Effective Natural Remedies for Managing Sinus Polyps

The BEST news of all though is that over the past couple of days I have actually had a faint sense of smell coming back! I first smelt a faint coffee smell, then today I was cooking and all day I have smelt garlic and the cooking smell. It's still only faint but it's definitely coming back! This has been the best treatment I've tried so far, and believe me I've tried a few on here - cider vinegar, tea tree oil, etc. I am still on my nasal spray which is prescribed, but it's actually able to spray up my nose at last, instead of hitting the polyps and dripping back out. I would say that the salt inhaler is having the same effect as when I've used steroids in the past, but the massive difference here is that the salt is 100% safe and natural. I read how it works and it's something like the crystals are totally untreated in the natural form, and when inhaled into the lungs particles coat the lungs and airways to fight bacteria and dry up mucus. Only need to use for 30 minutes a day, and breathe out through nose (this was hard at first due to the obstructions, but I persevered and it has got easier each day). The feeling I get after using the inhaler is it feels cold on my chest, like I've been up in the mountains on a really crisp clear day, or been by the sea breathing in the windy air.

1. I Eat a few leaves of fresh basil before breakfast and before dinner

2. I Do the nasal rinse (cup of warm distilled water, 1 tsp seasalt, 12 drops of bloodroot (herbal), and 12 drops of h2o2 (hydrogen peroxide).

3. I Do the vapor (boil a cup of distilled water and a few or 3 drops of tea tree oil)--inhale vapor for about 1-2 minutes. I close my eyes when I do this. I can feel a burning sensation in my nasal but that's for the polyps so it's good for me.

4. I drink black tea with ginger powder and green tea with natural honey.

5. I increase alkalinity in my body and drink a half cup of warm water with 1/4 tsp citric acid and 1/4 tsp of baking soda (citric acid that I find in herbal section of the market, where I find the ginger powder). Even if I eat acidic food, I'm ok.

6. I drink half cup of fresh coconut milk (or almond milk)--warm and then add half tsp of turmeric powder.

7. I make smoothie everyday that covers most of the foods that are effective for my polyps (dandelion, broccoli, spinach, berries, apple and brazil nuts). If I don't find brazil nuts, I take selenium.

8. I take zinc which I get from a vitamin shop or healthfood market

9. I started taking Pulsatilla pellets 200c (herbal-windflower) which I get from a healthfood market and take 3 pellets 3 times a day. I will do this for about 10-15 days and see if it's effective. This is good for my nasal discharge. I may continue to use it if needed.

10. I take Vitamin C if I don't have enough citrus for the day. I also take Vitamin E. My smoothie covers most of my Vitamin A so I don't take this anymore.

I feel good now, can breath and just have a little nasal discharge. I also feel healthy and more energetic.

RR from Northridge

On 30 April 2012 I went off sugar completely and within 6 weeks, I had stopped mouth-breathing. My sense of smell came back gradually and is only getting better day by day. I can taste my food again! It is a gradual process where some days it may look worse especially in the beginning, but like you have mentioned, one must persevere, because it does work.

The other thing that I did was I applied Tea Tree Oil directly to my polyps with ear-buds for about a week. I believe Tea tree oil is a strong anti-fungal and many people have recommended it here too. My thinking was that if there was any surface fungal growth, that would be taken care of by the Oil.

I have also noted your additional point about reducing carbohydrates too, and I am in agreement and will put it into action.

Thanks Brian. People, this really works!

A couple of weeks ago I found a comment on another forum that suggested that congestion of nose and ear seemed to be linked to excessive serotonin. Looking into it I found the following:

"Conclusion Serotonin receptors are highly expressed in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis in both turbinate and polypoidal tissues which proves that serotonin has a strong role in the formation and growth of nasal polypi and allergic reactions."

https://ejo.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43163-024-00601-9

Then I came across a post on another site where someone said he'd been pretty much free of congestion for the past 9 months, while drinking lots of coffee, and taking aspirin. Now, I've read that about 30% of, sufferers have aspirin intolerance, also known as AERD, or Samter's Triad. Often they need to avoid high salicylate foods also. They often have asthma too. If this is you DON'T take aspirin, please! For me, aspirin has always tended to shrink the polyps slightly.

