A doctor has revealed a cheap trick that can quickly alleviate the unpleasant sensation of motion sickness simply by smelling it. Dr. Karan Raj, known as @dr.karanr on TikTok, an NHS surgeon and lecturer at Sunderland University, recommends sniffing a specific citrus fruit that is likely already in your home, or can be bought for as little as 20p at numerous supermarkets.
Reacting to a woman smelling a lemon in the car, he says that not only will a lemon work, some other fruits might also work. The health expert explains: “When you sniff on a lemon, the olfactory system picks up those citrusy aromas. The olfactory system it’s also closely related to the limbic system which regulates nausea.
“So inhaling that lemon scent stimulates the limbic system to help relieve nausea. That potent aroma of lemon also increases saliva production and gastric empty i.e. your stomach empties faster which means less nausea symptoms.”
The doctor explains that not only can lemons work, but any citrus fruit with a potent scent can be beneficial. They act as a “sensory distraction, overwriting the brain’s nausea signals.” This implies “a shift of focus from nauseating stimuli to a stronger scent”, he explains.
Dr. Raj further mentions “the best thing about this” is that if it works for you, you can “create your own biological keyboard shortcut a.k.a. associative learning”. This means: “Your brain can form associations with certain smells so if you’ve experienced nausea relief by doing this once, chances are if you repeat this next time you counter nausea your brain will trigger a conditioned response so it works again.”
The health expert notes that while this may not work for everyone, alternatives like ginger and peppermint oil could also be effective. These are not only cost-effective but also “relatively risk-free interventions for nausea that don’t require medication,” he concludes.
In the comments, people shared their experience of scents – with many now associating some scents to past experiences. One said: “I tried this with fresh lavender from my garden. unfortunately, my brain learned that lavender means “car journey,” so now I feel sick whenever I smell lavender.
“I used to do this when pregnant- helped greatly” said another with the doctor replying: “Some evidence of this working in pregnancy.”
A third added: “This is crazy. When I was a kid the only thing that helped my motion sickness was smelling a Terry’s chocolate orange bar and I could never understand why!”
