When your stomach feels queasy, a soothing mug of herbal tea might be just what you need to calm that sick feeling. Here are the best 7 herbal teas to try for nausea.
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All of us feel sick from time to time. But an upset stomach can ruin your day, making it hard to enjoy what’s going on around you.
Lots of different things can cause nausea – that feeling of choppy discomfort in your stomach that has you constantly worrying you might be about to vomit. For some of us, it’s being in a moving vehicle that sets it off. For others, it might be triggered by stress or anxiety.
Nausea is a common sign of pregnancy too. Although it’s referred to as morning sickness, anyone who has ever been pregnant knows that the name is misleading – pregnancy-related nausea can strike at any time of day!
Of course, an upset stomach can also be a sign you’ve eaten something that disagreed with you or that you’ve overindulged with the alcohol. Some medicines cause nausea as a side effect as well.
At times, nausea is a symptom of illness. Norovirus is a common vomiting bug that (fortunately) usually passes fairly quickly. Flu and other viruses can sometimes cause nausea too. And if you get migraines, you’ll already know that queasiness often goes with them.
If you feel sick for more than a few days or are regularly feeling sick without knowing the reason, then make an appointment to see your doctor.
But if your nausea is due to a known cause (like pregnancy or motion sickness), or has only just started, sipping on a cup of hot herbal tea is one of the best remedies. As well as keeping you well hydrated, which is important if you’ve been vomiting, certain herbal teas contain ingredients that can soothe nausea and settle your upset stomach.
This list of herbal teas that help to calm queasiness should give you some ideas of what to try next time you are feeling nauseous.
1. Ginger
Ginger is one of the best-known herbal remedies for nausea and sickness. Often recommended to pregnant women suffering from morning sickness, it is also effective if your nausea has another cause, including motion sickness, medicine, or chemotherapy.
Even the NHS lists ginger tea as a remedy for nausea. We love this herb for its many health benefits and use it in several of our herbal teas.
For an upset stomach, try ginger with lemongrass in one of our favourite flagship blends. Not only is the flavour delicious, but lemongrass is also great for your digestion. It helps to relax you too, so if stress and anxiety are causing your nausea, this is the blend for you.
2. Peppermint
Another herbal tea recommended by the NHS for nausea is peppermint, which has been used for hundreds of years to soothe digestive issues and ease upset stomachs. It helps to relax the muscles of the digestive tract and is effective in relieving nausea and stomach pain.
The refreshing minty flavour of peppermint is also great for taking away any nasty taste from throwing up.
We like to combine peppermint with raspberry leaf, another great herb for nausea. Since raspberry leaf is well-known for supporting women during pregnancy, this is an ideal herbal tea blend for anyone suffering from morning sickness.
However, you don’t have to be pregnant to enjoy this tea – peppermint and raspberry leaf should help with other forms of nausea too.
3. Chamomile
Chamomile’s soothing nature makes it particularly attractive for those whose nausea is caused by stress or anxiety, but it has wider appeal too.
Chamomile tea has many benefits for our health, including relaxing the digestive tract and treating stomach upsets. If nausea is keeping you awake, the sleep-boosting properties of this herb might come in handy too.
We use chamomile as one of the main ingredients in our NutraRelax tea, which is aimed at calming the mind and body. You’ll also find liquorice and fennel in this blend – another two herbs that are great for relieving nausea.
4. Liquorice Root
Liquorice root tea is a herbal remedy with a wide range of uses, including easing digestive complaints and reducing nausea.
This is a particularly good option to choose if your queasiness is caused by indigestion. Liquorice has been shown to be effective in relieving the symptoms of indigestion, including nausea. However, we’d advise giving this one a skip if you have low potassium levels or high blood pressure.
For everyone else, liquorice is a naturally sweet herb that pairs well with other herbs. We use it in several of our teas. For nausea, try it in NutraCleanse, which also contains other herbs that relieve queasiness, such as fennel and ginger.
5. Raspberry Leaf
Raspberry leaf is best known for its role in supporting women’s health. A popular herbal tea during pregnancy, it also helps to relieve the symptoms of PMS, including nausea and vomiting.
If your choppy stomach is a symptom of pregnancy, raspberry leaf is a great herbal remedy to choose. As well as easing morning sickness, this herb helps to increase blood flow to the uterus and tones the uterine muscles too, helping your body prepare for birth.
We pair raspberry leaf with peppermint to make a flagship tea blend that is ideal for anyone struggling with morning sickness or nausea during menstruation.
6. Fennel
Fennel’s aromatic, slightly aniseed flavour makes it a favourite in many herbal tea blends. This herb is also popular as a remedy for digestive problems, including nausea. It has been used in traditional medicine systems throughout the world to treat stomach upsets, indigestion, and vomiting.
A great all-rounder, fennel is worth a try no matter what the cause of your nausea is. It may be particularly useful if you are suffering from indigestion or experiencing sickness as a symptom of PMS.
Fennel is also a great option for anyone who feels unwell after an evening of drinking alcohol. If that’s the case for you, look for it in our NutraLiver blend, which contains herbs that support and protect your liver.
7. Green Tea
The health benefits of green tea are well-known. Packed with antioxidants and a potent anti-inflammatory, this herbal tea is used for everything from exercise recovery to brain and heart health.
Green tea may also help if you’re suffering from nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea. There’s evidence to suggest it can calm the digestive tract and soothe stomach upsets.
It is worth noting that green tea does contain caffeine, which can sometimes make nausea worse instead of better. If you are susceptible to caffeine, you might want to try one of the other options on this list first.
However, there are plenty of benefits to drinking green tea when you feel queasy. If caffeine sits well with your stomach, the burst of energy it brings may help you feel better.
We love green tea and use it in many of our herbal tea blends.