So I searched for factors that raise, and factors that lower serotonin. I'd been doing lots of melatonin, which raises serotonin, so I dropped that, and raised my coffee (which lowers serotonin) intake from my usual 3 cups a day to 5 cups a day. I took 1 aspirin after each meal. I took 1 Pepcid (famotidine, which lowers serotonin) a day.

Within a week my nose was almost entirely clear, visible swelling gone, sense of smell back, barely using any tissues. Within 2 weeks nose in great shape, breathing easily and fully, no more runny nose, acute sense of small. Not bothering with the aspirin or famotidine any more, enjoying 4 or 5 cups of strong black coffee daily, 2 first thing in the morning, none too near bedtime, sleeping about as well as when I was taking melatonin.

I had extremely bad nasal polyps for 15 years, right after heavy exposure to dental mercury.

I got rid of them (using iodine in saline rinse, plus boosting thyroid function). For 7 years since I've breathed easily and perfectly through my nose.

About 10 weeks ago a neighboring farmer sprayed his crop field a quarter mile from us, with 2-4d and glyphosate. It drifted downhill to us, we breathed it all night. It made us both sick. My polyps came back within 24 hours! We met another family who were sickened by the same farmer's spraying. The (pregnant) wife cannot breathe through her nose now!

The remedies I used before are not working for me this time.

If you want to be healthy, support organic farmers.

https://www.townsendletter.com/article/431-one-cure-for-nasal-polyps-a-case-report/

Make a syrup - two cups water to one cup of dried berries, then add either honey or sugar to your own liken and take a dessert spoonful every day.

Ingredients:

• 12 drops tea tree oil
• 2 tea spoons coconut oil
• 4 table spoons Apple Cider Vinegar 100% pure
• 100ml warm distilled/ pre-boiled water
• 1 Nasal spray bottle.

Method:

Combine all ingredients, shake until mixture is cloudy (oil and water need to mix this way)

Pour into nasal spray bottle and prime the spray.

Dosage and Preparation:

1 spray per nostril in the morning and evening, DO NOT inhale or sniff, you want it on the polyps not down your throat, if the bottle has been standing for a while the coconut oil will start separating, war the bottle in a cup of hot water for 5mins then shake until cloudy before use.

WARNING!

It burns like hell fire for 60 seconds, DO NOT sneeze or sniff during this time. Make sure all equipment, containers and utensils are 100% sterile. DO NOT use tap water, distilled or boiled water that has cooled ONLY. Please keep it organic, tea tree oil, coconut oil and ACV usually are organic, don't assume, CHECK.

Enjoy.

I have suffered from sinus polyps with severe chronic sinusitis: lost sense of smell, congestion, drainage, 2 surgeries etc. Please listen very carefully because this protocol works

1 High dose Vitamin D: 1500 TO 20000 IU's daily (most vital)

2. Serrapeptase: 240.000 SPU's once daily (most vital)

3. probiotics:

4. Spirulina-1-2 tablespoon per day

4. Zinc 30 mg daily

5. clean diet: gluten free, dairy, yeast free. lots of fruit and veggies, lots of water, lemon water (the juice of 2 lemons in the morning with water)

If you want immediate relief try Omega 3 Fatty Acids. My nasal passages were completely closed by polyps to the point that I could only breath thru my mouth. I did some research and read about Omega-3's so I gave it a try. I took about 600 mg of Omega-3 in Fish Oil form and within minutes the swelling shrank enough that I could actually get some air thru my nostrils. Wow I was amazed.

I notice that I have less snot in my nose. And I believe the theory that this ACV attacks bacteria, one of the responsible causes (or the only cause). Now I can't find a clear therapy on the web about the frequency (how many flushes or cleaning with Q-tip?) and necessary period of use (how many days? weeks?).

- Are the complaints completely gone after you used ACV? I mean no chronically inflamed nose.

- If yes, for which period did you used the ACV-cleaning?

