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.
Cayenne
Posted by Vee (Texas, Usa) on 12/28/2015
★★★★★
Not sure what caused my sinus infection this time, I ate a slush-ee and washed my hair and accidentally fell asleep with my ceiling fan on. Woke up a few hours later to a sore throat and sinus pain.
Cayenne pepper was my first thought. I dabbed a q-tip in the pepper and put it up my nose and snorted. It burned, I cried and sneezed for about 4 times back to back. After blowing my nose after a few minutes, my pain was lessened by about 50%. I had to do it a few more times throughout the day.
I also put cayenne pepper in orange juice and gargled a few times throughout the day and it helped some. Whenever I get sick, which is rare, its usually with a sinus infection, but it seemed like the cayenne pepper didn't work as well as it did in the past.
Cayenne
Posted by Mahrie (Bc Canada) on 03/10/2015
Y'know, diluting sea salt (the most potent natural antibiotic known to man) in water (preferably distilled), at the rate of one quarter teaspoon to a 30 ml nasal spray bottle (buy some Rhinaris and dump it, if you have to) will keep your sinuses clean, clear, and free of infection.
I used to suffer horribly with sinusitis until I gave this a try about three decades ago. I haven't had a sinus infection since and now recommend this therapy to all my patients (and friends). :)
Cayenne is wonderful for many applications, but it's a little harsh to be applying to your nasal membranes, especially if you plan to use it as a long-term therapy.
All Good Things, Mahrie.
Cayenne
Posted by Mingokatz (Ca., US) on 03/09/2015
★★★★★
This has been a miracle for me!!! I've been in so much pain I couldn't even sit down without getting severe sinus pressure. I was a little chicken of more pain lol, so I dumped some cayenne pepper on my phone screen, and took a Q-tip and barely touched the pepper. Then I put it far up into my nostril also...That was about two hours ago, and I've been too busy doing things from having almost NO PAIN to post my results until now!!! : ) I'm free, I can sit, I can walk lol it may sound silly but that's how bad the pressure and pain WAS..That was just a few spreckles of cayenne pepper on the end of a Q-tip, one for each nostril. That small of an amount and it worked and it barely burned...no worse than adding too much salt to a Neti Pot (oppsies! : ) )...thank you guys, my sanity and happiness is back!!!! : ) ( :
Cayenne
Posted by Jb (Nyc, US) on 02/27/2015
I have been getting sinus pain for about 6 months... Tons of pressure between my eyes, forehead, cheeks, ears, and the back of my head. I would even get pain on my jaw and the back of my neck. At times my head felt like a bowling ball. Neti pot gives me temporary relief and works best for me when done a few times a week. I tried the cayenne (a tiny dab of the powder at a time so only a few specks were on the q-tip (I was scared to do a big bump) next thing you know I did it 5 times!!! I had so much mucus come out that I did not know was there. No wonder I have had so much pain. I am going to do it again tomorrow and then probably like once or twice a week until it's completely gone. Oh btw... I definitely teared, coughed, and sneezed like other folks on here. Prepare mentally! :)
Cayenne
Posted by Karen (South Africa) on 02/22/2015
Cayenne
Posted by Nicole (Pearland, Tx) on 02/10/2015
★★★★★
Breathing at last, breathing at last, thank God Almighty I can breathe at last! I applied cayenne pepper on the tip of a q-tip and inserted the q-tip as far into my nostril as I could and then snorted. Yes it burned like I don't know what for a good 3 to 4 minutes. But I can breathe now!!!
Cayenne
Posted by Helpyourself (Texas) on 01/11/2015
No need to snort. This works well -- 20 drops in about 4 oz water. Couple times per week, then do in moderation or when needed. Good Luck!
Cayenne
Posted by Andrew (London, UK) on 01/06/2015
Tried this, it hurts at first for a few minutes. Sneezing, Tears but after that my sinus pain is reduced somewhat!
Cayenne
Posted by Bo (La) on 12/05/2014
★★★★★
I have suffered for years from sinus issues related to allergies. This last week I got a cold and things went from bad to worse, waking up 4-6 times a night because I couldn't breathe.
A friend recommended making a Cayenne pepper/lemon tea. I took half a teaspoon of the powdered pepper, a squeeze of lemon, and boiling water. Drank it down and in five minutes I was breathing as clear as I ever have. My only hope is that it lasts at least through the night.
Try this tea instead of snorting...no pain, and same immediate effect.
Cayenne
Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 11/01/2014
Renee, obviously you took to large of a dose for you.
