Grapefruit Seed Extract

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Grapefruit Seed Extract Treatment for Sinus Infections

Home Remedy Ingredients:

• Grapefruit Seed Extract - 4 Drops
• Sea Salt - 1/4 Teaspoon
• Warm Filtered Water - 8 Ounces

Add 4 drops of grapefruit seed extract and a quarter tsp of sea salt to 8oz of warm water. Use this to carefully irrigate your nose (nasal cavities) using a neti pot or a clean nasal spray bottle.

[YEA]  11/20/2009: Janet from Alexandria, La, United States replies: "Instead of adding GSE to your saline, purchase the a nasal spray with Grapefruit Seed Extract. It has the correct proportions, and does not sting. It worked for my sinus infection, and I have since bought a bottle for each of my grown children. I could only find it at health food stores out-of-town, so I recommend calling first, because 1 out of 5 stores might have it. Just ask if they have nasal spray with GSE, and stress that you don't mean GRAPE, but GRAPEFRUIT."

[YEA]  03/09/2011: Stacey from Reading, Pa replies: "Amazing! I regularly suffer from sinus infections and had been using apple cider vinegar in warm water to treat it. This time it was just not doing the trick. I tried 4 drops of grapefruit seed extract in my neti pot this evening, and just 3 hours later I am feeling the release of pressure and drainage. I have my fingers crossed for the futher improvement over the next few days with continued treatment - but already I am impressed!"

03/10/2011: Jamie from Lake Worth, Fl replies: "I also had a great experience with grapefruit seed extract. At work a girl came in sick (thanks pal) sore throat, very bad, and flu type ailments. Sure enough we all got it, my throat was not just sore, it felt like it was swollen. Maybe glands, my ears hurt down into my neck. After 2 days of getting worse, I started grapefruit seed extract. 10 drops 4 times a day, after the first day I felt a little better. I put it in warm water and drank it. This was very soothing to the throat. After two full days I was almost all better, I did continue four days, six days total

My coworkers who just let it pass naturally were sick for two weeks, some longer. I really think this stuff helped me, next time I will use it at the onset of an illness."

[YEA]  07/17/2012: Mlove from Honolulu, Hi replies: "I just wanted to say that I have been taking grapefruit extract in tablet form for years whenever I get a cold or sinus infection. I take 2 little tablets three times a day for about a week and on the third day, I always feel better. Colds do not go into sinus infections if I take it and if I do get a sinus infection (like I did recently from swimming in the ocean), it goes away within a couple of days when I take the tablets. If I don't tke them, I stay miserable. I had a naturalpathic doctor tell me it was okay to take them for as long as a month at a time, but I never need to. They always make me feel better, so I take them anytime I feel a little under the weather and it always works. My husband does the same thing and it works for him too. The tablets are small and easy to get down. No bad side effects for us, only good effects."

11/19/2009: Diane from Kitchener, Ontario replies: "To Cathy from Homer Geo. How much grapefruit extract would you use in an eight oz. water bottle? I would like to try this cure. thanks, diane"

[YEA]  06/01/2009: Amy from Denver, CO: "I'd been suffering for a week from a sinus infection and was not interested in my doctor's advised treatment of 10 days on harsh antibiotics (which incidentally had never cured a sinus infection for me in the 3 times in the past that they'd prescribed it.) So, I google'd "holistic sinus infection cure" and found this site. After reading a few dozen posts on the "sinus infection" page, I found a couple of things to try; here are my results:

1. ACV: while I'd read that this works best at the first signs of a cold and I was already five days in, I tried it anyway. About 1-2 Tbs in hot water with a dash of lemon juice and some agave syrup to sweeten it and I drank it like a tea. Very pleasant with the agave and I started to feel some relief soon after drinking (I also inhaled the steam after mixing and felt some relief from that too.) Since it didn't provide as much instant relief as I was hoping for, and WAS providing some canker sores in my mouth, I limited this to just the first day or two and then stopped.

2. Oil Pulling: I started this at the same time as the other remedies so I'm not certain what the effect has been on curing my sinus infection, but I can attest that I feel better, my skin looks amazing, my breath has significantly improved and I no longer see a white film on the surface of my tongue. This is after just 3-4 days of use. I'm using 1 Tbs of organic sesame oil, swished around for 15-20 minutes every morning right upon waking, then spit out, of course.

