How can essential oils help combat motion sickness?

What is motion sickness?

Symptômes du mal des transports : en avion, bateau, train, voiture...

Whether in a car, boat, train or plane, who hasn't experienced tight bends, turbulence or rough seas? In modern life, motion sickness can be a serious handicap for around 3 million people in France.

When travelling, the discomfort arises from a conflict between visual perception and the inner ear. Your eyes register movement, while your inner ear perceives that your body is standing still.

Motion sickness is also known as kinetosis or naupathia. It particularly affects children aged 2 to 12, but many adults suffer from it throughout their lives. A history of migraine could be a factor in motion sickness.

Motion sickness, and all the problems it can cause, can be alleviated or even avoided with the help of certain essential oils.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of motion sickness may vary from one person to another, but they generally appear gradually. They disappear rapidly when you stop the vehicle, get out or set foot on solid ground again.

If you suffer from motion sickness, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

Nausea
Vomiting
Dizziness
Paleness;
Drowsiness
Tinnitus ;
Headaches;
Feeling unwell ;
Hypersalivation ;
Cold sweats...

Even if there are no complications to be feared following the symptoms of motion sickness, you should nevertheless be careful with young children. If they vomit repeatedly and cannot keep liquid food in their stomachs, they risk dehydration.

In this case, consult a health professional (doctor, pharmacist, etc.).

How can you prevent motion sickness?

Prévenir le mal des transports et adopter les bons gestes pour l'éviter.

To travel as smoothly as possible and avoid motion sickness, you can anticipate and adopt the right gestures. This list is exhaustive, but you can adapt it according to your feelings and needs at the time.

The "anti-motion sickness" principles to follow before each long journey:

Never set off on an empty stomach
Avoid drinking alcohol, coffee or smoking before and during the journey
Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in. Clothing that is too tight could compress your stomach.
Take a blanket or pillow so you don't get too cold, as the cold can make symptoms worse.
If you're travelling by boat or plane, try to sit where there's the least movement (in the middle) and take a pillow or headrest to keep your head as still as possible.
In a train, favour the direction of travel and the bottom floor.

What you can do during the journey:

Get behind the wheel to anticipate bends and movements. Be careful, never drive if you are taking medication that impairs alertness and increases drowsiness.
In land transport (car, coach, bus), sit in the front to look at the road ahead.
Look at a fixed point on the horizon, far ahead, and do not look at a book, a map, a screen or the waves through the windows.
Stop regularly to take a few steps, or simply get some fresh air (car, coach, boat).
Try to relax by listening to music, for example.

Which essential oils are recommended for motion sickness?

Certain essential oils, such as basil, tarragon, fresh ginger, lemon balm, peppermint or lemon essence, have the power to stop you feeling sick and will be very useful in the fight against motion sickness and nausea in the car, train, plane or boat. These essential oils aid digestion to help reduce the discomfort associated with nausea.

Peppermint is particularly effective and will be your best ally in the fight against motion sickness, thanks to its powerful ingredients and analgesic properties. However, it should not be given to young children, for whom lemon essential oil, a powerful antispasmodic, is preferable.

Please note that some of these oils are not suitable for children, pregnant or breast-feeding women, or people with high blood pressure, heart disease or on anti-coagulant medication. Ask your pharmacist for advice before use or if you have any doubts.

How do you get over nausea naturally?

This very unpleasant digestive sensation usually, but not necessarily, precedes vomiting. It can occur at the start of pregnancy, during transport in the case of motion sickness, food poisoning or gastroenteritis.

Here are a few recipes for a calming journey:

Recette réservée aux enfants de 7 ans et plus

By mouth: mix 1 drop of lemon essence with 1 drop of peppermint essential oil. Take the 2 drops on a neutral tablet or sugar. Repeat if necessary. For children aged 7 and over.

Recette réservée aux enfants de 12 ans et plus

By mouth: Take 1 drop of fresh ginger essential oil and 1 drop of lemon essence on a neutral tablet. Take 3 times a day until symptoms improve. Suitable for children aged 12 and over.

Take a deep breath directly from the bottle of peppermint essential oil. If that's not enough, take a trace drop of essential oil and place it on the base of the nose or on the tongue. For children aged 7 and over.
For younger children, we recommend using lemon essence.

Dry inhalation: Inhale a handkerchief soaked in 2 drops of peppermint essential oil. For children aged 12 and over.

Dry inhalation: 1 drop of fresh ginger essential oil and 2 drops of lemon essence on a handkerchief, to be inhaled in case of nausea, no more than 6 times a day. Suitable for children aged 7 and over.

