Quick Remedy Finder for Nausea & Vomiting
Nausea can feel like queasiness, a rising wave in the stomach, an empty sinking sensation, salivation, retching or the feeling that vomiting is about to start. The most useful homeopathic clues are often what triggered it, whether vomiting helps, how you react to food smells, what you want to drink and whether you feel hot, cold, faint or restless.
- Ipecacuanha – Constant, relentless nausea that does not improve after vomiting. The tongue may remain surprisingly clean; warmth, motion, rich food and food smells aggravate, while open air can help. [1]
- Nux vomica – Nausea after overeating, spicy food, coffee, alcohol, stimulants or stress, with repeated ineffectual retching, sourness and a heavy “stone in the stomach” feeling. Vomiting tends to give relief. [2]
- Arsenicum album – Burning stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, marked chilliness, restlessness and thirst for frequent small sips, especially after questionable food; often worse after midnight. [3]
- Colchicum autumnale – The smell, sight or even thought of food brings on nausea or retching, especially eggs, fish, meat or milk. Even slight movement can aggravate. [4]
- Bismuthum metallicum – Food, especially solids, may be vomited almost as soon as it reaches the stomach, while cold drinks can sometimes stay down longer. Pressure or bending forward may ease the stomach pain. [5]
- Veratrum album – Violent vomiting, often with diarrhoea, icy coldness, cold forehead sweat, cramps and collapse. The person wants small sips and warmth. This severe-looking pattern needs careful attention to dehydration and medical red flags. [6]
- Lobelia inflata – Deathly nausea with profuse saliva, cold sweat and an empty sinking feeling, often worse from tobacco smoke, warm stuffy rooms, fatty food or motion; cool air and small cold sips help. [7]
- Okoubaka – Queasiness and heaviness after spoiled, reheated or unusually rich food, alcohol or a digestive upset, with improvement after vomiting, passing wind or stool and a preference for simple warm food and drinks. [8]
- Phosphorus – Nausea from odours or movement with a craving for cold drinks; a distinctive clue is vomiting after the drink has warmed in the stomach. [9]
- Pulsatilla nigricans – Nausea, bloating or vomiting after fatty or rich food, often with very little thirst and relief from belching. [10]
More specific differentials: Cocculus indicus when nausea is strongly linked with loss of sleep and movement; Nicotiana tabacum for deathly nausea with cold sweat, faintness and marked motion sensitivity; and the dedicated pregnancy or travel-sickness guides are better starting points when those causes are clearly dominant. [11][12]
Nausea is a symptom, not one diagnosis
Feeling sick can come from many different causes: a stomach bug, food poisoning, reflux, migraine, vertigo, anxiety, alcohol, medicines, pregnancy, recent surgery and motion sickness are all common possibilities. [13]
That means “what stops nausea?” is only half the question. The other half is why it is happening. A brief wave after a rich meal is different from repeated vomiting with dehydration, and both are different again from nausea with chest pain, a severe headache or new neurological symptoms.
This guide focuses on general short-term nausea and vomiting. If your symptoms are clearly pregnancy-related or mainly happen during travel, those narrower patterns deserve their own approach rather than being folded into a generic stomach-upset article.
Your nausea fingerprint: six clues worth noticing
- Trigger: rich food, spoiled food, alcohol, stress, smells, motion, medicine—or no obvious trigger?
- Effect of vomiting: does it finally relieve the nausea, or are you just as sick afterwards?
- Smells: is cooking odour mildly unpleasant or enough to start retching?
- Drinks: do you want cold drinks, tiny warm sips, nothing at all, or does drinking immediately bring the nausea back?
- Temperature: hot and restless, chilly, icy with sweat, or much better in fresh cool air?
- Companions: diarrhoea, cramps, bloating, burning, salivation, faintness, headache or dizziness?
Those features are useful for remedy comparison, but they are also useful medical information if the episode does not settle or keeps returning.
Interactive Nausea & Vomiting Remedy Finder
The finder begins by separating nausea without vomiting, nausea with vomiting, dry retching, and vomiting-dominant episodes. It then explores the relationship between nausea and vomiting in more detail: whether vomiting relieves the nausea, whether it returns quickly, whether solids or liquids stay down, how cold drinks behave, what happens before and after vomiting, and which accompanying symptoms are present.