3. Grapefruit Seed Extract: I think this was the magic bullet for me. I've been using 2-5 drops (teeny, tiny drops) in with my saline sinus irrigation twice a day for the last 4 days and I am almost 100% better. This (and the oil pulling) I've been doing consistently. While I didn't feel immediate relief after my first irrigation with the GSE, every time since then I feel the pressure release from behind my face and my cheekbones stop aching. Now my symptoms are almost completely gone; I cannot believe it. On the first couple of days I was using more drops (4-5) and now I'm down to 2 drops. It doesn't taste the best when it runs down your throat and there is a funny sensation that it creates that is kind of like burning but not painful, but all in all it's really easy; not much different than just plain saline.

I have to say I'm totally blown away at how much better I feel and without aid of antibiotics. I did continue to take ibuprofin in limited amounts (no more than once a day) when the pain was more than I could take), but other than that I've been cured by these holistic remedies. I'm so grateful for this website and all of the people who have posted their success stories on here! I never would have known to try these things had it not been for finding this resource. Thank you!!"

01/23/2011: Lisa from Moultrie, Ga, Usa replies: "I am suffering from a very painful sinus infection that I cannot get rid of. I have had this for the past two weeks and I am about at the end of my wits from pain. I have been using the neil-med sinus rinse but it feels like the saline solution is just getting into my sinuses right above my teeth and behind my cheeks and staying there. I would like to try the Grapefruit Seed Extract but I dont know how much saline rinse to GSE. Any recommendations would be helpful."

01/23/2011: Robert Henry from Ten Mile, Tenn. replies: "Lisa, I have been spraying my nostrils for the last 3 years with a concoction of sea salt, baking soda and GSE that I make myself. Take 1/3 glass of warm water, Add 1 tsp of sea salt, 1 tsp of baking soda and 8 drops of GSE. Stir , allow to cool and pour the clear portion into your sprayer. This keeps my nostrils open, but it has not dried up my sinus, which I guess is a good thing. If you look at any animal they all have nasal drainage. It seems that is just natural. What you don't want is for your sinus to dry up with no flow."

01/24/2011: Bess from Calgary, Alberta, Canada replies: "Hi Lisa - With sinus issues, I found that adding about 1/2 teaspoon of 3% hydogen peroxide to my neti pot mix helped a lot. My mix is 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. I fill my neti pot with warmish water, add the salt/baking soda mixture, stir until it dissolves and then I add the 1/2 teaspoon 3% HP right before I use it. It seems to be the only thing that helps when I get sinus problems. Hope it works for you."

03/20/2011: Wendy from Ontario, Canada replies: "Bess: WOW! Not sure how big your neti pot is but this mix (1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp 3% peroxide) in my neti pot burned worse then straight 3% hydrogen peroxide sprayed up my nose! OMG! I poured some out and diluted it! Feels much better but I'm just at the beginning of a cold stage.

I have already taken probably 20 ______ vitamin c over the last few days, GSE at 15 drops 3x a day, extra strength oil of oregano 6 drops 2x a day, 6 oregamax capsules, 12 cloves of garlic, 3 - 1/2 tsp of baking soda, the tomato tea on the cold page, spraying my throat and nose with 3% peroxide and now using the neti.

I felt the greatest AFTER 2 tablespoons ACV in an 8 ounce glass of water- just chugged it back. I don't find it too bad. I felt great all day - until I ate! It was only qunioa pilaf but I should not have ate... I should have stayed fasting! On to the oil pulling! LOL"

03/01/2012: Charlotte from Essex, Clacton, England replies: "Hi there, I am new to this site, nice to meet you all. I have had sinus problems for years on and off and had an operation on my nose months ago supposedly to sort it, yet now it is even worse.

My nose is always bunged up as though someone is holding it shut with their fingers, I have a lot of headaches. After my option (to remove linings in the nose, take some bone out and remove polyps) my ears got full and I could hardly hear, I also felt very confused and my memory was affected. The doctor was going to put me on more anti biotics etc. If I take the nose sprays I end up with bleeding in the nose and bad cramps in my feet and legs at night. I have since found you can change this if you take magnesium because the nose sprays use it up.

Anyway I don't want to keep having operations and taking these medicines so did a lot of research. I started to take garlic capsules, 5000 mg one a day. Also a multi vitamin mineral, selenium 200 mg a day. After a bit I was better but the garlic was making me more confused/lack of memory and headaches and I was losing a lot of energy, feeling awfully tired, very irritable, very depressed and unable to work. Then I found that garlic can cause under active thyroid of which these are the symptoms. So trying again but with kale as it is a natural source of iodine which cures under active thyroid.

TODAY I started to take tincture of grapefruit seed extract also olive leaf extract, organic, regularly too.

