Sinus Congestion
Natural Remedies

Quick Sinus Relief: Natural Remedies for Congestion

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Priceless (Dayton, Ohio) on 01/18/2012
★★★★★

Ok I was @ my wits in... I had spend over $50 in over the counter medication. I had ended up over medicated myself @ this point due to now insurance already missing a week of work the only one working in the home... I found this remedy. I honestly went and bought the ACV and fixed my glass as soon as I walked in my home. Instantly I started feeling better. I did wake up around 3 am due to the pressure I guess. I took a tylenol so I could return to sleep. Took another class 8oz this morning..! Everyone @ work was like you look like you went to the SPA!! You look better!! ...

Most of all I thank GOD for healing. But I appreciate this website.. I told everyone @ work.... @ lunch one of my co-workers is running to get some ACV... I do hope this helps someone.. Because everyones remarks definitley helped me..

Thanks for all the responses!


Exercise
Posted by Paterin (Pensacola, Florida, Usa) on 10/24/2011
★★★★★

Bret from Bean Station TN wrote that just getting up - moving around - walk, exercise -causes shrinkage of nasal passages. I must have missed that the first time around because I thought I discovered the following all by myself: Two nights ago, when it was obvious I could forget about sleeping, I stumbled into the room where I keep my small trampoline, and in the dark, I got aboard, hanging onto the window frame for support, and I jumped. Pure magic! The obvious explanation - what Bret said. So last night, I did my jumping just BEFORE bed -again pure magic. I know there are other problems of the nose, but what if this is all you ever needed to try?


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Beckie (Windham Maine) on 04/05/2015
★★★★★

Holy heck! Been sitting in bed stuffed up so bad and found this remedy.. Figured I had nothing to lose and had the ingredients.. I am not kidding you.. Four sips and I am breathing out of my nose!! It tastes like hell but id rather breathe so I am finishing it.. Anyone know how long the effects last?? I will find out!


Exercise
Posted by Bret (Bean Station, Tn) on 03/15/2011
★★★★★

For temperary releif of Sinus Congestion, simply get up and move around, walk, excersise, etc. Adrenalin is a natural decongestant that is produced when we are active. You'll notice your nasal passeges will shrink making it easier to breathe.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Debbie (Clinton, Iowa Usa) on 02/28/2011
★★★★★

I have had sinus problems for a long time. Kept me up at night due to barely being able to breath through my nostrils. Came across Earth Clinic on accident and read about Apple Cidar Vinegar ( I have it in my kitcen) in regards to your sinuses, I read about how some people are mixing it with 8 oz of water and 2 tblsp of Honey. I thought I would try it right then and there, and viola, in less than 6 minutes I could breath through my nose with out feeling like I was breathing through a pin hole!!! I slept all night long, and felt rested the next day. I mixed it up again, as I felt my sinus starting to revert back to where they were, and now I'm cleared up again. It, for me, lasted well over 24 hours....

This is a great sight, I have spent the last couple of hours now reading about Virgin Coconut Oil, which I use for cooking! I will continue to learn on this sight as I do not like, or want to take medicine and I dont now. I am a 55 year old female with no health issues as of yet. If I ever do end up with any, then I will look to this sight first! Thank you!

Steaming
Posted by Lauren (Austin, Texas) on 02/17/2011
★★★★★

To relieve sinus pressure temporarily I heat up a large bowl of water for about 2 minutes on high in the microwave then add a 4 drops of lavender oil and place my head over it with a towel draped over my head. Blow your nose when needed to get rid of some of the excess mucus. Repeat multiple times a day. I was sceptical at first but the lavender truly makes a huge difference.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Keekey (Omaha, Ne) on 02/21/2011
★★★★★

