🌐 Read this article in other languages:
ગુજરાતી: ગુજરાતી
हिंदी: हिंदी
At two in the morning, three-year-old Pari suddenly started vomiting, four times in an hour. Her frightened mother gave her half a glass of water after each vomit, and each time it came back out. In the morning the doctor calmly explained: “An emptied stomach cannot tolerate a lot of fluid at once. After vomiting, 10–15 minutes of rest, then one spoon of ORS every 1–2 minutes.” He taught her to watch the child’s urine, tears and moistness of the mouth. Spoon by spoon of ORS, 200 ml went in over two hours and the vomiting stopped; in the afternoon rice water, in the evening a thin moong khichdi; a little cumin-coriander water as advised by the vaidya. The next day Pari was playing again; there was no need for an IV drip.
Vomiting means the contents of the stomach being forcefully expelled through the mouth; it is not a disease in itself but a protective symptom of the body, whose causes can range from a common stomach virus to a serious problem (intestinal obstruction, brain infection). In children most vomiting is due to viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”) and gets better on its own in 1–2 days. The real danger is not the vomiting itself but dehydration, a lack of water and salts in the body, which happens quickly in young children. In Ayurveda it is called chhardi, from “chhadayati” (that which covers the mouth); at the root, udana vayu moves in the reverse direction and the doshas are pushed upward, and treatment is protecting agni and pacifying the doshas.
Key Takeaways
- In children it is mostly a viral stomach infection, better in 1–2 days.
- The real danger is dehydration; watch urine, tears and moistness of the mouth.
- ORS spoon by spoon, frequently; not a lot at once.
- Ayurveda’s chhardi approach, langhana, cardamom, coriander and cumin, gentle formulations such as bala chaturbhadra, and protecting agni, settles vomiting and prevents it from recurring; with danger signs, hospital first.
Vomiting or Regurgitation?
“Spitting up” in newborns and infants (regurgitation/posseting), a little milk coming out easily, without force, after a feed, is very common; if the baby is happy and gaining weight there is no worry; it mostly reduces by 1 year. Burp the baby, keep them upright for 20–30 minutes after a feed, do not overfeed. Forceful vomiting (projectile), especially fountain-like after every feed in a 2–8 week old baby, can be a condition like pyloric stenosis; see a doctor.
What to Watch Along with the Symptoms
- How many times, how much, the colour (milk, food, yellow bile, green, blood or coffee-like)
- Diarrhea along with it? (gastro)
- Fever, stomach pain (where, lower right?), headache
- How often the child passes urine
- Is the child active or drowsy
- Did they eat something unusual, were medicines or chemicals within reach, was there a head injury?
Causes
Common
- Viral gastroenteritis, rotavirus, norovirus
- Food poisoning, stale, uncovered, outside food
- With other infections, ear infection, throat infection, urinary infection, pneumonia, fever
- Vomiting from coughing (with mucus)
- Overeating, eating fast, too much oil, spices and sweets
- Motion sickness, during travel
- Reflux (GERD)
- Food allergy or intolerance
- Anxiety, stress, in the morning before school
- Constipation
- Medicines
Serious (need recognising)
- Intestinal obstruction, intussusception, volvulus, green vomit, bloated abdomen, severe pain
- Appendicitis, pain moving from near the navel to the lower right
- Brain infection (meningitis), fever, stiff neck, severe headache, rash
- Vomiting after a head injury
- Poisoning, medicines, kerosene, cleaning chemicals
- Diabetic ketoacidosis, excess thirst and urination, weight loss, fast breathing
- Jaundice, hepatitis
- Pyloric stenosis (infants)
- Raised pressure in the brain, repeated vomiting with morning headache
- Cyclic vomiting syndrome
Ayurvedic view
- Food that is too oily, spicy, sour, heavy, or eating during indigestion
- Adhyashana, eating again before the previous meal is digested
- Spoiled, stale, impure food and water
- Fear, grief, unpleasant smells or sights (dvishtartha samyoga)
- Krimi
- In infants, stanya dushti, overfeeding at the breast
Ayurvedic Understanding
Charaka described five types of chhardi: vataja (scanty, frothy, frequent, with pain), pittaja (yellow-green, bitter-sour, burning, thirst), kaphaja (sticky, white, sweetish, heaviness, nausea), sannipataja, and dvishtartha samyogaja (from unpleasant smells, sights, food, fear, where the emotional factor is primary). Interestingly, Charaka also mentioned vomiting caused by krimi, in pregnancy and from ama.