- Did they came back after stopping ACV-cleaning?

It would be very nice if you tell me your story, it can be useful for me and other persons who try this method and need improvement in their nose condition and hereby overall health.

Regards from the Netherlands, Klaas

First, there is an underlying congestion problem caused by any number of factors ranging from environment to diet. One nurse once told me that she had observed a correspondence between those who had chronic congestion and those who had a particular blood type and she believed the blood type produced a thicker mucus.

Second, those who suffer with such congestion will correspondingly be most likely to find an infection developing in the sinus cavity... because it is inflamed and as such an infection can more readily grow there.

Third, the infections in such people tend to be cronic and hence the cronic infection will produce the polyps that is housing either, virus, fungus or bacteria or a combination of the three. The variability of such a mix is the reason why polyps are of a variety and "behave" differently, some spreading.

Fourth, a partial solution: As to the underlying congestion issue (see the item "First" above) I have no suggestion but as to the consequential result of infection (see item "Second" above) we can aleviate the infection easily. By using on a regular basis "collodial silver" to knock out the "oft occuring" infections we can keep the sinus cleared of the congestion, postnasal drip and running nose because those three are the by- products of the infection. The polyps will not grow or will die off with constant irrigation of a silver solution.

I use silver in my sinus cavity when ever I feel any sign of post nasal drip or runny nose; sign of a cold; congestion like a stuffy nose. I use an ear syringe to squirt the colloidal silver (gently) into my sinus cavity and there will be a stinging on the dominately infected side.

The reason some people get results from Tea Tree Oil is that TTO is an anti viral and anti biotic and anti fungal. I do not think it is nearly as effective as colloidal silver and TTO can have some side effects as enumerated in preceeding posts.

I make my own colloidal silver, a very simple process.

So in conclusion: An underlying congestive sinus is caused by any number of reasons but the real problem is the consequential infection of the cronically thick mucus passages. If the infections linger, polyps will develop. Thus, one must irrigate the sinus passages with colloidal silver to eliminate the secondary effect... cronic infection which is causative of the polyps.

-PLEASE RESEARCH GRAPE SEED EXTRACT BEFORE TAKING...HAS BLOOD THINNING QUALITIES and OTHER THINGS ONE SHOULD BE AWARE OF.

High Doses Vitamin C and Grape Seed Extract:

I have had a sinus polyp for 12 years and have tried so many herbs and such to get rid of it to no avail. This past year I read an article (link is at bottom) on taking high doses of Vitamin C when ill.

Last week, right before my summer vacation I developed a serious sinus infection due to allergies. Based on the article I had read I decided to take high doses of Vitamin C along with Grape Seed Extract which is supposed to be 20X more potent than Vitamin C.

I took about 2000 MG (milligrams, NOT grams) of Vitamin C about every 3-4 hrs.for 3-4 days. In addition I took 100 MG of Grape Seed Extract 2x/ day--all with plenty of water. I was also taking Vitamin D and garlic but not in large quantities.

On day 4, I sniffed my nose and "something" moved to the back of my throat. I do not want to be rude but...I moved it into a tissue to examine it because it felt so strange and large. It wasn't your typical nasal mucous that comes with an infection. It looked like a large wad of gum and had the same rubbery texture but was dark red in color. I was pretty sure it was my nasal polyp and upon looking into my nostril with a light I could not see it anywhere. I have looked for several days in disbelief that it could actually be gone but it has yet to return a week later. I think it just finally "dried up" up and detached. I am breathing freer than I have for years and cannot believe what has seemingly transpired.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR INFORMATION ON TAKING HIGH DOSES OF VITAMIN C. I have found it to be very helpful for my own health concerns.

http://www.orthomed.com/titrate.htm

I hope this gives those suffering with nasal polyps a possible route to pursue for their relief. I encourage you to read a great deal and educate yourself on all risks and side-effects in regards to your own body and it's needs.

Jennifer

P.S. I do have H.Pylori which is impossible to eradicate, just to reduce its levels. H.Pylori is blamed for everything from heart disease to like you are writing nose polyps.