When vomiting does not relieve the nausea
Ipecacuanha – still nauseated after being sick
Ipecacuanha is especially recognisable because the nausea persists despite vomiting. The person may vomit mucus, bile or food and still feel just as sick afterwards. The tongue can remain relatively clean, appetite disappears, and warmth, motion, rich food and food smells can intensify the feeling. Open air may help. [1]
This “vomiting without relief” feature separates Ipecacuanha from Nux vomica or Okoubaka, where getting something out often releases at least some of the gastric pressure.
Lobelia inflata – sinking stomach, saliva and cold sweat
Lobelia has a more autonomic feel: profuse saliva, cold sweat, faintness and an empty sinking feeling at the pit of the stomach. Tobacco smoke or even its odour is a strong aggravator, as are warm stuffy rooms, fatty food and motion. Cool fresh air, loosening tight clothing, belching and small cold sips can bring some relief. [7]
If breathing difficulty accompanies the nausea, do not assume it is simply “a Lobelia symptom”. New or severe breathlessness needs proper assessment.
When the meal itself tells the story
Nux vomica – the overdone-it pattern
Nux vomica fits nausea after too much food, alcohol, coffee, stimulants, spicy food or prolonged stress. The stomach feels heavy and full, there may be sourness or heartburn, and the person keeps trying to vomit without producing much. When vomiting finally happens, it tends to relieve some of the tension. Warmth and rest help. [2]
Pulsatilla nigricans – rich or fatty food with little thirst
Pulsatilla is more specifically linked with fatty, creamy or rich food. Nausea may travel with bloating and food-tasting belches, and belching can give relief. A useful contrast with many other nausea patterns is the lack of thirst. [10]
Okoubaka – after food that simply did not agree
Okoubaka is useful to compare when nausea and heaviness follow spoiled, old, reheated, restaurant or unusually rich food, alcohol or a clear digestive insult. Warm drinks and simple warm foods tend to sit better than cold or greasy intake, while vomiting, passing wind or stool may make the person feel noticeably lighter. [8]
Suspected food poisoning still needs ordinary hydration and safety monitoring. A remedy pattern is not a way to judge whether contaminated food has caused a serious infection. [17]
When food smells are unbearable
Colchicum autumnale – retching from smell, sight or even thought of food
Colchicum has an unusually strong food-odour sensitivity. Cooking smells may be intolerable, and eggs, fish, meat or milk can be particularly offensive. Even talking about food can restart the nausea. The person wants absolute stillness because motion also aggravates. [4]
Phosphorus – odour-sensitive, thirsty for cold drinks
Phosphorus can also be nauseated by smells or movement, but the drinking pattern is different: there is a marked desire for cold drinks or ice. A distinctive feature is that the drink may stay down while cold but be vomited after it warms in the stomach. [9]
This is not advice to keep testing the stomach with large quantities of iced fluid when actively vomiting. Small, frequent sips are safer when hydration is difficult.
When every mouthful comes straight back
Bismuthum metallicum – solids are rejected immediately
Bismuthum fits violent gastric irritation where solid food is vomited almost immediately after eating. Cold drinks may be retained longer than solids. Stomach pain can feel burning, cramping or pressured and may ease with firm pressure or bending forward. [5]
Repeated inability to retain food or fluid is not something to manage indefinitely at home. If fluids will not stay down, dehydration can develop quickly.
