New medical study finds safe, effective relief for morning sickness in unique honey ginger tonic

A new medical study offers good news for expectant mothers facing the difficult choice of treating the nausea and vomiting of early pregnancy with things like soda, crackers or crushed ice, which are only marginally helpful, or trying prescription or over-the-counter medications, which may have potential side effects.

The September/October issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine features results from a new double-blind, placebo-controlled, and hospital-based study conducted by obstetricians Angela Keating, M.D. and Ronald Chez, M.D., which indicates that Ginger Honey Tonic, a potency-assured formulation manufactured by New Chapter, Inc., is a safe and effective way to treat nausea and vomiting associated with morning sickness.

In an article entitled, “Ginger Syrup as an Antiemetic in Early Pregnancy,” Dr. Keating and Dr. Chez summarize results of a study they conducted over a six-month period with women ages 24-37 in their first twelve weeks on pregnancy. In the study, women were chosen at random to use New Chapter’s Ginger Honey Tonic or a “placebo” syrup. Neither group of women was aware of the use of the placebo product. They were asked to rate their symptoms and how they felt on a 10-point scale at regular intervals The study found significant reductions in both nausea and vomiting in the group using the Ginger Honey Tonic vs. the placebo-control group. For example, 77% of the Ginger Honey Tonic group experienced a dramatic 4-point or greater improvement on the nausea scale within 9 days. These findings led the researchers to conclude that “1 g of ginger in syrup or capsules ingested daily in divided doses appears to be a reasonable and safe option in the treatment of nausea in early pregnancy.” Equally important, there were no contraindications to the suggested use of New Chapter’s Ginger Honey Tonic during pregnancy.

“At New Chapter, we believe in the safety and effectiveness of the whole food or herb, not in isolating a single substance,” says Paul Schulick, CEO of New Chapter and author of Ginger: Common Spice and Wonder Drug (Hohm Press 1996). “The main ingredient in our Ginger Honey Tonic is the potency-assured juice of blue-ring ginger, which offers a unique representation of protein-digesting enzymes and other health-promoting ginger compounds. This blue-ring ginger is grown organically on New Chapter’s farm in Costa Rica, without the use of any toxic chemical fungicides, pesticides, or fertilizers commonly found in other ginger plants and products.”

“I have had the opportunity to benefit from the safe relief provided by Ginger Honey Tonic first-hand,” explains New Chapter Director of Sales Kelli Rooney, who gave birth to a baby girl three months ago. “The Ginger Honey Tonic is easy to mix with either warm water as a tea or cold sparkling water to make a natural ginger ale. It’s delicious, it works, and it’s affordable!”

“We are gratified with our Ginger Honey Tonic’s performance in the study. Since it was conducted as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and peer-reviewed human clinical study, it is really the ’gold standard’ desired by obstetricians and other health-care practitioners when treating pregnant women, ” explains Schulick. “We feel this research also helps demonstrate the value of our Ginger Honey Tonic in reducing nausea that may arise from a variety of causes, from simple motion sickness to nausea as a side-effect of other medical problems or treatment regimens such as chemo and radiation therapy.”

Morning sickness is a common experience with an estimated 60-80 percent of all women experiencing nausea and /or vomiting during their first trimester of pregnancy. In addition to compromising expectant mothers’ daily functioning and quality of life, in more severe cases, morning sickness can also lead to weight loss, malnutrition or other more serious health complications for the mother and developing child.