There used to be an excellent article about the role of H.Pylori, but unfortunately it looks like it has been removed (I bet they were forced to remove it). But I still have several email from people all over the world thanking me for that article. Many were scheduled to stomach ulcer surgeries which they cancelled after reading the article and following its advice.

The below is a strict diet plan that I still follow for nearly 2 years and I promise you while the results might take time but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Think of the times when you will want to breathe free and that will motivate you to get better :)

1. Start the day with flax seeds, walnuts which will give you omega 3 fatty acids and dates will keep your sugar levels well as it is natural sugar and fibre. Sip water like an athelete through the day.

2. Eat more lean meats like grilled chicken, fish salmon and egg whites without the yellow. Avoid all kinds of red meats like mutton, lamb, beef etc as they create more phlegm.

3. Incorporate ghee (clarified butter) in foods and reduce usage of oil, if at all rice bran oil is good.

4. Cut down majorly or if possible avoid on dairy like milk, yoghurt, cream, lassi, paneer, butter etc

5. Reduce sugar if possible avoid, mainly refined sugar like mithais, chocolates, cakes, cookies. Gur (jaggery) based sweets are fine

6. Major uptake of water through the day along with aerobic exercises 4 days a week or yoga surya namaskars along with anulom vilom which is alternate nostril breathing.

7. Majorly reduce if possible totally avoid maida (white flour), and wheat products like chapati, breads, nans, white flour buns, puris, oily and butter rotis. This is the real killer!

8. Incorporate fruits like lemons, mangoes, apples, pears, kiwis, papayas, strawberries

9. Eat more rice based stuff for carbs like rice, rice rotis, rice flakes, Sorghum, pearl millet, buckwheat etc

10. Spinach, onions, ginger, cabbage, bitter groud, yellow lentils, clear chicken broth soup, raw green chillies are superb for sinuses.

12. Meditate, forgive yourself and others, pray to God and relax more often in nature like a walk down the beach. This is prime trust me. Louise Hay the legendary healer said that sinus infections are a result of stored anger against a person close to you. So imagine that the polyp is like a small bulb in your sinus cavity and that inverted bulb stores all the inflammation in your sinuses, which is nothing but the accumulated phlegm. So if anger = inflammation and you release that anger and if inflammation is the phlegm then what will the polyp store? Nothing coz there is nothing there to store. You've released the garbage out "mentally" and subconsciously. I would highly recommend EFT (emotional freedom technique ) to release your anger or irritation. You will see changes for sure. The polyp is a teacher and makes sure we learn our lessons on a spiritual level, food intake level and medicinal level.

13. When you wake up on empty stomach do teeth pulling with coconut oil, its a technique where you put a tea spoon of the oil in your mouth and swirl vigorously for 5 mins. It will really help your post nasal drip.

14. Steam inhalation with eucalyptus oil or tea tree oil. Hot water pot - put 5 - 6 drops of these essential oils and inhale the steam with your head covered with a towel. Fantastic fantastic way to clear your sinuses congestion

15. Another great great technique which will help - apply a paste of raw and dry ginger power mixed with water all over your sinuses and your face and sleep in the night. This will clear all your inflammation so you can start breathing normally. It will sting for sure but you will get used to it,

16. Input drops of castor oil in your sinuses to loosen up the passages. It could also shrink the polyp for some people. Try mixing 5-10 drops of tea tree oil mixed with 1 tbsp of castor oil for more effect and apply 2 drops of this mix in each nostril.

17. Exercise, run, and stay happy. I know its difficult but you must do your best to stay calm, cry out if you want but pray more and more. Doors will open, dont ever ever give up.

So in summary, the dry ginger paste on the face, dietary changes and EFT are my picks to help you on this journey. You will see massive changes, just trust God and walk the journey. God bless.

I am sorry to hear of the return of the polyps but it sounds like you are taking prompt action and I am hopeful that you will get this resolved quickly!

I have high hopes for essiac. It seems to help so many things.

Serrapeptase is used to dissolve non-living tissue. It seems to have an anti-inflammatory effect. It is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach.

