5. Ai Ai

5. Ai Ai

Q: I have a friend who’s five months pregnant and has been vomiting continuously since becoming pregnant. Do you have any good remedies for this?

A: This is pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting. Western antiemetic drugs like Emend, Dormicum, and Seroquel have strong antiemetic effects, but they’re not suitable for pregnant women. In contrast, TCM formulas such as Xuan Fu Dai Zhe Tang, Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang, Ju Pi Zhu Ru Tang, Xiao Ban Xia Tang, and Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang all show excellent efficacy through clinical syndrome differentiation. Rural patients can also try using two liang of stove-bottom yellow earth boiled in water with an appropriate amount of white sugar—it’s both effective and simple. You might want to give it a try.