Got invited to a late night party? Super! In that case, the best of food and drinks (read liquor) await you, apart from good company. Are your worried that you might throw up in the excitement?
Throw up all the worries, because we are going to tell you how to stave off vomiting in the first place.
Take a look:
What Can Cause Vomiting?
Not one, but many causes.
- Overeating: When you eat in excess, it is likely to cause indigestion, bloating and vomiting.
- Over-consumption of alcohol: There is a difference between drinking excess of water and alcohol. When the latter happens, it can cause you to vomit.
- Emotional Stress: At times, the “fear” factor (exams, work performance, acceptance by friends and society) can bring about negative side effects in terms of vomiting.
- Food Poisoning: Eating food that has germs, parasites or viruses (sad part is most of the time the harmful effects of such type of food cannot be seen by the common eye).
- Early Stages of Pregnancy: Did you know “vomiting” occurs in 25% to 55% of cases where women have been just -diagnosed to be pregnant?
- Gastroenteritis: Also called Stomach flu, gastroenteritis causes irritation and inflammation of the stomach and intestines leading to vomiting.
- Ulcers in stomach lining: Scientifically called Peptic Ulcers, what crops up in this situation are painful sores or ulcers in the stomach lining. Thereby leading to nausea or vomiting.
- Heart Attack: Normal symptoms of a heart attack include a sense of fullness/indigestion/choking feeling/dizziness and vomiting.
- Reaction to certain types of smells and foods: Example – vegetarians might vomit out on hearing the thought of eating fish/chicken.
- Intense Pain: One of the causes of vomiting can be the development of intense pain in the abdomen or any other vital organ in the human body.
Sounds all familiar, right?
Don’t worry. There are plenty of home remedies that can help avoid and treat vomiting.
P.S.: By the way, Cause 1 and 2 mentioned above fit into the “lifestyle” choice. Excess of eating and drinking can lead to vomiting (hope you agree).
Home Remedies to Stop Vomiting
Here are a few simple and effective remedies:
1. Drink plenty of Water
What all you need: A bottle or glass of drinking water.
How it works: Continuous bouts of vomiting can lead to dehydration. And can be pretty SEVERE! Things like fainting etc. can happen. When you drink water and plenty of that (post vomiting), it can put dehydration to a STOP. Moreover, drinking water helps remove the toxins from the body (which could be the reason for nausea and vomiting).
Tip: There are various options to drink water e.g. in the form of juices, soups, or just plain water. Freshly made juices and soups are always better than packaged forms.
2. Ginger
What all you need: 1 tsp ginger juice and 1 tsp of lemon juice
Directions:
- Mix ginger juice and lemon juice in equal qty
- Take it several times a day
How it works: Ginger – the grandma remedy is not only good for your digestive system, it is also a ‘natural anti-emetic’ (meaning it prevents vomiting).
Tip: You can also take the alternative combo of ginger tea with a little honey. Or, eat fresh ginger slices (with or without honey).
3. Rice Water
What all you need: A cup of rice, Water (to boil the rice)
Directions:
- Boil one cup of rice in one-and-half cups of water
- Now strain the solution
- Once done, drink the rice water
How it works: Rice water is a good homemade remedy in reducing vomiting (when caused by gastritis – which is inflammation of the stomach lining).
Tip: Whenever you are adopting rice water remedy, take white rice (not brown rice) since it is rich in starch and easier to digest.
RICE WATER is also good for hair and skin.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
What all you need: 1 tbsp ACV, 1 tbsp honey, and a glass of water
Directions:
- Mix ACV and honey (in mentioned quantities) in a glass of water
- Now DRINK IT – as simple as that.
How it works: ACV can calm down the stomach and help in detoxification. It also helps in treating food poisoning (due to its antimicrobial properties).
Tip: The smell of vomiting is so intolerable that it can cause a bad smell in the mouth freshen your breath by rinsing your mouth with 1 tsp of vinegar diluted in one-half cup of water.
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5. Cinnamon
What all you need: 1 tsp cinnamon powder or 1 cinnamon stick (whichever is available), boiling water (1 cup)
Directions:
- In a cup of boiling water, add cinnamon powder
- Let it steep for a few minutes
- Now strain the water
- You can also add 1 tsp of honey (optional, not compulsory)
How it works: Cinnamon (or Dalchini) calms the stomach, and treats nausea and vomiting effectively.