I do not know about the basil leaves for polyps. I have heard of inhaling basil fumes for migraines. And I love basil. I would love to hear if this helps you.

Do you have allergies that flare up and may aggravate this? Nettle tea may be useful if these other things you are doing do not prove to be effective.

Thank you for asking - I am doing well!

~Mama to Many~

Sorry for long delay in replying - only saw this now as I scrolled down.

I bought colloidal silver in the health shop - not cheap but lasts for ages. If you get a large bottle, then put some in a smaller bottle and add a few drops of tea tree or lavander oil. Just spray a few squirts in each nostril morning and night. I also find if I have been eating too many carbs I get a bit clogged up, but the raised bed really helps too.

Again, sorry I didn't see this message from you for ages, and hope you get relief. Best wishes.

Much better last few months. I have been taking twice daily a rotating and varied mix of a tiny pinch of goldenseal, 1 drop GSE, 1 drop clove oil, 1 drop oregano oil, now and then 20 drops myrrh or olive leaf tincture - all of the above to keep infection at bay.

Have been squirting home-made nasal spray (distilled water, xylitol, baking soda, colloidal silver, GSE, 3% h2o2, baby shampoo - all these not measured but in tiny dabs into the distilled water in an empty saline nasal spray bottle), alternating with an oregano oil-based nasal spray I purchased and plain homemade colloidal silver also sprayed in the nostrils. I squirt each of the above in the nose at least once each per day.

Other vital parts of this regimen that have helped greatly:
L-arginine (500mg) once daily.
1000 iu methylcobalamin B12 once daily (in the morning! ).
500mg cordyceps capsule each morning.
5000mcg biotin once daily.
From 2 to 5 drops 2% Lugol's iodine daily, depending on how I feel.
The oral and nasal items in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs are to kill/prevent infection.
The arginine boosts nitric oxide, which helps kill infection and seems to assist in opening the sinuses (humming 20 minutes a day also boosts NO).
The methylcobalamin I saw mentioned on a few forums as greatly relieving decades of chronic sinus trouble in many people.
Cordyceps boosts immunity.
Biotin is needed to help the body beat back fungus - whether sinus infection, dandruff, athlete's foot, jock itch, etc.
Iodine helps to improve low thyroid, which is endemic now due to bromine having replaced iodine in American bread, and chlorine and fluorine in the water. Low metabolism is loved by fungus, & 96% of sinus infections are primarily fungal (Mayo Clinic).

One final thing and likely the most important: look up "cured nasal polyps -normal body temperature", then look up Matt Stone and read his e-book "Eat for Heat". The latter worked for me better and faster than iodine alone.
I can smell things for increasing lengths of time every day now! I can even get some air through one or both nostrils for some time every day. My nose looks mostly normal now, and I am using less tissues. It wakes me up, running, much less often.

Good luck to you all, and remember, use your own judgement and discretion on any of these suggestions. Pay attention to how your body responds.

What helped me the most was

1) going gluten free/dairy free and

2) taking a good non-dairy pro-biotic and NAC 600mg (N-acetyl cysteine).

I haven't had a sinus infection since 2008 and I rarely get sick with colds/flu and I no longer have allergies... I know this may seem extreme but it is worth it. Hope this offers some hope!

Good Luck ~ Carleen

"Use a finger to cover one nostril and try to breathe in and out through the other nostril. In my case I covered my left nostril and inhaled/exhaled from the right nostril that had the polyps."

Hope that helps.

