The curse of the salty dog. Boat barfing. The big heave ho. Seasickness can affect the crustiest of pirates. Anyone who has suffered seasickness will recall the nausea, queasiness, squeamishness, lethargy, cold sweats and, if these feelings become uncontrollable, violent vomiting . If one of your crew’s spoils need to go overboard, be sure to have the person hanging over the side in a life jacket and tethered to a sturdy spot on the vessel.

Seasickness is a result of a conflict in the inner ear, where the human balance mechanism resides, and is caused by a vessel’s erratic motion on the water. Inside the cabin of a rocking boat, for example, the inner ear detects changes in both up-and-down and side-to-side acceleration as one’s body bobs along with the boat.

But, since the cabin moves with the passenger, one’s eyes register a relatively stable scene. Agitated by this perceptual contradiction, the brain responds with a cascade of stress-related hormones that can ultimately lead to nausea, vomiting, and vertigo.

Additionally, an affected person’s symptoms can be magnified by the strong odours of things like diesel fumes and fish. Seasickness usually occurs in the first 12 to 24 hours after “setting sail,” and dissipates once the body acclimates to the ship’s motion. It’s rare for anyone to get or stay ill beyond the first couple of days at sea—unless the vessel encounters really rough waves.

Aromatic, pungent and spicy, ginger root is sold in the fresh produce section of the supermarket. When choosing fresh ginger, make sure it is firm, smooth and free of mould.

A super-healthy, herb which can help relieve the nausea associated with seasickness. Choose the freshest ginger root you can find in the supermarket. To keep the ginger fresh for up  o six months, chop into small pieces, place the unpeeled ginger in a container; label it; and pop it in the freezer. It’s really that simple.

To use the ginger, remove it from the freezer and grate as much as you need. There’s no need to thaw it first; in fact, frozen ginger is easier to grate than fresh ginger.

When planning a trip on the ocean, fresh ginger root tea makes a hot drink which can aid the avoidance of seasickness and also speed up recovery time.

Pop the ginger into a large mug and gently pour over boiling water. Leave for ten minutes, strain and drink. If you have sniffly kids, allow the tea to cool down completely, pop in a couple of ice blocks, a squeeze of lemon juice and dollop of honey and turn the hot drink into a healthy and fun cordial.

There are also a range seasick pills which can work to combat seasickness if taken one hour before launch and are available at pharmacies without a prescription.

They contain the active ingredient meclozine hydrochloride, which is a type antihistamine. They work by stopping histamine from binding to its receptors in an area in the brain known as the vomiting centre. The vomiting centre is responsible for causing feelings of sickness and for the vomiting reflex. It is activated when it receives nerve messages from the the middle ear.

The middle ear provides constant feedback to the brain about the position of our body. When something disturbs the middle ear, such as movements of the head when travelling by boat, nerve signals are sent from the from the middle ear to the vomiting centre. This can cause the symptoms of motion sickness, such as nausea, dizziness or spinning sensations (vertigo) and vomiting.

The herb raspberry leaf has raditionally been used to alleviate nausea during pregnancy.  Raspberry leaves are the pale green leaves produced by the raspberry plant Rubus idaeus.  The ancient Greeks and Romans are said to have used red raspberry leaves for treating a wide variety of ailments, most notably for nausea and vomting.

The dried leaves taste nothing like raspberries and have a more earthy flavour. If using the tea to prevent or alleviate nausea, it may be better to drink it as a cordial, with ice and fresh lemon or orange juice squeezed into it.

Charles Darwin once said, “If it was not for sea-sickness, the whole world would be sailors.” Arrrgh, be to that!