Folk remedies for runny nose and nasal congestion

With the advent of autumn and winter, people with a runny nose can be found anywhere - at work and at school, in public transport and on the street. In fact, a runny nose is not a terrible symptom that interferes with normal living, sleeping and eating. Runny nose is a very important protective function of the body. If dust, an allergen or a virus gets on the nasal mucosa, it begins to work actively so that the mucus secreted removes all unnecessary from the walls. But sometimes the runny nose is delayed, turning into a strong nasal congestion, causing purulent discharge. If you do not treat a runny nose in time, it can result in dangerous and serious complications. Take your time to use potent drugs and medicines. Indeed, in the fight against the common cold, you can apply proven and effective folk recipes.

Why a runny nose occurs

To cope with a runny nose, you need to know what it can be caused by, the treatment tactics largely depend on it. So, these are the main causes of a runny nose and nasal congestion.

1. Virus. In 80% of cases, a runny nose is the result of a viral cold. Discharge with such a runny nose is transparent, there is a lot of mucus, it flows intensively. Usually, a runny nose goes away within two weeks. But in order for the bacterium not to join, it is necessary to exclude stagnation of mucus - rinse the nose, drink plenty of water, moisturize the air, etc.
   Bacterium. Bacterial rhinitis is much more dangerous and unpleasant. Discharges with such a runny nose are yellow or green, dense, abundant. If a runny nose occurs against a background of sinus inflammation (sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, etc.), antibiotics will be required for treatment.
2. Allergy. Sometimes a runny nose does not go away, simply because it has an allergic nature and the principle of its treatment is fundamentally different. For allergic rhinitis, washing, antihistamine drops and sprays, anti-allergic drugs are effective. Well, of course, you need to identify the allergen and isolate yourself from it as much as possible.
3. Dry air. Sometimes a runny nose, especially in children, occurs against a background of dry air. This is not even a runny nose, but nasal congestion and dry crusts on the mucous membrane. To avoid this, it is necessary to humidify the air, we’ll talk about how to do it right.

In addition, prolonged and prolonged rhinitis can be the result of injuries, curvature of the septum, an increase in adenoids, drug rhinitis, frequent rhinitis occur due to reduced immunity. Folk remedies in the treatment of the common cold are really very effective, especially if the patient is a child or a pregnant woman. In this article, we will tell you how to treat a runny nose by washing, homemade drops, warming up the sinuses and legs, inhalations and other useful procedures.

Flushing against a cold

The washing procedure is very effective in the common cold of any etymology. Water flushes dust, viruses, infected bacterial mucus, allergens, and other microparticles from the surface of the mucous membrane. The easiest way to do the washing is with the help of a special small teapot - it has an elongated and narrowed nose. You need to draw warm water into it, stand near the sink, attach the spout of the teapot to one nostril. Next, you need to tilt your head to the side so that the fluid flows into one nostril, and flows from the other nostril. Perhaps the procedure will not work right away, you need to try again and again. If you are unable to rinse with a teapot, you can use a syringe without a needle - pour water under pressure into one nostril.Washing is also done for small children - this helps to bring out the mucus, dilutes the secretions and perfectly moisturizes the mucous membrane. It is better for babies to instill water with a pipette, after which it is easy to remove the mucus with an aspirator - it gently but effectively cleanses the nasal passages. Instead of plain water, it is much more beneficial to use other solutions and formulations.

1. Salt water. If there is salt in the liquid, it draws the mucus outward, cleansing more efficiently. Saline or slightly salted water washed nose for children.
2. Antiseptic solutions. This may include a solution of Furacilin, Miramistin, Chlorophyllipt. Any pharmacy antiseptic that you use to disinfect wounds, gargle with a sore throat, etc. is suitable.
3. Decoctions of herbs. It is very useful to use various herbal decoctions. Chamomile will relieve swelling and redness of the mucosa, relieve nasal congestion. Calendula has a bactericidal effect - it is effective for sinusitis and thick yellow discharge. Plantain, coltsfoot, sage - all this will help restore the nasal mucosa and get rid of a runny nose.

It is better not to rinse your nose before going out, especially in the cold. After the procedure, it is better to stay in a room with warm and humid air.

Homemade drops

In nature, there are a lot of plants, fruits and vegetables that have antiseptic and bactericidal properties. Their juice can be used for instillation into the nose.

1. Kalanchoe and aloe. These are very effective plants, their juice is effective against most nasopharyngeal bacteria. Sometimes it is quite difficult to get juice from the meaty structure of aloe and Kalanchoe. To facilitate the process, you need to freeze large leaves of plants for a couple of hours, then grate the pulp in a frozen form, then squeeze the resulting gruel through cheesecloth. Instill 1-2 drops in each nostril several times a day. Only adult plants that are at least three years old can be used for treatment.
2. Beets and carrots. It is useful to drip beetroot and carrot juice into the nose, sometimes vegetable juices can be too burning for the mucous membrane, they need to be kept a little at room temperature.
3. Garlic and onion. The juice of garlic and onion is especially effective for viral colds, as these vegetables contain a huge amount of volatile, which inhibit the development of the virus.
4. Propolis tincture. This is a very effective remedy for the common cold - propolis has a pronounced antiseptic effect. But it is worth using only alcohol tincture, in no case a decoction, otherwise the bacteria from the sweet composition of propolis will only multiply, the runny nose will intensify.
5. Butter. It is very useful to instill healing oils in the nose - sea buckthorn or almond. This is especially effective for medical rhinitis, when the nasal mucosa dries up against the background of frequent and prolonged use of vasoconstrictors.

