Quick Sinus Relief: Natural Remedies for Congestion

Grapefruit Seed Extract

Posted by Sherry (Weatherford, TX) on 11/19/2006
★★★★★

I suffered for years from chronic sinusitis that would last for months at a time with little or no relief. I was taking Cipro until my Dr. voiced his concern for my future. He told me that because I am allergic to Penicillin and I was taking the strongest prescription of Cipro available with little effect, if I got a bad infection, there would be nothing that they could do for me. This made me look for an alternative natural cure. I found out about GSE online and immediately bought it. I had been suffering at that time with an episode of sinusitis that had lasted for over 2 months straight with facial/head pain. I was desperate! I mixed it with water and a little salt and sniffed it as instructed, and within 30 minutes I felt and actually heard crackling in my sinuses. I started feeling relief, and by the next day I felt better than I had in years! It totally subsided within about 3 days. I have not had sinusitis since that day. Anytime I feel any sinus pressure or a cold coming on, I reach for the GSE. I bought the bottle 4 years ago for $18 and I am still using the same bottle. What a great and inexpensive cure!

Ajwain Seeds

Posted by Mamta (Indiana) on 10/27/2006
★★★★★

i haven't taken any off the counter medicines for colds since 5 yrs !! and my condition was pretty bad when i came to the US. we got Ajwain seeds from an indian store or you will find it in the indian section of a chineses food store . Ajwain is indian oregano but very strong. everytime i get a cold and chest is congested...i take one tsp of ajwain and roast it on a flat pan. once it starts to smoke , quiclky put in a kitchen tissue and take deep inhalations, it makes you sneeze since all the nerve in the nose are raw from the cold....but in 5 minutes it all peaceful, no more colds. and RELIEF...esp. helpful in asthmatic attacks.....also have a strong concaction of ginger,black pepper, clove, basil and cinnamon...boil it in water for 5-10 min and after it cools a bit put a tsp of honey and have it hot. honey should not be heated. according to Ayurveda all these thing reduce phlegm in the body.... enjoy

Cayenne

Posted by Devon (USA) on 12/26/2006
★★★★★

Just a quick amendment to what I said earlier.

USE ONLY ONE TABLESPOON OF PEPPER IF NOT A LITTLE BIT LESS. One tablespoon per cup was pretty hot. And if you use that recipe it's a fairly big batch so you can save what you don't use and reheat the mixture in the microwave if you need it later. If you are using the stuff I used (the kind of red pepper sprinkled on pizza instead of whole peppers) I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND STRAINING and possibly even use a cheese cloth. If the stuff gets in the back of your throat it can really tickle.

Cayenne

Posted by Devon (Scottsdale, AZ) on 12/26/2006
★★★★★

This is a very good temporary solution. Some people claim that it helps with sore throats but I'm still testing this theory. I found these steps to be particularly effective.

1. Heat about one cup of water to steaming and add about 1 tablespoons of red (cayenne) peppers. Stir for approximately one minute and press the peppers with a spoon as you would a teabag for added heat. (Easy Tip: The peppers do not have to be fresh and I actually used the bottled kind that people sprinkle on pizza)

2. Strain. (You may chose not to do this if you like chunky water.... EWWW!)

3. Try not to burn your mouth! Blow on the mixture for a little bit (just like you would tea!) and gargle for at least 20 seconds at least three or four times. (It helps to swallow a bit of the mixture)

4. Blow your nose until it's ALL outta there and you're not getting the post-nasal drip! (THIS IS KEY) Repeat every 15 minutes as necessary. My personal experience may differ from yours. Today I was diagnosed with a sinus infection and I commonly have these (about every 3 months) so I figured why not try something new.

I would also recommend a saline nasal spray to bathe the sinuses morning and night. This has a similar effect and disinfects your nose. It works! I find that the more you use these methods the more effective they are.

Cayenne

Posted by Jen (Toronto, Ontario) on 10/04/2006
★★★★★

I drank a mixture of lemon water cayenne pepper and syrup. Within a few hours, not only was my sinus clear but so was my chest and I could breathe much better.

Salt Water

Posted by Erin (San Diego, CA) on 09/15/2006
★★★★★

My 12 yr old son just did this when he woke up this morning. He has chronic allergies and sinus troubles from Sept-May and a nurse friend suggested this to me many years ago. It has worked wonders for my kids anytime allergies or congestion kick in. He went from not being able to breathe at all this morning, to breathing comfortably.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Anonymous (USA) on 06/28/2006
★★★★★

Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with a 50/50 mixture of h202 and distilled water. This is great for colds and plugged sinuses. The peroxide will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes then blow your nose into tissue. Warning -- it may sting for a minute or two!

Garlic

Posted by Haywood (Arlington, VA) on 03/16/2006
★★★★★

I cut up cloves like the size of pills, and took them with water. I did this treatment at night so I could go through the next day without being bothered with hay fever.