Tip: Pregnant women need to stay away from following this remedy
6. Mint
What all you need: 1 tbsp dried mint leaves, 1 cup of hot water
Directions:
- Put dried mint leaves in a cup of water
- Allow it to steep in a saucepan for 10 min
- Now strain the preparation
- Subsequently, drink the tea
- There is another way of taking mint: Mix 1 tsp each of mint juice and lemon juice and 1 tbsp honey. Take this solution 3 times a day
How it works: If Mint is cool, so is Mint tea. It provides considerable relief from vomiting (when caused by upset tummy)
Tip: The easiest remedy is to ‘chew’ a couple of ‘fresh’ mint leaves (if you have it in your kitchen garden)
7. Lemon Juice
What all you need: 1tsp Lemon juice and 1tsp honey
Directions:
- Squeeze half of a lemon into a glass
- Add 1 tsp honey to the lemon juice
- Drink it (according to folk lore – Put your index finger into the mix of lemon juice and honey and lick it off. The idea is that you take it in slowly, not fast)
How it works: Lemon juice is a quick solution to stop vomiting. Plus it has the right blend of vitamins and minerals to put vomiting to a halt.
8. Clove
What all you need: A handful of cloves (that’s all)
Directions:
- Chew some cloves when you are getting a vomiting sensation
- Optionally, use few cloves to make a cup of tea. This will help treat vomiting.
How it works: Clove is gifted with soothing properties which helps in digestion and can also help in curing vomiting. Did you know, clove (or laung) is effective for nausea and vomiting that is caused by gastric irritability?
Tip: Mix some cloves (fried, not raw) with honey. Then swallow it. This is a helpful remedy to treat vomiting.
9. Cardamom
What all you need: Few cardamom seeds and honey
Directions:
- Crush the cardamom seeds into a fine powder
- Take it along with some honey
- Repeat it 2-3 times a day to get relief from vomiting
How it works: Cardamom (or ‘elaichi’) not just has a good fragrance and flavor, it also helps in giving relief from vomiting (especially when it is happening due to bad odour).
10. Milk
What all you need: Warm milk
How it works: Don’t be MILK-AFRAID as drinking warm milk helps cure the nausea feeling. Plus, milk has a soothing effect on the stomach.
Tip: Have small amounts of milk, not much.
11. Fennel
What all you need: 1 tbsp Fennel seeds (also called saunf), boiling water
Directions:
- Add a handful of crushed fennel seeds to a cup of boiling water
- Steep it for 10 min
- Strain the solution
- Drink this ‘fennel’ tea once or twice a day
How it works: Whenever you eat out in a North Indian or South Indian restaurant, you sum up the meal with fennel seeds, don’t you? Fennel as you know boosts digestion and eases out the nausea. It also has anti-microbial properties that help prevent and treat stomach flu (which could be the reason of vomiting).
Tip: Alternatively, you can also chew a couple of fennel seeds to combat the problem of vomiting.
12. Cumin
What all you need: Cumin seeds (ground), nutmeg (a pinch of it), warm to boiling water
Directions:
- Put one-and-a-half tsp of ground cumin seeds in warm water
- Now drink it
- Another way – mix 1 tsp cumin seeds and nutmeg (just a punch, not dollops of it) in a cup of boiling water. Let it steep for a few minutes. Now strain it and drink it!
How it works: Cumin is one of the easiest and the best home remedies to tackle vomiting episode. It stimulates the secretion of pancreatic enzyme, and is pretty useful and effective when you are down with the good old digestive problems.
Tip: You can also add cumin powder and cardamom powder to 1 tsp honey and take it slowly.
13. Onion Juice
What all you need: 1 tsp onion juice, 1 tsp ginger (grated version)
Directions:
- All you need to do in this remedy is mix the onion juice with grated ginger (in the qty mentioned)
- Take this mixture from time to time in order to cure vomiting
How it works: Onion juice has natural antibiotic properties which helps fight out nausea and vomiting.
Tip: Here is another option which you will find easy to try out. Mix 2 tsp honey in one-half cup onion juice. Once you do, take 1 tbsp of this mixture. Repeat its consumption whenever you feel the need.
14. Sugar and Salt (ORS Solution)
What all you need: ORS packets (available at chemists and pharmacy stores
Directions:
- Mix 6 level tsp (25.2 grams) of sugar and 0.5 tsp (2.1 grams) of salt in 1 litre of water.
- Now drink the ORS at regular intervals to get relief from vomiting.
How it works: ORS (oral rehydration solution) is a great way to replace fluids and nutrients lost through vomiting. And it is safe for babies, children and adults.