If have read a lot of postings here today and am getting organic cider vinegar. Have also ordered mullein, eyebright, goldenseal and licorice tincture as have read a lot about how this can help a lot with sinus etc problems. If you want to try this it is 2 of goldenseal, 3 eyebright, 2 mullein and 1 licorice 3 times a day but I'm sure that more is ok and might help more.

I am just desperate to feel better. At the moment cannot work, concentrate or get on with anything. Hope this helps some of you."

[YEA]  06/16/2009: Katie from Camano Island, WA: "I have had two severe sinus infection flare ups over the last two months. The post nasal drip from this infection has caused me to have SEVERE laringitis, so severe that i could not talk at all. As if my vocal cords were completely gone. I could only use sign language and even whispering hurt my throat and head. Has anyone ever had this problem? I have looked everywhere on the internet and have not found one story of laringitis caused by a sinus infection. I am using 13 drops of GSE and 1/8 tsp. of sea salt mixed in 3/4 cup warm water. i use a full eye dropper, tilt my head back and squirt it up both nostrils. Then i quickly plug my nose and put my head down between my legs. I plug one nostril and gently breath in through the other. Doing the same with the other nostril and back and forth for about 1 minute. When i first started doing this, the pressure in my sinus was almost unbearable. But now on my 5th day of doing this about 3-5 times a day, the pressure is gone. I still have laringitis but it is not lasting as long as my first bout with this infection. I am also starting the ACV drink. If anyone has had this Laringitis trouble, please let me know. I was completely mute for 3 days!!!"

09/28/2009: Veronica from El Paso, Texas replies: "I am having sinus infection right now, and laringitis. I have been without voice for two days already. I just tried cayenne pepper for laringitis, it seems that it helped. Unfortunately I didn't have much of it in the house to retake it. I will do the nasal washing with saline water. I am teaching tomorrow, and I need my voice back. "

11/29/2009: Karen from Denver, Co replies: "Yes...laryngitis is common. Look into if you have a vocal cord dysfunction. The sinus drainage can irritate your cords and cause them to not open/close appropriately. It can give feelings of shortness of breath. There are some simple things that can be done to prevent it. A trained speech therapist can help."

[YEA]  08/25/2007: Judith from Hawkesbury, Canada: "Guaifenesin - it's tree resin... It's from the guaiacum tree - a tropical evergreen. Homeopathic is guaiacum."

[YEA]  02/13/2010: Llball from Belmont, Ma: "Remedy for Sinus Infection - WOW, FAST!

After reading through several pages of posts about remedies for sinus infection (which I have had for at least 10 days now...sinus/face pain, headaches, fatigue, achiness, etc) I decided to combine a few suggestions into a solution that was miraculous for me. I made the following mixture for my netti pot (which is actually a ceramic child's tea pot from my daughter's old tea set, sterilized of course :):

10oz of water
1 T. regular 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
5 drops grapefruit seed extract liquid concentrate
little less than 1/2 tspn. sea salt

I tried to run the solution through my nose, but it was too blocked, so I just poured some up in my nostril and then put my head down between knees to hold it in and let gravity work it up into my sinuses. Let is remain in there about 30 seconds or so...very slight burning/tingling. Then put my head over the sink and blew my nose, then repeated on the other side. Did this a couple of times each side, each time releasing a little more mucous. Then I waited a few hours. Within 2 hours, the right nostril ejected a large ball of mucous tinged with a little blood and pus (gross!..I know) and the right nostril was clear. The left side discharged a little more mucous but did not clear. I repeated the process focusing on the left side and on the second rinse, the left side also gave up a large blob of mucous also slightly tinged with a little blood and yellow pus. After then, my sinuses let go more mucous (no more blood and pus, just really thick mucous)than I have ever seen coming out of one person's nose. I could breathe clearly for the first time in over a week and the pressure and pain were greatly relieved. I can tell that I am not fully back to normal yet, but to have this much recovery in a matter of hours is WONDERFUL!! I feel so much better and wanted to pass this remedy along right away."

[YEA]  11/28/2010: Amanda from New York: "Hemp Seeds (about 2 tablespoons 3X a day) have helped my sinus congestion/allergic sinusitis TREMENDOUSLY!! Within minutes of taking them, I actually feel them halting my allergies and my sinuses becoming clearer!"

12/17/2010: Name from City, State replies: "Try a laxative, or fresh horseradish or ginger, too."

05/12/2012: Washington_cleveland_man from Cleveland, Ohio replies: "Yes it works! I got a water bottle and the tip of a old dish liquid bottle. I poured a little peroxide barley enough to see at the bottom of the bottle. Added a little salt and then luke warm water. I then began to rinse my nose. I had a little discomfort. But just adjusted the water. After bottle empties do not! DO NOT! Add more salt or peroxide. Just refill with water. Shake bottle good, and repeat until you feel good. After 10 mins your nose will begin to loosen up and then you should blow nose repeatedly until you can blow no more."