Tonya

I mixed one tea spoonful castor oil with 4 oz hot water and drank it before going to bed

First there is the diet. After being gluten free for several years and more recently elliminating processed sugars and dairy, I have adopted a Paleo diet that is beginning to take in principles of the Specific Carb Diet and even GAPS. Please Google especially the last two to find out more information about these things. Going grain-free and adopting a strict whole-foods diet (no 'organic' frozen pre-packaged foods) began to make a huge difference in how I felt overall. It has not cured my sinus issues, but it has supplied me with energy and vitality I otherwise lacked. It has elliminated most of the brain-fog I had for years with chronic sinusitis, and I have the energy to keep up with regular exercise, work, and school. It has also balanced out the bloating and wieght gain I've experienced being on low-dose nasal and lung steroids. Recent emphasis on rebuilding the gut using L-glutamine, therepeutic strength pro-biotics, home-made bone broths, and fermented vegetables has also increased this overall vitality. According to GAPS dieters, there is strong hope for being able to eventually tolerate the foods I developed sudden allergies and intolerances to (dairy, alcohol, almonds, grains) but for now I strictly avoid all of those things.

Next, there is the direct attack to the polyps and sinus infections. Twice a day to a half-filled neti pot, I put in 1/4 tsp salt, a few drops of tea tree oil, a few drops of concentrated Grape Seed Extract, and a few drops of Goldenseal. Since one nostril is completely blocked by visible nasal polyps, I simply soak what I can for a few minutes instead of passing the water from one sice to the other, as that's pretty impossible for me at the moment. In the other nostril, I can get the water far enough back that it runs into my throat. I let that happen a little bit, but otherwise, try to hold it in as it can be a bit intense with all the oils and instead just soak the area. When I'm done with the neti pot, I apply a few drops of Neem Oil into each nostril and suck back what I can. Neem oil is not only an anti-fungal/anti-bacterial, but it is also a strong tonifyer to the mucous membranes, like Goldenseal as well. I aim to balance the bacterial-fighting properties of waht I use with some tonifying properties to help rebuild damaged tissues. Every once and a while, I dab a qtip into coconut oil and tea tree oil and pply it directly to the visible polyps and surrounding tissues.

In the two weeks I've been doing that particular regimine, I've experienced visible shrinking of the polyps and of the surrounding facial swelling. I've reduced my usage of my prescription nasal steroid to once a day and might aim to slowly elliminate it to allow my immune system to properly function in my nose for further assistance. My stuffiness has come in and out- I believe that as the polyps shrink, a TON of trapped mucous is being released. Every once and a while, I almost literally scrape out (with a qtip) thick chunks of bright colored mucous, which I could see easily getting trapped with the polyps and feeding their inflammation. Also, as larger polyps shrink, I imagine they leave room for the medicine to finally start reaching other hidden polyps for healing, so I am not expecting overnight results.

I have some days where I can nearly smell in one nostril, and where the airflow is so clear that I forget my struggles. Congestion and inflammation always returns, but it comes in and out. On stuffier days, my neti pot regimine almost always brings instant relief, de-inflammation, and sinus draining.

FWIW, I've also been committed to weekly acupuncture treatments and taking Bi Yan Pian, a chinese medicine complex you can find on amazon at great prices. For chronic conditions, this sort of treatment can take a long time to start showing their effects, but I believe in their support. I have a community acupuncture place that I attend with sliding scale fees.

Most days, I also have a cup of ACV 'tea' sweetened with stevia and occasionally spiced with cayenne pepper. I regularly drink dandelion tea, tulsi tea, nettle tea, and also take spirulina and chlorella supplements, all for their blood-cleansing immune supporting properties.

After reading things here, I'm going to experiment with adding Castor oil to my regimine, directly into my sinus and as a pack on my liver. But so far I feel really good about what I have going and think it'll take some time to measure my results drastically. The relief I've received so far is incredible.

Hope this helps somebody!

Regarding the discussion of nasal polyps; I also developed those for a short while. In my own case, the polyps were food related. I had developed them 3 years ago after returning from a trip to Asia and was scheduled for their removal until I read about the possible after-effects of that removal surgery here.

My reading caused me to realize that I had changed my breakfast diet while at the hotel, to include raisins and other dried fruits. I also ate a few raisins for a quick snack during the day. As it turned out, I recovered my hearing quickly and fully when I gave up the dried fruit. Perhaps there was some fungal connection, I can't answer to that. I gave the dried fruit theory a quick test recently, by snacking on raisins for a few days and I could "hear" the muffled sound of my polyps returning again.

Best wishes to you for discovering your own answers.