15. Smell an Orange
What all you need: Orange peels (freshly removed)
Directions:
- Take a few whiffs of orange peels (not stored or refrigerated) but freshly peeled
How it works: The smell of an orange peel curbs the vomiting sensation. Try it out!
16. Aniseed
What all you need: Couple of aniseeds
Directions:
- Chew on aniseed
- This will get you instant relief
How it works: Aniseed (or saunf)
Tip: Alternatively, brew aniseed tea by steeping a tablespoon of it in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Then strain, and drink.
17. Lime and Rock Salt
What all you need: Lime wedge, some rock salt
Directions:
- Apply some rock salt on a small wedge of lime
- Keep sucking this lime wedge for a few minutes (and keep doing it for an hour)
How it works: Lime and rock salt is one remedy which most of us practice in day-to-day life, whenever we get a vomiting feeling (or have just vomited). So, we know how the vomiting feeling subsides when we use this remedy.
18. Banana
What all you need: Banana (munch it in solid form or have it ‘mashed’)
How it works: If you have been vomiting, have this peel-and-eat fruit. Bananas help restore potassium which gets used up due to vomiting and diarrhea.
19. Honey
What all you need: 1 tsp honey, and some warm water
Directions:
- Mix 1 tsp honey in a glass of warm water.
- Now drink it (not once but each time you feel an unpleasant vomiting sensation in your mouth)
How it works: There is everything ‘golden’ about honey – from its color to effectiveness. Honey is pretty effective in treating vomiting.
Tip: There is another way in which you can use honey – just mix equal amount of honey, lime juice, mint juice and the juice of ginger and consume it 3-4 times a day to get relief from vomiting.
Diet and Food to Stop Vomiting:
Here is the ‘rule-book’ you need to follow, to put a full stop to vomiting:
- Water, Sports Drinks or Clear Broths: Water has been the elixir of life. Not only is it thirst-quenching, it is also your ‘saviour’ when you are about to vomit. For instance, clear beverages and sports drinks like 7 Up or Sprite can clear indigestion and put a control on vomiting.
- Have Light, Bland foods (Crackers or White Breads): Crackers have a mild flavor and are easy to digest. Do you know the best thing about crackers? They give you energy and nutrition needed for recovery. So, don’t shy away from eating dry crackers like saltines, or even a dry toast or white rice to stop vomiting.
- Avoid juices, soft drinks, dairy, fried and spicy food, sweets: Put a stop on fatty, fried, spicy or very sweet food. It is going to do more harm than good.
Acupressure to Stop Vomiting
Did you know Acupressure is a traditional and popular Chinese remedy? It can also help bring you relief from vomiting since it uses “pressure” to stimulate certain points on the body (such as wrist, in case of nausea) to relieve symptoms.
Here is how to do acupressure on wrist:
- Put three fingers of the right hand on the wrist of the left hand
- Now put your thumb under your index finger
- It’s time to rub this point in a circular motion for 2-3 minutes
- Repeat the same on the other wrist to get relief.
Tips
- Be the BRAT….in diet. Well, BRAT stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast.
- Say no to oily food. Oil is best consumed for cooking food, not eating oily ‘pakoras’, evening snacks every now and then
- You could consider other alternative treatments for nausea and vomiting – such as acupressure (mentioned above), aromatherapy, naturopathy, hydrotherapy, and yoga. They are natural ways without any side effects.
- Talk of Aromatherapy, there are scents which ease out nausea – e.g. clove, lavender, rose, chamomile, peppermint. In fact, inhaling lemon oil helps reduce nausea and vomiting in pregnant women.
- Hydrotherapy means have more of “Pure water” and “soda” without coloring and caffeine. They work best and give you immediate relief when you feel like puking.
- There are OTC medications available to stop vomiting e. g, Pepto-Bismol which protect the stomach lining and reduce vomiting caused as a result of food poisoning.
- Consult a doctor in case the following happens –
- You vomit for more than two days.
- Your child vomits for more than a day.
- Vomiting comes and goes for more than a month.
- You’re losing weight.
These home remedies should hopefully make you feel better when you are down with vomiting. If your condition doesn’t improve after using them, then see your doctor ASAP. Yes, vomiting is uncomfortable, but it resolves within a day or two (under normal circumstances).
Hope you found this write-up on vomiting helpful. Like and comment. And share it with your friends and family members too.
2 comments
Can migraine cause vomiting?
Although the definite causes underlying migraines are unknown, vomiting can happen due to the nausea linked to the migraines.