Summary: There is not a lot of evidence to suggest that drinking lemon water can help nausea. There is evidence that lemon, with other ingredients, may help nausea. Worst case scenario is that drinking lemon water, in small amounts, appears to be very safe and may be worth a shot.
Dear Curtis: I’m pregnant and in my first trimester. I’m not really sick, but I’m nauseous a lot and would like to not have to take prescription medications. A girlfriend told me that taking lemonade or lemon water might help. I’m not sure if it’s true, but I thought I’d ask and see if it was safe and something I could try.
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You’re probably not going to find a lot of scientific proof one way or the other. Instead, what you have to rely on is the known properties of lemons as well as case histories and feedback from women who have been pregnant and tried lemon water.
Lemons Role In Nausea Prevention
What I can tell you is that I have seen a number of patients who use lemon, in conjunction with other herbs or additives in drinks or teas. For example, ginger and peppermint are often combined with lemon or lemon balm to help sooth nausea. And are often effective.
Of course, that begs the question is it the lemon or the other ingredients in the tea.
From what I’ve been able to find there is some evdience for using lemon in certain stomach related conditions – for example heartburn and stomatitis. But I can’t find any definitive proof that lemon is beneficial, on it’s own for nausea. On the contrary, in higher doses – like in the goofy Lemon Detox Diet, high doses of lemon can cause nausea and diarrhea.
If you’re looking for evidence though, for using lemon alone for nausea I think you’ll probably come up dry.
Appears to Be Safe
Even though there is very little evidence for using lemon alone to treat nausea I still don’t think there is any harm in trying it. What I do worry about is you getting carried away with it. So, just a little fresh squeezed lemon in some water and see if it has any positive effects. Of course, I saw no evidence that it would cause any harm whatsoever and I doubt your doctor would have any issues with you trying. But always double-check before trying it.
One thing to note about lemonade is that it contains quite a bit of sugar which some people find helpful in treating nausea. An over-the-counter product that you may want to consider that works in this fashion is Emetrol. Plus, it is safe to take during pregnancy.
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