The herb ginger, often called ginger root, is the underground stem of the ginger plant. For centuries it has been used in herbal medicine to treat a number of conditions such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. It has also been a very important herb in treating morning sickness and infant intestinal discomfort, which is often referred to as colic. However, is this practice safe for expecting mothers and infants?
Gripe water is a natural remedy that is commonly given to babies to relieve colic, wind, reflux and other stomach conditions. It may also be used for other conditions such as teething pain and fever. There are many different formulations of the mixture, but traditional gripe water, developed by William Woodward in England, includes alcohol, sodium bicarbonate, dill oil, sugar and water. Although there is an abundance of anecdotal evidence for the effectiveness of gripe water, there is no clinical evidence to prove that it can improve digestive conditions. In fact, there has been much debate whether this product is actually safe to use at all!