How to breathe over potatoes when coughing

Potato inhalation is one of the most effective and time-tested ways to get rid of a cold, cough and cold. This is how our grandmothers were treated, and for good reason - hot potato steam contains many useful substances that actively affect the functioning of the upper respiratory tract. You can breathe over potatoes at the first sign of a cold in order to prevent the development of the disease. In addition, potato inhalation helps to get rid of the residual cough, which lasts more than two weeks. In this article you will learn about the beneficial properties of potato steam, methods of inhalation and contraindications to this procedure.

The benefits of potato inhalation

Many are interested in the question - why is potato used for inhalation? Why can not I take carrots or apples? The fact is that during cooking, potatoes emit special substances that have an antiseptic effect. This is due to the popularity of potato inhalation. How does it affect the human body, try to understand in more detail.

1. Wet hot steam promotes blood flow to the respiratory organs. It stimulates active blood circulation and metabolism, has an anti-inflammatory effect.
2. Wet steam enters directly into the lungs and settles on its walls. This technique allows you to liquefy and remove sputum from the lungs.
3. Inhaling hot steam helps relieve itching and sore throat.
4. Inhalation disinfects all airways, which allows you to destroy microbes and bacteria in the throat and lungs. Inhaling with potatoes is a great way to get rid of red and sore throats.
5. Steam inhalation with potatoes allows you to restore your voice when the inflammation has passed to the vocal cords. This is an emergency treatment for artists.
6. Potato inhalation is used not only for colds. Inhalation of hot vapors perfectly stops an attack of asthma, whooping cough and allergic cough.
7. If you breathe through the nose, you can get rid of congestion, relieve swelling and neutralize viruses on the nasal mucosa. After such inhalations, the inflammation decreases, the snot becomes much smaller.
8. Potato inhalation is a safe and effective treatment, so pregnant women can do this procedure.

This is not a complete list of the positive effects of potato inhalations on the human body.

Is it possible to make inhalations for children

What can be safer and more effective for a child’s body than inhaling hot steam? However, not everything is so simple. The fact is that hot potato steam liquefies sputum and mucus, increasing its size. Sometimes this contributes to minor swelling of the mucosa. But for children, even slight swelling of the larynx can be very dangerous. The fact is that physiologically the respiratory clearance in children is very narrow. And even with small edema (which can occur with laryngitis or during inhalation), a narrowing of the lumen occurs, which can lead to suffocation. This applies to small children - the younger the child, the higher the risk. Therefore, it is not recommended to carry out potato inhalations to children under three years of age. And when the baby begins to understand everything, he can be explained why breathe in hot steam. In addition, children often follow the example of adults. But in order for the procedure to be effective and safe, you need to know how to correctly implement it.

How to breathe over potatoes

Here is a detailed algorithm for preparing and conducting potato inhalation.

1. For the procedure, you need to take small potatoes of equal size.In no case do not take potatoes with green sides - in an unripe vegetable there is corned beef, which can be dangerous to humans. When choosing potatoes, give preference to whole and intact tubers. In worm potatoes, a fungus or bacteria may be present. Of course, all of them will die at high temperature, but some organisms can cause allergies.
2. Put the potatoes in water and set on fire. After boiling, reduce the heat and wait for the potatoes to boil.
3. After this, the potatoes need to be removed and the broth poured into a container with a wide surface. It can be a wide cup or basin. It is not worth it to substitute a face for a hot pair - you can get burned. Wait for the broth to cool slightly to make the steam more comfortable.
4. After this, you need to prepare a blanket or a large towel to cover yourself with a hot broth. This is to prevent steam from escaping. Such insulation helps to breathe in hot air. Keep your face about 20 cm from the surface of the water.
5. Potatoes need to be breathed as long as possible, but not less than 10 minutes. During this time, all respiratory organs are exposed to hot steam.
6. If you have a cold, you need to breathe steam through your nose. And with a sore throat - through the mouth. If you are coughing, it doesn’t matter how to breathe, because the vapor still enters the lungs.
7. Potatoes can be boiled both peeled and in their skins. It is very effective to make a decoction of potato peelings - on the surface of the vegetable there are more useful and antiseptic substances. Potato peelings can be prepared for the future - every time, peeling potatoes, do not discard its skin, but rinse and dry. You can store cleanings in the freezer. In winter, in the season of flu and colds, such preparations will be more useful than ever.
8. The procedure is best done a couple of hours after eating. After inhalation, you can not eat and be in cold air. It is best to take inhalations before bedtime to give the patient the opportunity to relax after the procedure.
9. Eucalyptus and peppermint essential oil can be added to the potato broth - it will relieve nasal congestion. And if you add baking soda, you get a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. With a long and prolonged cough, add a spoonful of salt to the water - it will remove viscous sputum.
10. If one nostril is clogged all the time, then there is sinus inflammation on this side. In this case, you can make a funnel out of paper and put it above the container with steam. In this case, a concentrated stream of steam will come out of a narrow hole. There you need to attach a sick nostril to enhance the effect of inhalation. Steam will help warm the sinus, relieve inflammation and reduce the amount of mucus secreted.

These simple rules will help you make potato inhalation not only efficiently, but also safely. However, you need to know that inhalation is not shown to everyone.

Contraindications for the procedure

Here are a few factors in which potato inhalations are unacceptable.

1. You can not breathe hot steam at high temperatures - this can aggravate the condition of the patient.
2. As noted, children under three should not be inhaled, until seven years old, with great care.
3. In the presence of sinusitis or purulent inflammation in other sinuses of the nose, warming should be coordinated with ENT. In some cases, warming can aggravate the course of the disease.
4. High blood pressure, disturbances in the cardiovascular system - contraindications for inhalation.
5. Some people are prone to blood flow from the nose. This is due to the proximity of the blood vessels to the surface of the mucosa. In such cases, you cannot breathe hot steam - this can lead to bleeding.
6. You can not do inhalation with pneumonia and in the acute period of pneumonia.

If you are doing inhalation to a child, observe all safety precautions so that the baby does not get burned by the water itself and hot steam.

Many people believe that potato inhalations are a relic of the past, and there are many pharmacy products that are capable of such an effect. However, it is not. The fact is that pharmaceutical tablets and syrups go straight to the stomach and only a small part of the drug affects the lungs. But the potato turns into the smallest particles of hot steam, which settles directly on the walls of the lungs, having a direct effect. Expectorant effect occurs instantly. The nebulizer has the same effect. Therefore, we can say that potato inhalation is a cheap alternative to an expensive device. Take care of your health and be treated correctly!

Video: cough inhalation