Cayenne
Posted by Renee (Warren, Michigan) on 10/31/2014
Pain was UNBEARABLE! The cayenne pepper went through my throat and made it sooo hard to breathe without crying EVEN more than I already was.
Cayenne
Posted by Michele (Austin, US) on 10/18/2014
★★★★★
Cayenne works. Just remember to remove your contacts before trying it!
Cayenne
Posted by Sinusklr (Chicago) on 10/15/2014
★★★★★
I could not believe what I was reading and watched videos on youtube and I said nothing else is working for me. So I tried a bump of Cayenne and! BAM! It was instant pain, probably because of my sinus infection. I thought this would be a stupid idea but I have done a lot of other worse stupid things so I gave it a shot. Pain lasts a little 2-5 minutes, tears about 1 minute and then you are cleared out! Really works I will find out if my infection is fixed. I wonder how many times I have to do this?
Cayenne
Posted by Wrightclick (Nc) on 09/29/2014
Try adding Thyme to the water as well.
A good antihistamine is to take an orange, wash it good. Take a fork. Hold the orange as close to your nose as you can and press and drag the fork tines across the orange to cause it to spritz the oils out of the peel, inhaling that spritz. Do it several times for each nostril.
I have a nebulizer I put orange zest in it and breathe it in through my nose.
Cayenne
Posted by Patricia (Roseburg, Oregon) on 08/31/2014
★★★★★
Years ago I read the book, Curing With Cayenne, by Sam Biser. Our family uses cayenne for many things, but particularly for the nose and sinuses. We make cayenne tincture from Biser's recipe. At the first sign of a cold, or any nose irritation, we put a few drops into cold water and use a Q-tip to swab it all around, way up into the nose. It helps a great deal to prevent colds and flu. I believe that when the germs first get into the nose and begin to grow, that is the best time to clean them out and prevent th
If you don't have cayenne tincture, the powder works fine to just put some in water and let it set a bit, then use the q-tips. For an established infection, snorting it or using it in a neti pot might be needed.
Also, after cleaning out the nose, add a bit of water and then drink the rest, gargling at the end. This helps the throat and body to fight the infection. Cayenne also eases the pain associated with the virus. Or any pain, for that matter.
I used to get a lot of colds and sinus infections. I haven't had one now for along time. And the last few times I did get colds, they went away quickly and didn't turn into sinus infections.
I believe that it is true that if there is one herb we master, it should be cayenne. Another herb equally important is garlic. If you had no other medicine but those two things, you could probably stay healthy.
Cayenne
Posted by Stephen (Ny, Ny) on 03/30/2014
★★★★★
I tried snorting cayenne after reading about it here for my sinus infection. Like the other readers say, it hurts like nobody's business for a few minutes, but definitely helped ease the sinus pressure and pain. Thumbs up but I am going to keep looking for a less intense fix.
Cayenne
Posted by Tif (Toronto Ontario) on 12/28/2013
Can u please let me know how you feel after snorting the cayenne? Are there any residual effects?
Cayenne
Posted by Renee (Bergen Co., Nj) on 11/20/2013
★☆☆☆☆
Cayenne in a nasal rinse did not work well for me. Immediately after irrigating my sinuses with a small pinch of cayenne in the normal saline solution, my sinuses felt better and a lot of yellow mucus came out. But a little later I experienced rebound inflammation resulting from the irritation of the cayenne. I ended up staying up most of the night because every time I laid down and started falling asleep, I would wake up with a gasp for breath. It was scary. I had to force my breathing to get enough oxygen. Perhaps it was the irritation in my throat but I could not bear to breath through my mouth and seemed to experience the same gasping when I tried. Sitting straight up or standing helped me to breath better, but if I fell asleep and my head tilted in any direction, I would wake up with the gasp for air. Scary! ...I've had rebound inflammation from other sinus rinses here too: ACV, H2O2 come to mind. And I've used Sinus Buster many times, until I realized that it was causing rebound inflammation. But this was the worst case ever! I ended up eating and taking an Advil in the middle of the night trying to reduce the inflammation. It was better this morning, but because my sinuses were swollen shut all night, my sinus infection was even worse by today. Trying betadine & baby shampoo sinus rinse now. (so far, no rebound inflammation after one rinse)
Cayenne
Posted by Elizabet (Texas) on 11/04/2013
Thanks for reminder. Tried this cayenne treatment 3yrs ago. Forgot how well it works.