Arsenicum album – burning, restless and taking tiny sips
Arsenicum has a very different mood and temperature picture: burning in the stomach, marked chilliness, restlessness and a desire for frequent small sips. Even a little food or drink may bring the nausea back. Spoiled food is a classic trigger, and symptoms often intensify after midnight. [3]
When vomiting becomes a hydration problem
The NHS advice is simple: if you are vomiting, the most important self-care goal is to replace fluid and prevent dehydration. Small sips are often easier to tolerate than a large glass at once. [14][15]
Signs of dehydration include darker urine, peeing less often, thirst, dry mouth and dizziness on standing. If you are losing a lot of fluid through vomiting or diarrhoea, a pharmacist can recommend an oral rehydration solution (ORS) that replaces water together with glucose and mineral salts. [15]
WHO oral rehydration salts contain glucose together with sodium, potassium, chloride and citrate. The glucose helps the intestine absorb sodium and water; the salts replace important losses. If vomiting occurs, WHO guidance advises pausing briefly and then restarting more slowly with frequent small sips. [18]
This is the most relevant “mineral support” for an acute vomiting illness: replacing the sodium and potassium you are losing, not taking a random mineral supplement.
What to eat—and when not to force it
You do not need to force a full meal while actively nauseated. NHS guidance suggests smaller, more frequent meals, avoiding hot, fried or greasy food and strong cooking smells, and not lying down soon after eating. [13]
UCLH also notes that cold or room-temperature foods often smell less than hot foods and may therefore be easier to tolerate. Dry or simple foods can be useful, and fluids can be taken little and often rather than filling the stomach around mealtimes. [19]
If vomiting accompanies a stomach bug, eat when you feel able. Fatty or spicy food may be harder to tolerate. If diarrhoea is also present, fruit juice and fizzy drinks can make diarrhoea worse. [14][16]
Once appetite returns, there is no need to remain on an unnecessarily restricted “bland diet” for days. Gradually return to normal food according to what you can tolerate.
Fresh air, smells and the immediate environment
The NHS specifically suggests getting fresh air and avoiding strong-smelling food when nauseated. [13]
Practical environmental changes can therefore be surprisingly useful:
- open a window or move away from cooking smells;
- choose cold or room-temperature food if hot aromas trigger nausea;
- loosen tight clothing around the waist;
- sit upright or recline with the head raised rather than lying flat immediately after eating;
- rest, particularly if nausea is being amplified by lack of sleep;
- avoid alcohol while the stomach is unsettled.
These are low-tech interventions, but they directly address some of the common triggers people report during a nauseated spell.
Ginger: useful reputation, but the evidence depends on the cause
The NHS includes ginger tea and ginger-containing foods among simple things that may help nausea. [13]
The research picture is more nuanced. A 2024 overview of systematic reviews found that ginger has been studied across pregnancy, chemotherapy, postoperative nausea and other settings, but the quality and consistency of the evidence vary considerably by cause and preparation. [21]
NCCIH currently concludes that ginger may help pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, while evidence for motion sickness is poor and its usefulness after surgery or alongside cancer treatment remains uncertain. [20]
That makes ginger a reasonable food or tea to try for mild short-lived nausea if it suits you, but it should not be sold as a universal antiemetic. Concentrated ginger supplements can cause heartburn, abdominal discomfort or diarrhoea and may interact with medicines, so check with a clinician or pharmacist if you use regular medication. [20]
Peppermint: tea is simple; essential-oil claims need more caution
The NHS also suggests peppermint tea as something that may help feeling sick. [13]
Most clinical research on peppermint oil is much more specific than the everyday internet claim “peppermint stops nausea”. A 2024 meta-analysis in cancer populations found that aromatherapy reduced nausea overall, with peppermint among the more promising oils, but the authors still described the evidence as limited and heterogeneous. [22]
A separate 2024 randomised trial in people after cervical surgery found substantially less postoperative nausea with inhaled peppermint oil than routine care. [23]
Those studies are interesting, but postoperative or chemotherapy-related nausea is not the same as a stomach bug or food poisoning. Peppermint tea is the simpler self-care option. Do not swallow essential oils, and remember that peppermint may aggravate reflux in some people.
Vitamins, minerals and supplements: what is actually relevant?
Vitamins
There is no routine vitamin supplement recommended for general short-term nausea in NHS self-care guidance. Vitamin B6 is studied mainly in pregnancy-related nausea, which is a different clinical situation and belongs in a pregnancy-specific plan rather than being generalised to every person who feels sick. [13]
Minerals
When vomiting is causing fluid loss, sodium and potassium become relevant because they are part of oral rehydration—not because they are anti-nausea treatments. Properly prepared ORS is preferable to guessing at salt or potassium doses yourself. [15][18]
Supplements
Ginger is the best-studied supplement in this area, but evidence varies by cause. More supplements are not automatically better. If nausea is being caused by a medicine, supplement or herbal product, adding another product can make the picture harder to untangle.
