A new study has found that ginger may be used to ease the nausea suffered by patients receiving chemotherapy.

As much as 70 percent of patients undergoing chemotherapy experience vomiting and nausea can persist even if actual vomiting has stopped.

Moreover, many sufferers do not respond to antiemetic medications.

However, scientists from the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester recently announced that a daily dose of 0.5-to-1 gram of ginger significantly reduced nausea on the first day of chemotherapy, and this led to improved quality of life in many cancer patients, according to Health Day.

Dr. Julie Ryan, an assistant professor of dermatology and radiation oncology, and author of the study which enrolled 644 cancer patients, said the dose is the equivalent of 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of ground ginger.

Ginger is a tropical spice, which originated in Asia, and has been used for centuries for its culinary and medicinal properties.

Recent months have also brought news of other natural health resources that help alleviate side effects of cancer therapy. In particular, it has been shown that acupuncture can relieve nausea as well as severe dry mouth associated with chemotherapy.