Quick Sinus Relief: Natural Remedies for Congestion

I have been struggling with re-accuring head colds/sinus issues since late Fall and don't you know, it hit me again. I have been using a nasal spray, which did help however it can only be used for three days. Last night was the last dose and of course, I woke up this morning all stuffed up and my ears are blocked, so I hopped online to see what I could find.

I mixed 2 tablespoons of ACV and filled the rest of the glass (regular, tall) with water and drank it down. That was an hour and a half ago and I am already feeling much better. The congestion in my head is breaking up and my ears have already "popped" once and are less blocked than they have been.

I am SO thankful that I found this site and all of the recommendations/testimonies for this home remedy.

Hi Stacey, glad to see the AVC helped you but have a question you might be able to help me with. I am going through the same thing right now but gagged when trying to drink it down I am having a hard time believing people really drink AVC on a regular basis, anyway needless to say a sip was all I had and dumped the rest down the sink I just cannot force myself to drink it, is it possible to mix it with something else to help the taste. Thanks for any suggestions you or anyone else may have, Tasha

To Tasha from Springfield:

I make my own juice and put my apple cider vinegar in it. 1 apple, 3 carrots, 1/6 lemon with peel, 1 cup spinach and 1 Tablespoon ACV. I use organic ACV with the brown stingy stuff floating in it! This juice is so GOOD! You will not even notice the ACV in it, but it sure adds to the delicious taste.

You can find the organic, unfiltered ACV at your local grocery store. It will not be with the see-through stuff, but it will be in the same isle. I wish I could give you the name of the one I use, but it is against this wonderful website's policy (for good reason). ACV also cures hot flashes! It's a miracle tonic!

The pure unfiltered ACV can be found at health food stores, Trader Joes and Whole Foods, etc. It's superior and well worth looking for.

ACV is great, and you can buy the unfiltered organic versions at a lot of stores nowadays. They even sell it at the big box stores here for only 5 dollars or so. It's amazing how well ACV works for not only this, but other issues. When you have a meal that sits too heavy with you (think Thanksgiving!) swallowing a couple teaspoons will help with bloating and "cuts the grease" in your stomach. It's also a great weight loss tool... Try to drink an 8 oz glass of water with at least 2 tbsp. of ACV every day and you'll be amazed at how much easier you lose weight when dieting.

Does the ACV have to be a certain kind? I had an older bottle but it was just from the grocery store, kind of a clear brown or does it have to be from the heathful store? I'm very desperate but this site has been extremely helpful! Thanks everyone! Sincerely,
Sick of being stuffed up 24/7 :(

I've been having rough sinuses all year, mainly headaches but have had difficulty breathing through both nostrils.

Been doing ACV 2 tbsps + some hot sauce + soy sauce (this part for flavor) + hot water. First two days had major relief and drainage. Have been two days on, one day off since then, and the relief is noticeable. Plus I have not been taking over the counter pain remedies at all and I was talking a lot even just the day before.

I will say it tastes bad, and I will try prune juice once I get some.

I will also say it's better than neti-pot, neti-pot never did much for me.

It sure does! Three days ago I took two tablespoons morning (with pinch of b. soda and a high glass of apple juice) and another two tablespoons at night.

The thing is, I had been suffering of sinusitis for a long time and taking anthibiotics. But a year ago I tried all sorts of natural remedies and homeopathy (which helped a lot). Until I read about ACV in your site a few weeks ago. I decided to give it a try.

Half an hour, more or less, after taking it the first time I noticed something in my nose.. And blew it. I won´t give the details of what came out... It was all the infection!! At night I woke up again and more of the infection was coming out. And so on until it stopped naturally.

Now I´m taking only two teaspoons morning and two at night but my sinus has cleared and I feel great!

I recommend you try it if you ´re having these problems.

I used nose sprays or decongestant at night with a breathe right strip on my nose just so I could breathe at night while I slept. I have been doing that nightly for a couple years now. I finally got tired of being congested, even after using nasal sprays. When I came upon your site here, I figured I would try the ACV and see how it goes. I bought the cheapest and smallest bottle of ACV at my local grocery store and started immediately taking 2 TBSP ACV with about 8-12 ounces water then followed it up with milk or something to cover up the taste. Then I started combining ACV w/about 8 oz prune juice (it's not so bad!) which made it even easier to drink and didn't leave such a bad after-taste. I started to see a difference within a couple days. I could breathe a lot easier at night and daytime. It's now been 1 week without ever using my allergy medicine, decongestants and nose sprays. With just using the ACV, I feel great! What can I say? Apple Cider Vinegar cleared me up!