What about acupressure wristbands?
Pressure or stimulation at the wrist point known as PC6 has been studied mainly for postoperative nausea and vomiting. An updated Cochrane network meta-analysis published in 2025 examined different PC6 stimulation techniques around surgery. [24]
The evidence is much less direct for everyday nausea at home. A wristband is non-drug and generally low risk, but it should be thought of as an optional comfort measure rather than a substitute for fluids, diagnosis or anti-sickness treatment when these are needed.
When the nausea looks like a collapse pattern
Veratrum album – violent vomiting with cold sweat and cramps
Veratrum album has a dramatic picture: violent vomiting, often with diarrhoea, intense cramps, icy coldness and cold sweat on the forehead. The person may feel faint or collapsed and wants to lie still and be kept warm. Cold water may be craved, but large drinks provoke more vomiting. [6]
The severity of this pattern is exactly why safety comes first. Cold clammy skin, repeated vomiting, very little urine, confusion or inability to keep fluid down can signal significant dehydration or serious illness.
Nicotiana tabacum – deathly nausea with cold sweat and motion sensitivity
Nicotiana tabacum also has extreme nausea with cold sweat and faintness, but motion sensitivity is stronger and the person may crave cold air and want the abdomen uncovered. [12]
If movement or travel is clearly the main cause, use the dedicated travel-sickness approach rather than turning this into a second motion-sickness article.
Cocculus indicus – movement plus loss of sleep
Cocculus becomes more distinctive when nausea is worsened by the slightest movement and the person is already depleted by loss of sleep, night watching or prolonged mental strain. Even watching moving objects or thinking about food can aggravate. [11]
When vomiting needs medical help
Most short-lived vomiting from a stomach bug settles within a day or two, but some patterns should not be managed simply with home remedies. NHS guidance advises urgent help if you keep being sick and cannot keep fluid down or if dehydration continues despite oral rehydration. Vomiting lasting more than two days also needs advice. [14][16]
Go to emergency care for blood or coffee-ground vomit, green vomit in an adult, severe sudden abdominal pain, a sudden severe headache, stiff neck with light sensitivity, poisoning, serious breathing difficulty or confusion. [14]
Sudden nausea accompanied by heavy or tight chest pain, pain spreading to the arm, back, neck or jaw, or shortness of breath can be a heart-attack presentation and needs emergency help. [13]
Babies, older adults, people with weakened immune systems and people with conditions that make dehydration more dangerous need a lower threshold for professional advice.
If it is a vomiting bug, protect the people around you too
Norovirus spreads extremely easily. Wash hands with soap and water, clean contaminated bathroom surfaces, wash soiled clothing or bedding separately on a hot wash and avoid preparing food for other people while ill. Alcohol hand gel does not reliably kill norovirus. [16]
The NHS advises staying away from work, school or nursery until you have been free from vomiting and diarrhoea for at least 48 hours. [16]
Where homeopathy fits
Homeopathy can be used as a complementary approach by people who choose it. The practical comparison is based on the individual nausea pattern: trigger, smell sensitivity, the effect of vomiting, thirst, temperature, stomach sensation and accompanying symptoms.
It should not replace oral rehydration, anti-sickness medicine when medically appropriate, or investigation of persistent or dangerous vomiting. NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service guidance states that there is no good-quality evidence that homeopathy is effective as a treatment for any health condition. [25]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best homeopathic remedy for nausea?
There is no single best remedy. Ipecacuanha is distinctive when vomiting does not relieve the nausea; Nux vomica after overindulgence, alcohol or coffee; Colchicum when food smells are unbearable; Arsenicum for burning, restlessness and tiny sips; and Pulsatilla after rich fatty food with little thirst. [1][2][3][4][10]
Why do I still feel nauseous after vomiting?