An important principle in Ayurveda: some vomiting is the body’s shodhana kriya, to expel spoiled food or doshas. So early vomiting should not be forcibly stopped at once; instead, langhana (resting the stomach for a while) and then slowly pachana-deepana. This fits the modern advice: a little rest after vomiting, then fluids little by little, then light food. In children, though, langhana is short, as the risk of losing water and salts is greater.
Samprapti: spoiled or unsuitable food, indigestion, infection, emotions → accumulation of doshas in the amashaya → udana vayu becomes pratiloma → pushes the doshas upward → chhardi → rasa dhatu kshaya (dehydration), trishna (thirst), daurbalya (weakness).
Samprapti vighatana: nidana parivarjana → short langhana → replacement of water and salts (ORS) → vata anulomana → agni deepana → light pathya → recovery of strength.
Classical References
- Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa Sthana, Chapter 20, Chhardi Chikitsa.
- Sushruta Samhita, Uttara Tantra, Chapter 49, Chhardi Pratishedha.
- Ashtanga Hridaya, Chikitsa Sthana, Chapter 6, Chhardi-Hridroga-Trishna Chikitsa.
- Kashyapa Samhita, children’s diseases, reference on infant chhardi.
How to Recognise Dehydration
- No dehydration, active, normal urine, tears, moist mouth
- Mild to moderate, more thirst, irritability, less and darker urine, dry mouth and lips, slightly sunken eyes, fewer tears when crying; in infants the soft spot (fontanelle) slightly sunken: ORS at home, stay in contact with the doctor
- Severe, very drowsy or unconscious, no urine for 6–8 hours (4–6 hours in infants), sunken eyes, unable to drink, skin returns slowly when pinched, cold hands and feet, fast breathing: hospital immediately
Home Care, Steps
- 10–15 minutes of rest after vomiting, let the stomach settle; clean the mouth with a rinse.
- ORS, little by little: for infants and young children 5 ml (one spoon) every 1–2 minutes; for older children small sips. Gradually increase the amount. If they vomit, rest again for 10 minutes, then start again.
- Make ORS correctly, clean water as per the instructions on the packet (usually one litre); not less or more water; use within 24 hours.
- Continue breastfeeding, more often, a little at a time.
- If there is diarrhea too, zinc as advised by the doctor.
- After 4–6 hours without vomiting, start light food.
- Anti-vomiting medicine, only on the doctor’s advice; some medicines are not suitable in young children.
- Antibiotics, not needed in most vomiting.
- If the child vomits while lying down, turn them on their side so it does not go into the windpipe.
Avoid: soda and cola, packaged juice, glucose water, energy drinks, which have too much sugar and too little salt and can increase diarrhea; plain water alone in large amounts (infants), as salts fall.
When and What to Feed
- Gradually after vomiting stops, according to appetite, no force
- Rice water, moong water, thin moong-rice khichdi
- Banana, boiled potato, curd rice (older children, after vomiting stops)
- Puffed rice, khakhra, plain biscuits
- Buttermilk (with cumin and saindhava), after vomiting stops
- Small amounts frequently
- Towards a normal diet within 24–48 hours
- For a few days avoid fried, spicy, sweet and outside food
Useful Ayurvedic Support (in the vaidya’s child dose)
The right medicine, dose, anupana and timing are decided by the vaidya according to the person’s prakriti, age, other illnesses and current medicines.
- Cardamom (ela), chhardi nigrahana; specially mentioned in the classics for chhardi; a pinch of powder with a little mishri (older children, on the vaidya’s advice).
- Coriander-cumin water, light, pitta pacifying, deepana.
- Ginger, for nausea and motion sickness; very little, after 2 years, avoid in pittaja chhardi.
- Bala chaturbhadra churna, traditional in children for digestion, vomiting and diarrhea.
- Mayurpichha bhasma / eladi yoga, classical chhardi formulations; only under the supervision of an experienced vaidya.
Extremely important: Ayurvedic remedies are not in place of ORS. If there are danger signs, do not waste time on home remedies. Bhasma and rasa medicines in children only from an expert vaidya. No honey for a child under 1 year.
Gradual Ayurvedic approach: If the doctor has given ORS or anti-nausea medicine for the vomiting, the Ayurvedic measures start alongside it, without stopping anything. As nausea settles with langhana, spoon-by-spoon fluids, cardamom-coriander-cumin water and gentle chhardi nigrahana formulations, and digestion returns with agni deepana, in most children the doctor stops the medicine within a few days. In children who vomit repeatedly (motion, indigestion, anxiety), Ayurvedic dietary rules, protecting agni and calming measures reduce the chance of vomiting returning in the long term (apunarbhava). With green or bloody vomit, head injury or dehydration, hospital first.