I had a very bad sinus infection for 5 weeks..... They gave me amox. And afterwards they gave me levaquin, which I had very bad side effects. My sinus was so bad that I would have confusion, memory lost and could not be alert. It was like I was not in reality.... After I saw this site I tried the AVC last night and I slept well..... This morning I took another 8oz cup and I felt the sinus congestion releasing in the forehead area..... Im not confused I am alert, memory 100% and this is reality..... Somthing so cheap work..... I wish I read this before going to the hospital the way I did..... And NONE of their crap worked.... I had mri, cat scans, even spinal tap done...... Im staying all natural from now on.... My vitamins and home remedies...... But of course prayer first!!!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kevin (Old Lyme, Ct) on 03/21/2010
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar tea and sinus congestion

I've had sinus infections for decades, and I'd never had a splitting headache like I had tonight. In fact, I don't really get headaches. I think these circumstances might have something to do with it: I'm 49, it's spring, I went out and played some hard basketball. As a result I was getting spotting on both eyes, little patches where I couldn't really see well, a sensation like sunblindness. I ate--my doctor tells me low blood sugar can cause this, and eventually it went away, but the headache got worse, and the combination of symptoms made me think I might be getting a stroke. Well, you try going to sleep with the nagging presumption that your headache is a stroke. I thought about all the things you think about when you think this night is your last: my beautiful kids growing up without, my ineradicable bad habits. I grew furious about certain facts of my life (debt, unemployment, poor health insurance) and vowed to do everything I could to change these facts, if it turned out that I was not in fact in the middle of dying.

Then I came downstairs and tried some alternatives to morbid insomnia, and I wound up pouring myself three cups of warm water with some apple cider vinegar. My sinuses have cleared, and with it my splitting headache. My insomnia remains, but I can live with that.

Multiple Remedies
Posted by Rosie (Glendale, Az) on 08/18/2009

Terrifying congestion.

I used the acv drink (i use it for nausea all the time - ice cold, sipping it...it works great! also, my father lost 20 pounds within two months just drinking it about five or six times a day - but he overdid everything...).

It gave "some" relief, but I was in a panic attack from not being able to breathe. Then i used the tomato tea....shiver!!! but i drank most of it and it also helped...but when i went to lie down, i was stuffed up again within a few minutes!

Then I used the combinatin of baking soda, salt and warm water in a neti pot (small tea pots work, too).

And now I finally can breathe. But it has been only about fifteen minutes. Longest yet. Also, i used the entire cup of warm water....

I have all of the recipes copied, each on a post-it sheet, lined up across the edge of my stove vent-top....if this one lets me down, I am on to the next one..

At least I have something to keep my panic attacks back. I really begin to panic because i already have asthma and a heart condition...so when i panic, it starts it all up... And i get very frightened. So if i have to go down the line, i will. I am willing to stay up all night and 'remedy' myself.

If this one is the 'winner' I will certainly return with my verdict..

I thank god for this site. He can give me relief directly, but he also uses people....and I think he did just that this time.

Thank you!.
Rosie in phoenix.


Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne
Posted by Rae (Norwich, Norfolk, England, Uk) on 10/23/2009
★★★★★

ACV and cayenne pepper in hot water cured sinus congestion.

This simple remedy really works! My head was stuffed up for a few days and getting worse. Yesterday afternoon I took 1 tablespoon raw ACV in a mug of hot water with a big pinch of cayenne pepper. My nasal passages started to clear even as I was sipping and within an hour my head felt a lot clearer. I did this 3 times altogether, taking the last mug before bed and woke up this morning with a clear head!

I've used this remedy on two occasions now and with almost immediate results. I think it helps if you breathe in the vapours also.

Thankyou, Earthclinic! Love this site.


Apple Cider Vinegar, Brown Sugar
Posted by Tuffy Sourdough (Newell, S.D.) on 03/18/2009
★★★★★

sinus congestion relief: Mix 2 or 3 teaspoons of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar. Tastes great and relieves congestion. Even better: add 1/4 cup raisins and boil, then allow to cool.


Fresh Ginger Root
Posted by Cay (Perth, Australia) on 01/31/2009
★★★★★

For a sinus remedy try Ginger tablets (travel sickness tablets) or chewing on raw ginger. Crystalised doesn't work.