Vicks

Posted by Veronica (Reseda, CA) on 12/05/2006
★★★★★

I just recently started to have really bad sinusitis, and so I was talking to my friend and she said to try Vick's Vapor rub and put it around the vaporizer holes and put it around my nose and so I did it worked! try it!!!! just take vapor rub and any random vaporizer put the vapor rub around your nose and around the inside of the vaporizer, put your face in it and keep it there for 10-15 minutes it REALLY does help!

Eucalyptus Oil

Posted by Jessie (Tahlah)
★★★★★

I like to add a little eucalyptus with water in a bowl and microwave it for a few minutes and put a towel over my head and take in all the steam. It gets stuff out of your system so be prepared to clear up.

Steaming

Posted by Angel (USA)
★★★★★

I found that just taking a HOT cup of coffee, tea, water, etc.. And puting a towel over your head and breathing the hot vapour in through your nose and out through your mouth. Relieves Breathing difficulties as well as a stuffy or runny nose

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Ange (Houston)
★★★★★

Having suffered with persistent sinus congestion and allergies, here's what has helped me tremendously.
1) Stopped eating dairy.
2) Take at least 2000 mg Omega 3 oil daily.
3) Take turmeric supplements daily (amount varies.)
4) Strong multi-vitamin and mineral daily.
5) Chinese medicine: Jade Screen and Xanthium during my worst allergy season (spring)
6) Acupuncture: 2 times weekly during spring, once every two weeks the rest of the year.
7) Homeopathic tablets for times when I have brief allergic symptoms: Allium cepa for runny nose, Euphrasia officinalis for itchy eyes. I use all the above and it has eliminated my allergies except for one or two bad days in the spring. As a side benefit, stopping dairy also cleared up the joint pain I was having in my fingers.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Molasses

Posted by Elizabeth (USA) on 10/08/2006
★★★★★

I have been on a regimen of 2 tbls of ACV and 1 tbls of blackstrap molasses 2x's a day for about 4 months now. I've just recently in the last month added 1/2 tsp of cayenne (1 tsp/day total) to my ACV and chase it with a glass of water. I read on your site that cayenne helps circulation and that was the primary reason I started adding it to my ACV. Before that I would cook with it and added it to my food everyday as I really like hot food. Well, I was pleasantly surprised with what happen next... The puffiness around my eyes (due to some kind of allergies food or airborne I'm guessing) and face is COMPLETELY gone! No kidding! I have a healthy glow to me now and the puffiness around my eyes that would make me look tired all the time, has vanished. The next thing I noticed is that my sinus' are clear, the dull sinus headache that I lived with for so long is gone and I can breath through my nose at night. As a result I think I'm getting more oxygen to my brain and body now and I definately feel much more clear headed. I had no idea how much congestion was in my sinus' that I had just learned to live with. After ingesting a teaspon a day for about a month, although results came within a couple of days, I look and feel so much better. The only thing I can attribute to the changes to is the cayenne. Thank you so much for posting this remedy. Makes me want to kiss you guys right on the lips! SMACK!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Jacalyn (Round Rock, TX) on 09/10/2006
★★★★★

i had lived with what i thought was a migraine for four days, on day five--my sinuses were rock hard. i thought i would go to urgent care, but decided to go online to see if there were any natural cures. i tried the 1/2 cup acv and 1/2 cup water; and also the acv steaming and i put colloidal silver in my nasal spray. the nasal spray and the acv steam made my sinuses burn for 45 minutes--but about an hour later--i got relief. i decided to do the cure 3 times today. here i sit 9 hours later--yet to do my last treatment--and i feel absolutely normal. my husband just said--"hey, where's your ice pack?" I've had one on my head, face and neck for five days! I am so thankful for this website and I encourage anyone with a sinus problem to give this a try. Just drinking the acv mixture didn't do the trick for me--but using the acv steam and nasal treatment with the acv drink surely has proven to be the answer for me. thanks!

Steaming

Posted by Monique (Mansfield, OH) on 12/24/2006
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar - Steam works like a charm! I've had sinus congestion and headaches for 4 months. Antibiotics didn't work - this works to clear the congestion. Jury still out on weather this will cure the problem, but I'm hopeful.

Steaming

Posted by Millie (New York, NY) on 11/25/2006
★★★★★

i have been suffering from a cold/sinus infection this entire week. it put a damper on my 4-day thanksgiving weekend. i cannot take over the counter cold remedies because they make my heart race, so i've been overdosing on vitamin c and echinacea, but to no avail. finally today, after not being able to breathe and having a bowling ball headache for four days, i went online to seek out a natural remedy and found your site and talk about acv. i had forgotten about it and actually pulled out a book i have from years ago and started reading. i was feeling so awful today that i had no intentions of walking out the door, still in my pajamas and looking sick, so i called my local health food store and begged them to deliver me a bottle of acv. i drank an acv/water mixture and also tried boiling a mixture in a pot and breathing in the stream. i can't believe that i've been breathing now for over an hour (i sure hope it lasts). i had to write because this is really terrific. thanks for reminding me of the benefits of acv. now that i dusted off the book, it's staying out where i can keep on reading.