Motion Sickness (Vomiting During Travel)
- Eat lightly before travel, neither an empty stomach nor a full one
- Front seat (if safe for the age), near the window, looking far outside
- No mobile or books
- Fresh air, avoid strong smells (perfume, fuel)
- Chewing cardamom or fennel with mishri (older children)
- Breaks along the way
- Medicine only on the doctor’s advice
Recurrent Vomiting
If there is repeated vomiting for weeks or months, especially in the morning, with headache, weight loss or stalled growth, a detailed examination by the doctor is necessary: reflux, food allergy, celiac disease, urinary infection, cyclic vomiting, raised pressure in the brain, anxiety. In Ayurveda, in such situations, correction of agni, regular meals and attention to emotions, in coordination with treatment of the root cause.
Vomiting from Anxiety
Some children get nausea and vomiting before school, exams, a new place or quarrels; Charaka’s “dvishtartha samyogaja chhardi” applies beautifully here. Do not consider the child a liar; the symptom is real. Look for the cause: bullying at school? Pressure of studies? Stress at home? Enough time in the morning, a light breakfast, conversation, counselling if needed. But first rule out physical causes.
Preventing Infection
- Rotavirus vaccine, in the government immunisation schedule
- Handwashing with soap before eating and after the toilet
- Boiled or purified water
- Fresh, covered, home-cooked food; especially in the monsoon
- Avoid uncovered street food and drinks, cut fruit
- Separate utensils and towels for the sick child, wash hands after cleaning vomit
- No school or playschool until the child is well (48 hours after vomiting stops)
- Medicines, chemicals and kerosene high up, under lock
By Season and Prakriti
Monsoon and summer, water- and food-borne infections, rapid dehydration in the heat; pure water, fresh food, ORS ready at home. Sharad, pitta aggravation, pittaja chhardi; coriander with mishri, less spicy food. Winter, norovirus, heavy meals at weddings; eat in moderation. Children of pitta prakriti, nausea and bilious vomiting on an empty stomach; regular meals. Kapha, after heavy food and sweets; vata, anxiety, travel, irregular meals.
Notes to Make Before Going to the Doctor
- When the vomiting started, how many times, when the last one was
- Colour of the vomit, a photo if possible
- When the child last passed urine
- How much ORS or fluid stayed down
- Diarrhea, fever, pain, since when
- What was eaten in the last 24 hours; does anyone else at home have the same?
- If any medicine (including Ayurvedic) was given, its name and dose
- The child’s recent weight; the doctor assesses dehydration and decides medicine doses by weight
Home Remedies, What Is Safe and What Is Not
Generally safe (in older children, in small amounts): cardamom with mishri, warm coriander-cumin water, fennel water, thin buttermilk after vomiting stops. Avoid: giving gripe water or ghunti to infants indiscriminately, putting a finger in the throat to induce vomiting, home-made water with salt and sugar added by guesswork (harmful if the measure is wrong), and old “bal ghunti” containing substances like opium, which are dangerous.
A Home “Vomiting Kit”
Keep ready in every home with children: WHO-approved ORS packets (at least 5–6), a measuring spoon or 5 ml syringe, a bottle for clean boiled water, a thermometer, zinc (if the doctor has advised it before), old towels and sheets, and the number of the pediatrician and the nearest hospital. Having all this ready beforehand, rather than searching for it at two in the morning, halves the panic.
The Parents’ Mind
Panic on seeing a child vomit is natural, but in panic, giving a lot of water at once, an unknown medicine from the chemist, or force-feeding makes the problem worse. Calm, a spoon and patience are the most powerful medicine. Keep an eye on urine, tears and activity. Always keep ORS packets at home.
Common Myths
- “Don’t give water during vomiting”, wrong; ORS little by little is necessary.
- “Cola or soda settles the stomach”, wrong.
- “A medicine to stop vomiting at once”, not without the doctor’s advice.
- “Vomiting means the evil eye”, find the cause, see a doctor.
- “Stop food for two days”, light food as soon as vomiting stops.
Precautions
- Green, bloody or coffee-like vomit: hospital immediately.
- Vomiting after a head injury: emergency.
- Repeated vomiting in infants: rapid dehydration.
- Suspected swallowing of poison or medicine: do not induce vomiting yourself, hospital immediately.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do: a little rest after vomiting, ORS spoon by spoon, continue breastfeeding, watch for signs of dehydration, lay the child on their side, light food as soon as vomiting stops, handwashing, rotavirus vaccine.
Don’t: a lot of water at once, soda or juice, medicines or antibiotics on your own, force-feeding, waiting when there are danger signs.