Nac
Posted by Robert (Manhattan, New York) on 01/23/2009
★★★★★

I occasionally take NAC, (n-acetylcysteine) which is an amino acid that helps flush out mucus by turning it into fluid. I take 500 mgs once a day, on & off and noticed my sense of smell is a little better with the ability to breath through my nose which is usually stuffed.


Soda Cystals
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 02/19/2009 392 posts
★★★★★

The reader in Lebanon uses a brand name, Tricel from Holland which if I remembered correctly is an equal combination of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate mix along with some other. Since I don't have the details of Tricel product with me, it might also have some potassium bicarbonate in there, but I can't be so sure, since Tricel is not available here locally. However in my mix, it's suppose to be 1/8 teaspoon of sodium carbonate, 1/8 teaspoon of potassium bicarbonate, and 1/8 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate. That's why I assume she needed only just Tricel. However, in the U.S. the product in U.S. maybe different.

In most encyclopedic definitions a soda crystals is simply sodium carbonate. However, in commercial applications they appear to have made a mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. The difficulty appears that in an American product, which is not Tricel, they sell them under another brand name, which if I remembered correctly is Arm and Hammer's washing soda.

However in the U.S. a washing soda is sodium carbonate only, but they don't use the word soda crystals. Ideally her dose is something more akin to this, since U.S. versions uses a pure sodium carbonate (washing soda) without any sodium bicarbonate. But my "carbicarb" mixture also requires the potassium to help the required sodium and potassium ratio, which I believe is important to ALWAYS add the potassium in a carbicarb + potassium formulas. Hence a more general dose appears to be closer to this: 1/8 teaspoon sodium carbonate, 1/8 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate, 1/8 teaspoon of potassium bicarbonate dissolved in 1 glass of water. I would take maybe some water to rinse the bitter after taste if I should take it.

A person's sinuses maybe relieved from either of this depending on the person's unique biochemistry. As in the case of the person who posted it it appears to be an allergy problem or excess blood pathogens, where the body is highly acid. As a result acidosis caused regularly sickness from metabolic acidosis. In that case, the acidity of the body is what triggered the sinus problem and hence the dose use is the carbicarb plus potassium remedy.

As for me, I live in a different environment and conditions. My sinus is from cold virus rather then a regular sinus issue. And also my body is on average alkaline, since I take baking soda most of the time (I like to take more frequently though!). The climate in which I live in Thailand is a lot warmer then the country such as Lebanon or Eastern European area or even most parts of the U.S. since I live in Thailand I sweat more from hot weather. Hence, I am more depleted of salts lost in the sweat, which caused runny nose and sinus problems. So if the body were somewhat more depleted of salt, I would go for the sea salt remedy, to reduce the sneezing or runny nose would immediately stopped, or mostly within 15-30 minutes. The dose is only just one single dose per day and it is between 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. It's difficult to measure since my sea salt granules are much larger then that of a table salt. I WOULD NOT use any table salt, it just worsens the condition as well as common table salts are ACID, where the pH is closer to 5, compare this to my ordinary sea salt where pH is at 7.5. So there's a big difference just from that alone. When taking sea salt the body becomes somewhat more dehydrated and it kills opportunistic virus or bacteria from increased levels of salinity. The runny nose would reduce because the bdoy won't need to produce fluids since the increase blood salinity would eventually pull out the liquids of runny nose into the body. Perhaps the runny nose occurs as the body tries to rid of fluids to increase the level of salinity necessary to kill the pathogens. This appears to be the case as sneezing and allergy on the nose is significantly reduced after the sea salt remedy is taken. However, if the body doesn't lack the salinity to kill it, at least runny nose would reduce, but allergy and sneezing should technicall be at the same level from pathogens attacking the sinus just the same. In my case it appears that my salinity level are low so sinus, allergy were helped with sea salt. But don't let that fool you since I also alkalize myself especially whenever I do have the cold, also using baking soda, but sometimes a stronger carbicarb+ potassium (equal mixes of sodium carbonate + sodium bicarbonate + potassium bicarbonate) dissoled in 1 glass of water. A sea salt of 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon is also dissolved, but I may either use 1 glass or 1/2 glass of water depending on the conditions.