Sometimes not just drops, but cotton turunds moistened with medicinal juice are effective. These cotton swabs need to be inserted into the nose for 20-30 minutes, the effect of the treatment will be noticeable almost immediately. Any home-made medicinal drops should be diluted with water if you decide to instill them in your child. Otherwise, aggressive compounds can lead to a burn of the baby's mucosa.

In no case do not drip breast milk into the baby’s nose, even if the mother and grandmother insist that they have always treated children like this. Breast milk is sweet, it has many nutrients that serve as excellent food for microbes, the runny nose from this "treatment" only intensifies.

Warming up

In the fight against runny nose and stuffy nose, it is very effective to warm the sinuses. However, remember that warming is permissible only with transparent snot - during purulent diseases, sinusitis and frontitis, warming the nose is strictly contraindicated, otherwise the inflammation will intensify. You can warm your nose in many ways.

1. The eggs. This is the easiest, but most effective way to warm your sinuses. Hard-boiled two eggs, wrap them in a towel and attach to the sinuses on both sides of the nose. This method works especially well if a runny nose has just begun.
2. Animal fat. It is very useful to warm your nose with goose, pork or badger fat. Animal fat perfectly keeps heat and warms the skin for one and a half to two hours. Fat just needs to melt and smear the nose on both sides. Effectively grease the chest and back when coughing.
3. Salt or sand. Warm the bulk compound thoroughly in a pan, and then pour it into a small cloth bag or sock. Apply the resulting heating pad to your sinuses.
4. Physiotherapy. In any clinic there is a physiotherapy room where you can warm your nose with a tube or laser. The directed rays not only warm the mucous membrane and relieve inflammation, but also disinfect the surface.
5. Potatoes. If you grind the cooked potatoes to a state of mashed potatoes, put them in a bag and wrap them in a cloth, you get a great heating pad that holds heat for a long time.
6. Steaming legs. Soaring feet is very beneficial and especially effective for respiratory illnesses. Pour warm water into the basin, lower your legs into it, gradually add hot water as you get used to it and cool down. With a child, you can soar your legs together, letting the boats go - this will certainly captivate the baby. Add mustard to the water for added benefit. Remember that pregnant feet soaring is strictly contraindicated! A rush of blood to the feet can lead to an outflow of blood from the placenta, it is very dangerous, a miscarriage can occur. But in other cases, the outflow of blood from the nasopharynx relieves inflammation and reduces nasal congestion. After a good steaming, you need to put on warm socks, wrap yourself in a blanket, drink hot milk with honey and go to bed. In the morning there will be no trace of a cold.

You can warm up the sinuses not only from the outside, but also from the inside. To do this, do inhalation. It is best to use a special device called a nebulizer for the procedure. It sprays water or medicine to the smallest particles and settles on the walls of the nasal mucosa and sinuses. If there is no device, you can simply breathe steam over a basin of hot water, covered with a blanket. Instead of plain water, you can use a saline solution, antiseptic formulations and decoctions of herbs - everything that is used to rinse the nose. In addition, it is very useful to add essential oils of eucalyptus or peppermint to the water during inhalation - they perfectly open the breath and relieve nasal congestion.

How to cure a runny nose with home remedies

In addition to warming, washing, homemade drops and inhalations, there are many more effective tools and recommendations that will help you get rid of a cold on your own.

1. Wet air. With any cold, you need to provide the patient with moist air, especially if it is a child. In winter, working radiators dry the air very much, it is necessary to install a humidifier. If it is not, it is necessary to hang a damp cloth on the radiators. Ventilate the room more often, do wet cleaning regularly, this will help to avoid drying out of the mucous membrane.
2. Drink plenty. As noted, the common cold is caused by viruses. To get rid of the virus in the body, you need to wash it - that is, drink a lot and write a lot. Only in this way the virus leaves the body. You really need to drink a lot - to get rid of the disease in three days, a two-year-old baby should drink about one and a half liters of water during each of these three days. Imagine that the virus will be washed only when you drink 10-20 liters of water, compote or juice. And it depends only on you whether you will drink this volume of liquid in 3 days or in a week.
3. Bow. Arrange chopped onions or garlic in bowls around the house.Phytoncides kill viruses in the room, inhaled air helps get rid of a cold. Moreover, this is an excellent protection for healthy people in a common house.
4. Massage. Slowly, but rather strongly, you need to massage 4 specular points - on both sides of the wings of the nose and at the base of the eyebrow. Just put your fingers on these points, make circular pressure movements.
5. Patch. Specialty plasters are sold in pharmacies that are attached directly to clothing. On their surface there are many essential oils, the vapors of which, together with air, enter the nose during breathing. Such patches are effective at night, when a person is especially tormented by a stuffy nose.
6. Salty air. If you have the opportunity to walk along the seashore - be sure to use it. Salty, moist air is very useful for respiratory illnesses. Recently, in some clinics, salt caves have been made in which salt is everywhere - on the walls, on the ceiling, salt, even instead of sand, for children's games. Regular visits to such a room will help you quickly and safely get rid of a cold.

Some are afraid to go out with a runny nose and do not take the child for a walk, because in the open air the mucus comes out especially actively. However, this is wrong - you must walk. On the contrary, moist air helps to thin the mucus, it goes out faster, the sinuses clear, blood supply improves. You can’t walk only in the cold, when the child’s nose is completely blocked and you have to breathe through your mouth - this way you can catch a throat.

A runny nose is a frequent occurrence, especially in children, and it cannot be completely avoided. But it is in our power to ease the runny nose, cure it in natural and safe ways, and also prevent the development of complications. Strengthen immunity, and you will not be afraid of a runny nose!

Video: how to get rid of a runny nose and stuffy nose without medication