Case Studies
Case 1: Sudden vomiting at night, recovery without a drip
3 years; four sudden vomits at night, every sip came back out. The doctor advised ORS and anti-nausea medicine if needed. The vaidya, considering it amaja chhardi in Ayurvedic terms, first gave two hours of langhana, then one spoon of ORS every 1–2 minutes, along with cardamom-coriander-cumin water and (in the vaidya’s child dose) a gentle chhardi nigrahana formulation. The anti-nausea medicine was not needed at all; within two hours fluids were tolerated, in the evening rice water and khichdi, and the next day appetite returned with bala chaturbhadra. No drip was needed. (Results may vary from person to person.)
Case 2: Green vomit: hospital first, then Ayurvedic recovery
10 months; sudden crying, pulling the legs towards the tummy, green vomit. The parents reached hospital immediately; intussusception (the intestine telescoping into itself), corrected without an operation with timely treatment. After discharge the baby would not eat, with loose stools and indigestion; the vaidya gave light pathya (rice water, moong water), agni deepana (in the vaidya’s child dose) and infant abhyanga. In two weeks appetite, weight and sleep were normal. This case shows that with danger signs, hospital comes first, and Ayurveda is then useful in recovery. (Results may vary from person to person.)
Case 3: Vomiting before school
8 years; for two months, nausea and vomiting on Monday to Friday mornings, not during holidays; some relief with the doctor’s anti-nausea medicine, but it returned when stopped. Physical causes were ruled out; in conversation, bullying in class came to light. In Ayurvedic terms, vata-pitta predominant manoja chhardi (from fear and anxiety). Talking with the teacher, counselling, enough time in the morning and a light breakfast, and alongside, the vaidya gave (in the vaidya’s child dose) brahmi-shankhapushpi and eladi yoga, padabhyanga at night, and taught bhramari. In two weeks the vomiting reduced, the doctor stopped the medicine, and for the next three months the vomiting did not return with Ayurvedic daily routine alone. (Results may vary from person to person.)
When to See a Doctor or Go to Hospital Immediately (Red Flags)
- Green (bile-like), bloody or coffee-like vomit
- Severe dehydration, drowsiness, no urine, sunken eyes
- Nothing stays down (4–6 hours)
- Severe stomach pain, bloated and hard abdomen
- Vomiting after a head injury
- With fever, stiff neck, severe headache, rash, seizures
- Vomiting and fever in an infant under 3 months
- Suspected swallowing of poison or medicine
- Vomiting with excess thirst and urination, weight loss
- Vomiting for more than 24 hours (12 hours in infants)
About Dr. Nikul Patel
Dr. Nikul Patel (BAMS) is an Ayurvedic physician at Lifecare Ayurveda and has been practising since 1999, that is, for 27 years. In chhardi (vomiting) in children, he gives honest guidance on protecting agni, pathya diet, infection prevention and safe Ayurvedic support in child doses, giving priority to ORS and the pediatrician’s treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be given when a child vomits?
After 10–15 minutes of rest, ORS spoon by spoon, every 1–2 minutes.
When to feed after vomiting?
Light food after 4–6 hours without vomiting: rice water, khichdi.
How to recognise dehydration?
Less urine, dry mouth, fewer tears, sunken eyes, drowsiness.
Is green vomit dangerous?
Yes, it can be intestinal obstruction; hospital immediately.
What is vomiting called in Ayurveda?
Chhardi; gentle support such as cardamom and coriander-cumin on the vaidya’s advice, along with ORS.
People Also Ask
Should I worry if my baby spits up milk?
Normal if the baby is happy and gaining weight.
Is cola useful for vomiting?
No, too much sugar and too little salt.
How to prevent vomiting during travel?
A light meal, near the window, looking outside, no mobile.
Vomiting after a head injury?
Emergency; hospital immediately.
Can anxiety cause vomiting?
Yes; rule out physical causes and understand the reason.
Conclusion
Most vomiting in children is short and gets better on its own, as long as the body’s water and salts are maintained. A little rest after vomiting, ORS spoon by spoon, watching for signs of dehydration, and recognising danger signs, green or bloody vomit, head injury, severe pain, and going to hospital immediately. Apart from this, Ayurveda’s chhardi approach can be the main path: langhana, cardamom, coriander and cumin, gentle chhardi nigrahana and deepana formulations, light pathya and calming measures settle vomiting quickly, reduce the need for medicine and help prevent recurrent vomiting from returning. Every child’s results may differ.
Dr. Nikul Patel (B.A.M.S.)
307, 3rd Floor, Shalin Complex, Above Farki Lassi, Krishnabaug Char Rasta, Maninagar, Ahmedabad – 380008
Timings: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM | Saturday–Sunday: Closed
📍 Clinic Location — Google Maps