Nausea & queasy stomach

For a 'turning stomach' the tradition reaches not for volume but for taste and scent: a bitter, aromatic or minty note is meant to divert attention and open the appetite. This is where the habit of a small bitter infusion after a meal comes from.

The seventeen species the catalogue lists here mix European classics (fennel, German chamomile, peppermint, lemon balm, fumitory) with aromatic Asian roots. Both groups play the same role in tradition, only in a different kitchen.

Nausea is a symptom with very different causes — from motion sickness through migraine and pregnancy to a side effect of medication. A study on one cause says nothing about another, and the same goes for form: an infusion, a tincture and a standardised capsule are not interchangeable.

In pregnancy caution is warranted even with 'ordinary' spices, because they are taken over a long period and in different amounts than in cooking. Ask before you make a herb a daily habit.

Vomiting blood or material resembling coffee grounds, black tarry stool, severe abdominal pain and vomiting after a head injury are emergencies.

Do not delay either when fluids cannot be kept down for more than a day, in a small child with signs of dehydration, or with nausea that persists for weeks or comes with weight loss.