Natural treatments for congestion

Many people think that a nose gets congested (stuffy) from too much thick mucus. However, in most cases, the nose becomes congested when the tissues lining it becomes swollen. The swelling is due to inflamed blood vessels.

Newborn infants must breathe through the nose. Nasal congestion in an infant’s first few months of life can interfere with nursing, and in rare cases can cause serious breathing problems.

Nasal congestion in older children and adolescents is usually just an annoyance, but it can cause other difficulties.

Nasal congestion can interfere with the ears, hearing, and speech development. Significant congestion may interfere with sleep.

When nasal stuffiness is just on one side, the child may have inserted something into the nose.

A stuffy nose is usually caused by a virus or bacteria, resulting from the common cold, flu or a sinus infection, and disappears within a week.

Natural treatments

Leak (Allium ampeloprasum)

Eat the leek to relieve congestion in the respiratory passages.

Galanga (Alpinia galanga)

Place a small piece of crushes galangal in 3 or 4 cups of boiling water and allow it to infuse for 3 to 6 hours. Filter and add 2-3 tablespoon of sugar crystals. Take 2 tablespoons, 3 times a day.

Indian Long Pepper (Piper longum)

Make a decoction out of 1 teaspoon each of ground Indian long pepper, cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) and rock salt. Filter the decoction and drink it while it is still warm for sinus congestion.

Turkey Berry (Solanum torvum)

For chest congestions, fry 2 or 3 teaspoons of dried berries in a little clarified butter or ghee and powder them. Add this powder to every meal, 3 times a day.

Home Treatments

When you’re stuffed up, focus on keeping your nasal passages and sinuses moist. Although people sometimes think that dry air might help clear up a runny nose, it actually has the opposite effect. Drying out the membranes will irritate them further.

• To keep your nasal passages moist, you can:
• Use a humidifier or vaporizer.
• Take long showers or breathe in steam from a pot of warm (but not too hot) water.
• Drink lots of fluids. This will thin out your mucus, which could help prevent blocked sinuses.
• Use a nasal saline spray. It’s salt water, and it will help keep your nasal passages from drying out.
• Try a Neti pot, nasal irrigator, or bulb syringe. Use distilled, sterile water or H2O that’s been boiled to make up the irrigation solution. Rinse the irrigation device after each use and let it air dry.
• Sit a warm, wet towel on your face. It may relieve discomfort and open your nasal passages.
• Prop yourself up. At night, lie on a couple of pillows. Keeping your head elevated may make breathing more comfortable.
• Avoid chlorinated pools. They can irritate your nasal passages.