Cayenne
Posted by Deborah (Cincinnati, Oh) on 08/27/2013
I was really surprised to see that people are actually snorting cayenne pepper. This has to be extremely brutal. There are less torturous ways to inhale cayenne pepper. Dr. Oz mentioned a capsium nose spray that's on the market. Also, here's a remedy I tried just tonight. After having a killer sinus headache for two days. I thought I would try the old face over the hot steam routine. I added ACV to the hot water, draped a towel over my head and breathed in the fumes about five minutes. Got minimal relief but still in pain. An hour later decided to try again but add cayenne pepper to the water. Added about a teaspoon to a large mixing bowl of hot water. Inhaled about five minutes, headache gone even before the five minutes were up. That was 3 hours ago and head feels absolutely fine! NOTHING I have ever tried has worked this fast and this well.
Cayenne
Posted by Lauren (St. Petersburg Fl) on 05/22/2013
★★★★★
I put a shake of grounded cayenne pepper in warm water. Used a qtip to stir it and put the tip up my nose. Like way up there. I did start coughing but it was all that nasty flem... It was so gross. But so worth it. I also just put a dry tip and put that all in my nose.... Again as far up as possible. I cryed like a baby and it did hurt but you know what I can breathe and the pressure is gone I feel awesome. This is now my sinus relief remedy!!!! I love it!
Cayenne
Posted by Keyock (Evansville, Wy) on 05/10/2013
★★★★★
Looking through all the other comments, I was skeptical, especially since I know how much of a wuss I am when it comes to hot stuff, but wow!
I was desperate: I couldn't breathe, and nothing was coming out and no medicine was really helping. If I was sitting or standing I was fine, but laying down was miserable, let alone trying to sleep.
I decided to swab some cayenne pepper in my nose; why not, nothing else is working. At first, I didn't get it high enough and thought, "Wow, this doesn't hurt at all, but it's not helping either."
Then, I tried again. It hurt, but not near as much as I thought it would. I waited for 5-10 minutes and decided to blow my nose- and actually got stuff out! Wow! Now I'm clear as a bell and can actually breathe. Thanks SO VERY MUCH. I thought I'd regret it; I only regret waiting so long to try it.
Cayenne
Posted by Roec (Los Angeles, Ca) on 03/19/2013
Whaaat? Please, Nooooo! Dont try this! There are far better ways for clearing sinus infections mentioned here. Once that water opens the pores and makes contact with mucus membranes, COMPLETELY bring you to your kneese, TORTURE!
Try apple cider vinegar or olive leaf. Juiced carrots, apples. You can take a hot shower or bath with Eucalyptus & Tea Tree oil but don't put cayenne on wet skin or mucus membrane skin!
Cayenne
Posted by Rebecca (Fort Worth, Texas) on 03/19/2013
Snorting cayenne red pepper works, I have a sinus infection and put less than fourth tsp of ground cayenne pepper and mixed with 1/2 cup of water and ran it through my nose, it does burn but I feel 100 % better. Thanks for the advice. It's worth it.
Cayenne
Posted by Michael (Portland, Oregon) on 03/19/2013
★★★★★
I just tried cayenne snorting, one bump in each nostril, and it hurts pretty bad for a few minutes. But my nose is now clear and I can breath, which I couldn't do 3 minutes ago.
Cayenne
Posted by Momma.hambone (Detroit, Mi) on 03/12/2013
★★★★★
I highly recommend snorting cayenne pepper! After reading reviews on Earth Clinic and being completely sick of being sick I finally decided to take the plunge. I am so happy I did. I did a small "bump" in each nostril from the end of a knife and immedietly could feel the pepper at work. It burned like something else for about 10 minutes but then, to my utter delight, I could BREATHE from my nose again! It has been 3 days; I can sleep at night, I can taste food again, I can breathe, I can talk to people without sounding like a weirdo. I still have some mucus, but its completely clear and nothing like it was before. Next time I even think I'm coming down with an infection I'm doing this straight away. Thank you all, and remember: your body is a healing machine. Be blessed in oneness!!
Cayenne
Posted by Tanya (Erwin, Nc) on 03/09/2013
Is this safe? I am willing to do almost anything to relieve this horrible pain.
Cayenne
Posted by Jamie (Austin, Tx) on 03/05/2013
★★★★★
This remedy really works.
I had a cold that turned into a sinus infection. After the sneezing/extreme runny nose symptoms of the cold subsided, I was left with a minor cough and a never ending supply of neon yellow snot to blow out of my right nostril.
