Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Nausea During Pregnancy

Question:
My wife is having a terrible time with nausea right now, and shes only 6 wks along. Could someone please advise us on herbs that will help? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
Avoid empty or over loaded stomach. Try eating 5-6 meals every day. Sip lukewarm peppermint tea first thing in the morning. Try red raspberry tea. Try drinking carbonated soda--like ginger ale. Try ginger capsules. 3 or 4 capsules in the morning, followed by a 1/2 = cup of warm water or milk. 10-20 mg. of vitamin B6 one to three times daily as needed may help. Wild yam root tincture may help. Try a dropperful in a glass of water or = mint tea once or twice a day. Please overlook my ignorance here--afterall, the reason that I am reading this ng is to learn--but it was my understanding that wild yam root is indicated for problems associated with a woman's hormonal cycle (pms, etc.). If this is true, I would wonder if it is safe to take during pregnancy? Particularly during the first tri-mester. Am I way off base here???? Your physician should have specific information for this, or the dietitian at your local hospital. It is a common problem. Besides that, try eating dry toast or crackers first thing in the morning. Small, frequent meals. Get something on the stomach before even stepping out of bed in the morning if possible. Keep beverages and solid food separate. I'm not the one you asked, but I found the following in, The Ultimate Healing System, by Donald Lepore, N.D.: Wild Yam roots contain two steroidal saponins. I would never suggest any type of steroid during pregnancy. Also I found, Wild Yam roots were used by the American Indians as a 'birth control pill'. The claim that if wild yam roots are eaten every day for over 2 months, conception will not occur as long as the wild yam roots are consumed. Ovulation and the menstrual cycle will not be interupted, but the woman's eggs are resistant to fertilization during the period that the wild yam is ingested. When the Indians decided to become pregnant they merely stopped the wild yam ingestion and within one month the female would then become fertile again. This makes it sound like Wild Yam would be very dangerous for a pregnant woman, possibly causing miscarriage. Small amounts of peppermint tea would be okay, but too much may interfer with iron absorption. Red raspberry leaf and ginger are both excellent (and safe) herbs for pregnancy. I believe that red raspberry helped prevent the miscarriage of my daughter -- I was cramping before taking it. Ginger tea is probably the most helpful herb for morning sickness. If you can't stomach the taste of the tea, a natural ginger ale (like you find in health food stores) would probably help also. The advice I gave regarding the wild yam root came directly from a = midwife, with another midwife backing it up. My own midwife uses it = during her pregnancies, and has recommended it to others who are at high = miscarriage risk. I directly quoted from the book Homeworks--Giving = Birth At Home With A Midwife by Valerie Vickerman Morris. My midwife is = very close to Valerie, and I completely trust both of their = recommendations. This statement is way off base. Wild Yam PREVENTS miscarriage in cases = of IMBALANCE. It will help nausea during pregnancy if it's due to = hormonal imbalance. If there's no imbalance present, taking Wild Yam in = its natural form--not the drug progesterone--will have no effect = whatsoever