Home remedies for vomiting

Home care handles most vomiting well, and it is mostly about fluids done right - the single most effective home treatment is ORS taken correctly.

The core technique - small, frequent sips. After vomiting, wait 30-60 minutes, then start ORS (a packet in one litre of clean water, or home-made: 6 level teaspoons sugar + half a level teaspoon salt in one litre) one to two teaspoons every few minutes. Large gulps trigger vomiting; tiny sips absorb. In children, give a few spoonfuls after every vomit - and keep breastfeeding infants through it all.

Food rules during recovery. No solid food while vomiting is active; when it settles for a few hours, start light - rice water, dal water, khichdi, toast, banana, curd-rice if tolerated. Avoid milk-heavy, oily, spicy and very sweet foods for a day or two. Do not force food - appetite returns on its own.

Helpful, safe adjuncts: fresh ginger (tea or thin slices with a little salt) for nausea - it has real evidence; mint or lemon smell for queasiness; rest and fresh air; for motion sickness, forward-facing seats, horizon-gazing and pre-travel light meals.

What to avoid at home: antiemetic tablets left over from old prescriptions (especially for children - never without a doctor); alcohol, smoking and painkillers like ibuprofen or aspirin on an irritated stomach; force-feeding; lying flat immediately after eating; and unverified herbal mixtures for infants.

Know when home care ends: any red flag (blood, green bile, severe pain, severe headache, head injury), signs of dehydration (very little urine, lethargy, sunken eyes), vomiting beyond 24 hours in adults or a few hours in young infants, or pregnancy with nothing staying down.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive): traditional home measures - ginger, light gruels, rest - overlap sensibly with the above within an interpretive framework of limited evidence. ORS and the red-flag rules carry the safety weight.

Remember: ORS in small frequent sips, light food on settling, ginger for nausea, and no leftover antiemetic pills - with a hard stop at red flags, dehydration signs, infants and pregnancy.