You can also apply directly on the skin, on these same areas, a few drops of pure essential oil to breathe deeply. In this case, it will be necessary to be aware of the skin tolerance and to perform a skin test before using the essential oil in case of sensitive skin or skin with an allergic tendency.

How to avoid motion sickness in dogs?

Mal des transports chez le chien

Cases of sick dogs in the car are not uncommon, they happen especially when your pet has not been used to getting into a car from an early age. The most common causes are due to a developmental defect in the inner ear (element that concerns puppies), anxiety, too much stress.

To relieve them and avoid their discomfort, essential oils can be of great help.

For a medium or large dog, give 1 drop of lemon essence or peppermint essential oil on a sugar that is allowed in this case, 2 hours before departure and then when getting in the car. This should relieve your pet and allow everyone to spend a serene journey.

How to treat motion sickness with massages?

Nausea and discomfort can be greatly alleviated by aromatic massages, which are particularly soothing for children, but just as effective for adults. The most practical solution is to use an essential oil roller: apply it to the precise points indicated, and repeat as many times as necessary during the journey.

Recommended essential oils: fresh ginger, peppermint, tarragon, lemon...

les bons gestes pour le mal des transports

Left image: Apply the essential oils generously to the skin along the veins in the wrists, concentrating on this particular area. Then rub the insides of your wrists together and breathe in deeply the aromas of the essential oils, taking 5 deep breaths.
Repeat if necessary.

Image on the right: Apply a roller with essential oils to this precise point, as many times as necessary during the journey.

Synergies for an anti-nausea massage:

Dilute 1 drop of lemon essence and 1 drop of tarragon essential oil in a few drops of neutral vegetable oil or sweet almond oil, and gently massage the stomach in a clockwise direction. For adults only. (Not suitable for pregnant women).

You can also occasionally massage the abdomen with 3 drops of fresh ginger diluted in 3 drops of sweet almond, macadamia or apricot kernel vegetable oil to combat motion sickness. Never use this essential oil undiluted; it should always be diluted in a vegetable oil. Suitable for children aged 12 and over.

How can you prevent motion sickness easily?

Small metal rollerballs can now be found in pharmacies for applying pre-dosed mixtures of essential oils, which have been tested for skin tolerance, to the flexion creases of the wrists, elbows, temples or certain points of tension (forehead, sinuses, nape of the neck, etc.). They provide an effective and immediate action due to a combination of:

Application huiles essentielles pour mal des transports

the rapid transcutaneous penetration of the active ingredients through a particularly thin layer of skin and their passage into the bloodstream facilitated by these highly vascularised areas;
the olfactory activity of the aromatic molecules inhaled through the skin, which quickly reach the nerve receptors.

They provide effective relief from headaches, motion sickness, stress, pain and so on. This allows you to benefit from the combined effects of the two ways of using aromatherapy (olfaction and skin penetration).

You can also apply a few drops of pure essential oil directly to the skin in the same areas, and then breathe deeply, but be careful in this case to be aware of your skin's tolerance!

Source: Extracts from the book ‘Aromatherapia, tout sur les huiles essentielles’, by Isabelle Pacchioni, published by Editions Aroma Thera & Top Santé's Guide des 48 huiles essentielles indispensables pour se soigner autrement.

Our travel sickness roller with 7 essential oils

This practical roller with 7 essential oils is easy to use. It helps to combat the discomforts caused by motion sickness (car, boat, plane) and to prevent the causes of discomfort.

Aromatherapy product - Essential oils EOBBD (Essential Oil Botanically and Biochemically Defined)
99.9% active ingredients of natural origin - No colouring agents - No preservatives - No synthetic fragrances - No mineral oils - Non-oily texture - Optimum skin tolerance

Directions: Shake well before use. Apply to the skin, over venous areas on the temples, neck and inside of the wrists. Rub your wrists together and deeply inhale the aromas of the essential oils.
When to use: 30 minutes, 15 minutes and then just before the start of your journey, or when feelings of discomfort arise.

Warning: This article is intended as a guide only, and in no way replaces the advice of a doctor, pharmacist or other health professional. All recipes are not recommended for pregnant women or children under the age of 7.
For any therapeutic use, consult a doctor or pharmacist. Refer carefully to the contraindications and precautions for use for each essential oil. If in doubt, consult a health professional.

Extracts from the books ‘Aromatherapia, tout sur les huiles essentielles’ and ‘HUILES ESSENTIELLES, HUILES VÉGÉTALES & HYDROLATS : Mes indispensables’, by Isabelle Pacchioni, published by Editions Aroma Thera, the book ‘Automassages aux huiles essentielles, guide visuel’ by Isabelle Pacchioni, published by Editions Leduc.s, and the Guide des 48 huiles essentielles indispensables pour se soigner autrement’ by Top Santé.