I tried drinking warm milk with turmeric, but that didn't help much. After I discovered this remedy here, I intuitively knew that cayenne would kill whatever was producing this unnaturally bright yellow mucus. No pain no gain.
So I snorted up a bump of cayenne about the size of a pinky-nail in my right nostril... Sharp, severe burning pain in my sinus cavity that had me hyperventilating and gushing tears out of my right eye, occasionally rolling around on the floor. I sneezed a few times and finally after about 4 minutes the level of pain began to decrease. I could feel it killing the sinus infection, so the pain was reassuring to me.
I blew the rest of the bright yellow mucus out within minutes and haven't seen it since. It's been over 24 hours and I only had to blow my nose a few times today and it was clear snot. Cayenne snorting works.
Cayenne
Posted by Citygirl27 (Richardson, Tx, Usa) on 07/24/2012
Not exactly snorting, but I got rid of my last two sinus infections with spicy food. VERY spicy food. The best one was my experience at an Indian restaurant having a chicken fal. Fal is spicier than both vindaloo and tindaloo. Bottled hot sauces won't work as well, best options are non-irradiated spices put in food or made as tea with hot water, or fresh chopped hot peppers added to food. The other time was a real spicy szechuan (sichuan) chinese food experience. Get your hands on some ultra spicy food, the hottest you can think of standing it, and then some. These spices are cleansing, simple as that. Have some rice, bread, or mango/strawberry lassi handy to assist, and some tissues. You will sweat out many toxins in addition to your nose running.
Cayenne
Posted by Mary (Orlando, Fl) on 05/25/2012
★★★★★
Thank you for the information ~ I have been battling severve sinus pain. I tried the cayenne pepper on the end of a wet qtip. Yes it burned but I finally got relief. I am alternating it with saline spray. I am finally without pain at the moment ~ this really works ~ thank you so much
Cayenne
Posted by Irbgirl (Indian Rocks Beach, Fl, USA) on 05/20/2012
★★★★★
I used Cayenne, Peroxide and Kosher salt, hot water and a bulb syringe. I eat really hot food, so thought I'd be prepared for the cayenne. I think I overdid it! It burned for a bit, but then felt refreshing. When I blew the solution from my sinuses, lets just say the results were effective! What relief! I did it once in the morning and once in the evening. I woke up for the first time in over a week being able to breath and my voice sounds almost normal.
Cayenne
Posted by Susan (Garrettsville, Ohio) on 04/20/2012
★★★★★
Well I just had my first experience of snorting Cayenne pepper. I have had a bad sinus infection for almost 2 days and nothing was working. It has been 7 minutes since I snorted the Cayenne pepper and I can actually breath out of both nostrils, and my sore throat is better. Make no mistake, it will BURN, but the after results are WORTH IT!!!
Cayenne
Posted by Anti-cayenne (Omaha, Nebraska) on 04/16/2012
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
This is a ***WARNING*** about cayenne pepper snorting. I did this a handful of times to cure a cold and the last time I did so, I did it with particularly hot cayenne (according to the rating).
There may be nothing more that I regret doing in my life. I really, really wish I'd never seen this website and gotten this idea into my head because after this time, my nose started running all the time. I thought I was just getting cold after cold, or that my hayfever was persisting into the winter months, but that didn't make any sense to me so I started eliminating foods to see if it was intolerance issues. Finally I found the most simplistic of elimination diets, one that got rid of practically every type of potential allergen including odd foods that contain salicylates, glutamates, histamine-containing foods, etc. It was an incredibly bland diet and I thought it was a good starting place to add foods back in and see what I react to.
Turns out I react to almost everything now, because cayenne contains lots of salicylates or phenols and these are substances in everything you eat to varying degrees. I find that I can now only eat things that are very low in salicylates and phenols - these are very, very bland foods. Otherwise, my nose runs, my eyes get puffy and red, I get this brain dead feeling, and basically can't function. Never used to be this way. I can't enjoy almost any of my favorite foods anymore, like spices, coffee, dairy, most fruits and vegetables, nuts, fermented foods like alcohol and vinegar, etc. Pretty much all plant foods are out if I want to be 100% well because I'm convinced the cayenne pepper activated something that made me sensitive to plant chemicals.
Anyway, this will sound dramatic but as someone who's found food to be a source of joy and creativity on various levels - nutritionally, gustatorily, socially, etc. - this has been the biggest blow to my wellbeing in many, many years. Sometimes I've found myself profoundly depressed about it, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't regret have done something so apparently dangerous. If anyone has an "earth cure" about how to get rid of "allergies to everything" caused by cayenne pepper, I'd be unbelievably happy. Sigh.
