side effects. No prescriptions. No sleepiness. Just blessed relief. 3 or 4 capsules, 15-20 minutes before sailing and if you're out all day, take it every 3 or 4 hours. It's miraculous! The wristband didn't work for me so if there are others for which it doesn't work, please try ginger!

Ellen

***********

In response to your article on seasickness remedies that work, I was reminded of an episode of Mythbusters show (on the Discovery Channel) from 2005 where various home remedies were tested by two seasickness-prone members of the cast. After 20-30 minutes on a spinning chair, both Adam and Grant reported no symptoms whatsoever after taking a ginger pill. All other remedies tested had absolutely no positive effect and resulted in a pretty messy show. I myself swear by the ability of ginger to prevent seasickness and have remained seasick-free since 1998.

Regards,

John Bermingham
New York, New York

***********

Reference your July 2008 issue article about sea sickness; I was rather amazed with your shallow treatment of such serious subject. In 45 years of fishing and sailing out of Port Canaveral, Florida, I have learned a thing or two about seasickness. One is, never drink coffee before a trip at sea… if you are inclined to be seasick. Coffee is very unsettling to the stomach. Another is the role of ginger as a settling agent for the queasy… Chinese seamen have been using it for a thousand years to calm queasiness. As skipper for many years, I have been pretty successful, against all odds at keeping my cookies down when I am in charge… but being crew is another matter. Exitinig Hawk Channel out of the Florida Keys into 9 foot seas on a friends 35 Catalina a few years back, successfully, without loosing my cookies can only be a result of taking Crystalline Ginger… a ginger root product sold in most grocery stores for peanuts. It has also assisted many crews aboard my sailing vessel, a 36 Hunter – Vision, Captiva. I highly recommend it.

Roland E. Norris
Skipper – Captiva
Florida

***********

Haven't had to use it myself, but I keep some sugared ginger aboard. I've been told that it works - always and quickly.

Brent Putnam
Falmouth, Massachusetts

Subscribe to Seaworthy

BoatUS : my.BoatUS : Membership : Boat Insurance : Towing Services : Boat Loans : Online Store : Boat Graphics : Classifieds : Site Map : Contact Us