Hopefully this may help clear up some of the problems concerning this use. It should be noted that it was Benjamin Franklin that first used sea salt water drinking in large quantities of water, - around a 1/2 liter of water (my guess) to ward off the cold virus. Of course he was not able to explain in great detail why. But an ordinar sea salt water has a pH of around 8.0 as well as being high in salt. So basically his remedy is similar to mind, although Benjamin Franklin had to take a small canoe out in the middle of the water to drink a fairly large quantities of water between 1/2 to 1 liter of water is just my guess. He was in fact not the originator of that idea either. He heard news that someone drank sea salt in as a way to ward off the cold. As for me I don't believe it will ward off the cold, but definitely it does help REDUCE the symptoms of cold, especially the runny nose and sinus issue, where the body is depleted of salt causing the body to shed more water to increase salinity killing off the pathogens by dehydration along the breathing passages.


Ted


Oregano Oil
Posted by Denver (Dayton, Ohio) on 01/22/2008
★★★★★

have used oregano oil to clear up my stuffy head a few times. I know this sounds crazy to anyone that has taken it before but i put a drop on my wet fingers and then snuff it!! ouch!! but instantly i can breath and the burning stops in just a few minutes. Dont even know if this is a good idea but it works for me Denver


ACV, Garlic, Oregano Oil, Sea Salt
Posted by KIM (MARINA DEL REY, CA) on 01/09/2008
★★★★★

Over the holiday I took a bus trip and It seemed that the person on the side, back and front of me was coughing and sneezing. I had a turtle neck and a scarf to cover my mouth and nose but when I returned home I kept feeling like I was going to catch a cold for a week. When it finally manifested it was by way of my sinus cavity and throat with a dry cough. I took an over the counter med. and Motrin and was still miserable. I finally could not take it any more and typed in cures for sinus in my computers search engine and your site was at the top of the list. When I clicked on the site the testimonial page popped up first. In Los Angeles we have a store called Yummy.com that delivers organic groceries. On their website they didn't have the ACV but when I talked to the sales assoc. She checked the shelf and they not only had ACV but it was organic with "mothers veil." It has been 3 days and my cough is completely gone and my sinuses no longer drip. My mixture is:

  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 drops oregano essential oil
  • 2 tbs. organic ACV
  • dash sea salt
  • 8oz hot water


Honey and Cinnamon
Posted by Merle (Hillsboro, Oregon) on 12/23/2007
★★★★★

I have been struggling with a ongoing sinus congestion causing severe headaches on waking and thick drainage down the back of my throat for almost 3 months. I had been taking over the counter remedies but had resigned myself to a trip to the doctor for something stronger to knock out what I believed to be a low level sinus infection; it wasn't clearing up and today was worse than ever when I woke up. I remembered reading about honey and cinnamon remedy for "something" so thought I would look to see if there were something for sinus problems. On your site I found a remedy - 1/4t cinnamon with 1Tbl honey. Well, I tried it and within 15 minutes I could feel the pressure lightening, the drainage becoming thinner and less - I feel wonderful! I am not often moved to write a comment, but I just can't keep this one to myself - Thank you so much!

Chamomile Essential Oil
Posted by L. T. (Wilkesboro, N. C) on 12/09/2007
★★★★★

Chamomile is a very good antihistimine. I use the essential oil on each side of my nose whenever I begin to feel sinus pressure, congestion, burning, etc. Works immediately. Added bonus, very healthy for skin and complexion.


Vicks
Posted by Tanya (Orlando, Florida) on 12/06/2007
★★★★★

I was suffering about five minutes ago from one of the worst sinus infections I've ever had. I put some Vick's vapor rub in a pot of boiling water. I stood over the pot with a towel over my head. In less than three minutes, my sinuses opened. For the first time in two days I am breathing through my nose!



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