How to Use Essential Oils for Nausea Relief

Feeling nauseous is never fun. Commonly suggested essential oils for nausea relief include:

• Ginger (one of the most recommended; generally good for digestive issues)
• Clove bud
• Lavender
• Lemon
• Peppermint (may aggravate GERD)
• Roman chamomile
• Sweet basil
• Sweet fennel (avoid if you have had an estrogenic cancer)
  
• Sweet orange

Diffuser Blends

• 6 drops ginger essential oil
• 3 drops roman chamomile essential oil
• 3 drops peppermint essential oil

OR

• 4 drops lavender essential oil
• 4 drops bergamot essential oil

Important: If you repeatedly experience nausea for an unknown reason, consult a healthcare provider.

Inhalers for Nausea Relief

You can inhale a single essential oil but might find an essential oil blend for nausea more effective.

To make an aromatherapy inhaler, drop the essential oils onto the cotton wick and insert it into the tube. Seal the tube with the bottom plug. Screw on the outer cover to keep the inhaler fresh. Remove cover and inhale deeply as needed.

General Nausea Relief Inhaler

• 7 drops peppermint essential oil
• 5 drops basil ct. linalool essential oil
• 2 drops ginger essential oil

Inhaler for Travel Sickness

• 2 drops peppermint essential oil
• 7 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 6 drops roman chamomile essential oil

Source: Aromahead

Inhaler for Travel/Motion Sickness

• 5 drops cardamom essential oil
• 5 drops ginger essential oil
• 5 drops sweet fennel essential oil

Cautions: Do not use in pregnancy, if you have epilepsy, or with or near babies and young children.

Source: Cheryl Murphy, Certified Aromatherapist, "The Zingiberaceae Plant Family," NAHA Aromatherapy Journal, Autumn 2018.3.

Tummy Rubs Using Essential Oils for Motion Sickness

Gently massage a few drops of a nausea essential oil blend recipe onto your belly.

• 8 drops roman chamomile essential oil
• 4 drops ginger essential oil
• 2 tablespoons carrier oil

Source: Essential Oils & Aromatherapy for Dummies

• 4 drops peppermint essential oil
• 3 drops roman chamomile essential oil
• 2 drops dill essential oil
• 2 drops myrrh essential oil
• 4 tablespoons carrier oil

or

• 2 drops lemongrass essential oil
• 2 drops fennel essential oil
• 2 drops roman chamomile essential oil
• 2 tablespoons carrier oil

or

• 7 drops roman chamomile essential oil
• 7 drops distilled lime essential oil
• 3 drops ginger essential oil
• 2 tablespoons jojoba oil

Source: Aromahead

All-Purpose Nausea Relief Blend

To make a stock blend for nausea relief, add the following essential oils to a 5-ml dropper bottle:

• 60 drops peppermint
• 20 drops ginger
• 20 drops lemon

Cap the bottle and shake well. Let sit at least eight hours before using.

To use: Make an aromatherapy inhaler (5 to 10 drops) or a massage oil (15 to 30 drops in 2 tablespoons carrier oil).

Source: The Essential Oils Complete Reference Guide

Warming Cardamom Compress

If your abdomen is tender and painful to touch, use this warm compress.

• 1 teaspoon almond oil
• 2 drops cardamom essential oil
• 2 drops black pepper essential oil

1. Fill a bowl with warm water.
2. Add the essential oils to the almond oil.
3. Stir the oil blend into the water.
4. Soak a washcloth in the bowl.
5. Squeeze the excess water out of the washcloth.
6. Place the washcloth on the abdomen and leave the compress until it cools to body temperature.
7. Soak the washcloth again and apply it. Repeat three times.

Source: Essential Oils All Natural Remedies

Essential Oils for Nausea During Pregnancy

The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy recommends the following essential oils for nausea during pregnancy:

• Bergamot
• Cardamom
• Coriander seed
• Frankincense
• Ginger
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Petitgrain
• Spearmint
• Sweet orange

Learn more about using essential oils during pregnancy. Work with a professional to know which oils are safe for your pregnancy and how to best use them.

Essential Oils for Nausea During Cancer Treatment

Some studies suggest essential oils may help relieve the side effect of nausea during cancer treatment. See Aromatherapy: Using Essential Oils as a Supportive Therapy  and Effectiveness of Inhaled Aromatherapy on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting.

The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils suggests the following essential oils may help:

• Cardamom
• German chamomile
• Ginger
• Lavender
• Lemon
• Peppermint (may aggravate GERD)

Check with and tell your healthcare provider about anything you are using.

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Carol Wiley is a retired massage therapist and freelance writer. She uses her deep interest in aromatherapy and essential oils to research their benefits and uses and bring you summaries and blends with links to more resources.

If you find this site useful, you can show your support by buying through my affiliate links. The site is a labor of love, and I appreciate any income that helps keep it up and running.

Buy essential oils at Aromatics International or Rocky Mountain Oils.
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Photo Credit: Ricardo630, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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