Sometimes the cause of nausea is still active after the stomach empties. In homeopathic differentiation, persistent nausea despite vomiting is a particularly strong Ipecacuanha feature. Medically, ongoing nausea can occur with infection, migraine, medicine effects, vertigo and many other causes, so repeated episodes should be assessed. [1][13]
Is peppermint good for nausea?
The NHS suggests peppermint tea as something that may help. Peppermint-oil studies are mainly in postoperative or cancer-treatment nausea and are not automatically applicable to stomach bugs or food poisoning. Avoid swallowing essential oils, and peppermint can worsen reflux in some people. [13][22][23]
Can stress or anxiety make me nauseous?
Yes. Anxiety is one of the recognised causes of nausea. If episodes repeatedly appear during stress without another obvious cause, addressing the anxiety pattern may be just as important as trying to settle the stomach. [13]
When is green vomit an emergency?
Green vomit in an adult, or yellow-green/green vomit in a child, is listed by the NHS as a reason for emergency assessment. Do not try to manage that pattern only with home remedies. [14]
Can I take vitamins for nausea?
There is no routine vitamin recommended for general short-term nausea. Vitamin B6 is mainly studied for pregnancy-related nausea, which is a separate situation. If you suspect a deficiency or a supplement itself is making you nauseous, discuss it with a clinician or pharmacist. [13]
When should recurring nausea be investigated?
See a GP if nausea does not improve within a few days or keeps coming back. Recurrent nausea can be linked to reflux, migraine, vertigo, medicines, anxiety, pregnancy and other conditions, so identifying the cause is more useful than repeatedly treating the symptom alone. [13]
References
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Ipecacuanha’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/ipecacuanha/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Nux vomica’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/nux-vomica/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Arsenicum album’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/arsenicum-album/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Colchicum autumnale’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/colchicum-autumnale/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Bismuthum metallicum’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/bismuthum-metallicum/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Veratrum album’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/veratrum-album/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Lobelia inflata’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/lobelia-inflata/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Okoubaka’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/okoubaka/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Phosphorus’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/phosphorus/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Pulsatilla nigricans’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/pulsatilla-nigricans/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Cocculus indicus’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/cocculus-indicus/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Qandil, I. (n.d.) ‘Nicotiana tabacum’, IQ Homeopathy. Available at: https://www.iqhomeopathy.com/materia-medica/nicotiana-tabacum/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- NHS (current 2026) ‘Feeling sick (nausea)’. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/feeling-sick-nausea/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- NHS (current 2026) ‘Diarrhoea and vomiting’. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/diarrhoea-and-vomiting/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- NHS (2026) ‘Dehydration’. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- NHS (current 2026) ‘Norovirus (vomiting bug)’. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/norovirus/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- NHS (current 2026) ‘Food poisoning’. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-poisoning/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- World Health Organization (2025/2026) ‘Oral rehydration salts: treatment of dehydration guidance’. Available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/331599/9789240002869-eng.pdf (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (2025) ‘Coping with nausea’. Available at: https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/patient-information-pages/coping-nausea (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (2025) ‘Ginger: Usefulness and Safety’. Available at: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ginger (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
- Li, Z., Wu, J., Song, J. and Wen, Y. (2024) ‘Ginger for treating nausea and vomiting: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses’, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 75(2), pp.122–133. doi:10.1080/09637486.2023.2284647. PMID:38072785.
- Ahn, J.H., Kim, M. and Kim, R.W. (2024) ‘Effects of aromatherapy on nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials’, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 55, 101838. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2024.101838. PMID:38330531.
- Cetin, N., Kose, G. and Gokbel, A. (2024) ‘Examining the Effect of Peppermint Oil on Postoperative Nausea After Cervical Surgery’, Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 56(6), pp.203–208. doi:10.1097/JNN.0000000000000790. PMID:39447066.
- Cochrane Collaboration (2025) ‘Stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point PC6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting: a network meta-analysis’. PMID:40938065. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003281.pub5.
- Specialist Pharmacy Service (2025/2026) ‘Managing complementary products and conventional medicines’. Available at: https://sps.nhs.uk/articles/managing-complementary-products-and-conventional-medicines/ (Accessed: 26 August 2026).