In short: please don't snort cayenne pepper, ever.
Cayenne
Posted by Tea (Vancouver, Bc) on 02/03/2012
Did you just use Cayenne pepper in its powder form? How much a teaspoon or like half a teaspoon I'm dying to try this out but being a big wuss.
Cayenne
Posted by Spiritgirl78 (East Islip, NY, USA) on 01/22/2012
★★★★☆
After being sick with a cold, left ear infection, sinus infection, and upper respiratory infection for 3 weeks, which then turned into borinchitis, I decided to try something more drastic, lol.
First, I made a mixture of 2 tbsp of ACV mixed with 8oz of cranberry juice, and it did not taste so bad- I dran it through a straw to reduce enamel damage. And my sinus pressure became relieved. THEN, I decided to also snort Cayenne Pepper- 3/4th of an inch in each nostril. I believe I did more than what was advised- 1/8th.. lol.
I did each nostril back to back, and let me tell you: the burning was immense, but it helped with doing a breathing exercise- inhale through your nose SHARPLY and exhale through your mouth SHARPLY. This helped with the exhaling because the urning sensation is BAD. lol.
After 5 minutes the burning started to dissipate and well, my sinuses started draining alot and its been 30 minutes, and my sinuses are not clogged. Bottom line: only snort cayenne if you are desperate, lol. BUT IT DOES HELP.
Cayenne
Posted by Marlo (Camrose, Ab, Canada) on 01/13/2012
Leave it to me to find an easier way to administer cayenne pepper via your sinuses. I have found that if you put the cayenne pepper in a ziplock bag around your mouth and nose, blowing into the bag with your mouth, then inhaling the disturbed dust into your nose is the best way to administer the cayenne for a sinus infection. You can repeat the process many times throughout the day rather that snorting it all at once which causes discomfort.
Cayenne
Posted by Daisy (Jacksonville, Florida, U.s.a) on 01/04/2012 8 posts
★★★★★
I'm trying to nip a wannabe sinus infection in the bud before it goes from bad to worse, and I just tried this about a half hour ago to help open my sinuses. I only did one side because if it went nuclear I figured half pain was better than all pain. So I took the tiniest bit of powdered cayenne on the end of a teaspoon -- just the amount that would fit under my pinky nail as others have described, but on a spoon -- and sniffed.
Oh. Words do not describe. Whoever said this is not for the faint of heart was being extraordinarily gentle. It's like TNT for the nose. But the thing is, it worked, and it really wasn't that bad. When I first sniffed it up, it didn't go all that far up, so I kept sniffing to keep it moving up and back, which is when it went down the back of my throat, and also when I started to feel The Burn. That was less than pleasant, but the sneezing and nose blowing that ensued soon took it down a few notches. The burn was pretty intense, and tapered off over a few minutes, but was strangely good. I had a little bit of rebound congestion because the cayenne is an irritant (duh! ) but that was more than offset by the sinuses opening up, and it's almost entirely gone now.
Since I only did it on one side, I can tell the difference very clearly, and the cayenne side feels great! I had forgotten that cayenne has painkilling properties, but sure enough that nostril and the sinus passages on that side are numb, which is very welcome.
I wasn't nearly as badly stuffed up as some of the folks here have been describing, so I did not get 30 second relief, but I can totally see how you would get instant results if you were just completely closed up: the effect is nothing short of explosive. Seriously. Like C4 for your nose.
So basically, as soon as I recover my courage, I'm going to do the other side. :)
Cayenne
Posted by Rory (Houston, Tx) on 11/22/2011
★★★★★
This hurts, a lot. Do not use a lot! A little goes a LONG way. You do blow your knose a lot after, so that clears you up. Also, this pepper is a pain killer of sorts so it will make you feel better for a bit. But the initial pain was pretty amazing for me. Scale of 1 to 10 I'm thinking at least 7. It tappers off quickly, within a few minutes I'm down to a 5 or so. My nose feels like it's on fire. It seems to have helped. I used about 1/20th of a teaspoon, a very small amount. Then immediately blew my nose and most of it came out. I can now feel the pepper running down the back of my throat. Awesome.
My situation is I had a cold then got a sinus infection. I have had this for about 3 days or so.
I only did this 10 mins ago (etc) so I'm unsure of the long term effects but in the short term it does seem to have some beneficial effects.
