Ginger tea is one of the most effective drinks for nausea, but it’s far from your only option. Clear broths, peppermint tea, electrolyte drinks, and even flat ginger ale can help settle your stomach depending on the cause. The key is choosing something that’s easy to absorb, replaces lost fluids, and doesn’t irritate your digestive tract further.
Ginger Tea and Ginger-Based Drinks
Ginger has the strongest evidence behind it of any home remedy for nausea. Its active compounds, called gingerols, help calm the stomach by reducing muscle contractions in the digestive tract and blocking certain nausea signals in the gut. Even small amounts can make a noticeable difference. In clinical studies on motion sickness, as little as 160 mg of ginger extract (containing about 8 mg of gingerols) was enough to reduce symptoms.
You don’t need a supplement to get this benefit. Steeping a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes makes a simple tea that delivers the same compounds. If the taste is too strong, adding honey or lemon can help. Ginger ale is another popular choice, though most commercial brands contain very little actual ginger. Look for brands that list ginger root as an ingredient rather than “natural flavors,” or make your own by adding grated ginger to sparkling water.
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint works through a different mechanism than ginger. Its main benefit is its ability to relax the smooth muscles lining your stomach and intestines, which reduces the cramping and spasms that often accompany nausea. This antispasmodic effect is why peppermint tea can feel immediately soothing, especially when nausea comes with bloating or indigestion.
There’s one important exception: if you have acid reflux or GERD, peppermint can make things worse. The same muscle-relaxing effect that calms your stomach also relaxes the valve between your esophagus and stomach. When that valve loosens, acid flows upward more easily. If your nausea is related to heartburn or reflux, skip the peppermint and try ginger or chamomile instead.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile is a gentler option that works well for nausea tied to stress or anxiety. It contains compounds like apigenin and bisabolol that have both calming and antispasmodic effects on the digestive tract. These reduce inflammation in the stomach lining while also easing the tension that can trigger nausea during stressful periods. Chamomile is mild enough that it rarely causes side effects, making it a good choice when you’re unsure what’s causing your symptoms.
Clear Broths and Simple Fluids
When nausea is severe and nothing sounds appealing, clear liquids are the safest starting point. The goal here isn’t to treat the nausea directly but to keep you hydrated without triggering more vomiting. The Mayo Clinic recommends a clear liquid approach during acute nausea episodes, which includes:
- Water (plain, carbonated, or flavored)
- Clear, fat-free broth like bouillon or consommé
- Pulp-free fruit juices such as apple or white grape juice
- Plain tea or coffee without milk or cream
- Sports drinks
- Ice pops without milk or fruit pieces
Broth deserves special mention because it provides both fluid and sodium, which your body loses quickly if you’ve been vomiting. Sipping warm broth slowly is often easier to tolerate than drinking cold water, and the salt helps your body actually retain the fluid rather than passing it straight through.
Electrolyte and Rehydration Drinks
If your nausea has led to vomiting or has lasted more than a few hours, replacing electrolytes becomes just as important as replacing water. Plain water alone doesn’t restore the sodium and potassium you lose when you’re sick.
Oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte are formulated specifically for this purpose. They contain a balanced ratio of electrolytes and a lower concentration of sugar than most sports drinks. That matters because too much sugar in a drink can actually pull water into the intestines and cause diarrhea, which only makes dehydration worse. Sports drinks work in a pinch, but their higher sugar content makes them a less ideal choice during active nausea. If sports drinks are all you have, diluting them with equal parts water brings the sugar concentration closer to what your body can comfortably absorb.
Drinks to Avoid or Limit
Some beverages that seem harmless can actually make nausea worse. Caffeinated drinks like coffee and energy drinks increase stomach acid production and can intensify heartburn, which compounds the queasy feeling. If you rely on caffeine daily and quitting cold turkey would give you a headache, a small cup of weak tea is a better option than coffee.
Full-fat dairy drinks, including milkshakes and smoothies made with whole milk, slow down stomach emptying. When your stomach takes longer to process what’s in it, nausea tends to linger. Low-fat options are easier to tolerate if you want something with more substance than water or tea.
Carbonated drinks are a mixed bag. Small sips of something fizzy can sometimes help by triggering a belch that relieves pressure in the stomach. But drinking more than about 300 ml (roughly 10 ounces) of a carbonated beverage at once can cause gastric distention, stretching the stomach and making nausea and bloating worse. The carbon dioxide released from the drink expands as it warms to body temperature, which increases pressure inside the stomach. If you’re going to try carbonation, take small, slow sips rather than gulping.
Citrus juices like orange juice and highly acidic drinks can also irritate an already sensitive stomach. Stick with milder options like apple juice or white grape juice if you want something with flavor.
How to Sip When You Feel Sick
What you drink matters, but how you drink it matters almost as much. Gulping any liquid, even water, on a nauseous stomach is likely to trigger vomiting. Start with very small sips, about a tablespoon at a time, every few minutes. If that stays down for 15 to 20 minutes, gradually increase the amount. Room temperature or slightly warm drinks are generally easier to tolerate than ice-cold ones, though some people find sucking on ice chips helpful when even sipping feels like too much.
A practical approach is to rotate between a hydrating drink and a soothing one. For example, alternate small sips of an electrolyte solution with ginger or chamomile tea. This covers both hydration and symptom relief without overwhelming your stomach with volume.
Signs that your fluid intake isn’t keeping up with losses include dark yellow urine, dry lips and mouth, dizziness when standing, and a rapid heartbeat. In children, watch for a dry tongue, no tears when crying, and significantly fewer wet diapers than usual. These are signs of dehydration that may need medical treatment beyond what you can manage with drinks at home.