07/30/2012: Elvis from Marina, California,usa: "After nose surgery, I contacted sinus infection. After 2 years and six doctor specialist, no cure. Lost of sleep, waking up with mucus in my mouth. Hacking all the time, cause I could never clear my throat and sinus headaches all the time, just frustrated me. I sent for 3 herbal extracts (thyme, clove, cinimon)to cure my postnasal drip, I took a chance. I put six drops of each in a container and set it by my bed side. In one week I was healed."

[YEA]  07/28/2011: Dave J from Taylor, Mi: "I just tried a xylitol nasal spray to head off a sinus infection, and I HIGHLY recommend this remedy. It's the first and ONLY thing I have EVER found that effectively prevented an infection from taking hold -- and that cleared up my symptoms this quickly and effectively!

I've suffered from sinus infections for the past 25 years. If I get a cold, I'm guaranteed to get a sinus infection, no matter what I try. I've tried lots of remedies, including drinking & steaming with Apple Cider Vinegar (which helps); Flip-Turn saline rinses (these help a lot, too); and steaming with Cinnamon, Clove, and Thyme oils (doesn't seem to help me that much). I've also always had to take antibiotics on top of these remedies to clear up any sinus infection I've had.

Last weekend I noticed I had all the symptoms of an occult sinus infection --just a bit of green/yellow mucus, mostly in the morning; not feeling completely sick, but I was feeling drained, unfocused, a bit under the weather, and just not myself. Things were also obviously heading from bad to worse, even though I was using the other remedies I listed in the previous paragraph.

I've heard of xylitol nasal rinses but have never tried them before. I had good success using a xylitol mouth wash to cure a chronic toothache I had (from a dental procedure I had over 18 months ago), so I decided it was time to try xylitol for my sinuses.

I got a recipe from http://www.ehow.com/way_5457727_homemade-nasal-spray.html, bought the ingredients from the local health food store for about $18, and mixed up a batch. (It would take about a year of regular use to use up everything I bought, btw. ) Ingredients include xylitol, salt, and a couple drops of grapefruit seed extract (GSE), plus some baking soda to buffer the solution.

Two sprays in each nostril, and within 30 minutes I felt powerful results. I think my body went through a brief healing crisis, as I felt worse at first. I did 5 sprays in each nostril and added the flip-turn technique (which really helps get the spray in full contact with the ostea), and within another hour I felt significantly better. Got a good night's sleep, and the next day I felt about 90% cured.

After continuing to use the xylitol spray a couple times a day for the past 5 days, I feel FANTASTIC. I had enough energy to work a 14 hour day yesterday. And my nose has never felt this clear and free from post nasal drip since I developed sinus issues.

I believe if I had not used this spray, my entire week would have been shot. I'd have been bed-ridden for a couple days, unable to work, and taking yet another course of antibiotics. To say I'm pleased with the results of the xylitol spray would be a gross understatement!

I don't know yet how this remedy will work for me if I have a full-blown cold or sinus infection. However, I'll repeat that I have personally never found ANYTHING else that can stop a developing sinus infection in its tracks and clear it up this fast and this effectively. If you suffer from sinus issues, please give this a try."

07/28/2011: Bess from Calgary, Alberta, Canada replies: "Thanks, Dave, for the xylitol nasal spray link. I heard xylitol was good for nasal/sinus congestion but never actually tried it. We've been using an ordinary sea salt/baking soda solution so this will be a nice change and I have all the ingredients. I'm off to mix up a batch. Cheers! Bess"

[YEA]  04/11/2006: Frank from Palm Beach, FL: "Chronic sinusitis is caused by aspergillis fungus, a plant and vegetation borne fungus.There are several variants but aspergillis niger is the most common.. When the immune system is overloaded, the fungus creates a bacterial infection. Clearing the bacterial infection does not clear the cause. Aspergillis nosodes are available from Dolisos Homeopathic. two doses of 8 pellets three days apart will normally clear the fungus and end sinus problems permanently. If aspergillis niger doesn't work, try the other four variants. Any health food store carrying dolisos products can get these for you. (about $5.00) note this will cure the cause of the infection, not the current bacterial infection. generally sticta pulmonaria 30x and or stannum mettalicum 30x ; 4 tablets ,3times day will clear the bacterial infection."

EC: According to one of our readers, this remedy is no longer widely available and needs to be special ordered.