Funny, I lived in Orem for 15 years before I moved to Saratoga Springs, which is on the other side of Utah lake for anyone who is interested.

Everytime I lay down, my sinuses clog up, and I feel like I am suffocating. I have tried everything. I take an ambient sleeping pill, sometimes I use Benadryl, and 800 mg of ibuprofen. This works about half of the time. Other times I use a nasal decongestant. Every other day, I can't sleep or breath and by the time morning comes around I am nauseated, exhausted and really struggle with a host of physical problems and mental focus. It is literally killing me. I am going to try the apple cider vinegar again. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBSP Honey (local is always the best for you)
4 oz. water
Mix, drink hot or cold.
One day will cure you,
however drink day two for assured cure.
Tastes like a bad cup of tea...but will wipe out congestion. So simple, you won't want to try it..but why suffer, when its so easy to cure this life threatening ailment.

Have used this when couldn't afford designer antibiotics..always works.

Well all I can say is that so far ( knock on wood!) it is a true miracle that something as simple as apple cider vinegar can clear your poor clogged & throbbing head! I have been sick now for 3 days & it came on like gangbusters! from the get go I had SEVERE throbbing pain in ALL my sinus cavities, congestion worse than anything! I too had to take 800mgs of Motrin to get any relief ( & it was not much) every 6 hours! YIKES! Hot water bottles, steamy showers, decongestants etc..... I found this page early this am & went directly to the store for some ACV, I drank it with warm purified water as well as a good steam mixed 1/2 &1/2 WITH WATER boiled.....towel over my head 10 mins..... it did take about 2-3 hours but WOW my headache is all but gone !!!! My nose & sinuses are draining, in a few hours I'm going to repeat! It's really worth a try, cheap easy & it worked!

Apple Cider Vinegar has worked for me, except when mixed in hot (brown) tea with lemon. The citric acid and acidity from the vinegar cut right through the mucous and the heat and caffeine from the tea help dilate your sinuses and blood vessels. Overall it makes you feel pretty good. I wouldn't say it helps cure anything - but definitely provides relief.

WOW! I have come to love the wonderful product of ACV. I have had severe allergies and sinus problems since I could walk. Chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, tonsilitis (they have lonce since been removed), rhinitis, etc... I have always taken prescription medication. However I am 8 mos pregnant and have not been able to take anything but over the counter Tylenol products. For the past 3 days I have been down and out with a severe sinus migraine, congestion and pressure. Nothing worked and I am sleep deprived! Adding these symptoms to 8mos of pregnancy spells MISERY for sure. I was desperate so I hopped online and what do you know? I found the same product that cured my husband of his pesky wart will also clear my sinuses. I only wished I found this info sooner! I took 1 tbsp of ACV with 8oz of water and downed. Then I made a mixture and put it in my veggie steamer (ACV is also a great residue cleaner) and sat over it for about 5mins. Everything started to clear up within the hour. I then rinsed with saline solution and I can breathe out of both nostrils! My headache is almost gone and the pressure almost nil! Oh and by the way the ACV steam bath is great for oily skin. I noticed a difference immediately after the face bath. I was then curious to see if this was a known rememdy for acne/skin problems and sure enough it is!!! In fact, Earth Clinic was the first hit.
I am amazed that such a simple, inexpensive product can do so much. Thank you dearly for this site.

WOW! I have come to love the wonderful product of ACV. I have had severe allergies and sinus problems since I could walk. Chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, tonsilitis (they have lonce since been removed), rhinitis, etc... I have always taken prescription medication. However I am 8 mos pregnant and have not been able to take anything but over the counter Tylenol products. For the past 3 days I have been down and out with a severe sinus migraine, congestion and pressure. Nothing worked and I am sleep deprived! Adding these symptoms to 8mos of pregnancy spells MISERY for sure. I was desperate so I hopped online and what do you know? I found the same product that cured my husband of his pesky wart will also clear my sinuses. I only wished I found this info sooner! I took 1 tbsp of ACV with 8oz of water and downed. Then I made a mixture and put it in my veggie steamer (ACV is also a great residue cleaner) and sat over it for about 5mins. Everything started to clear up within the hour. I then rinsed with saline solution and I can breathe out of both nostrils! My headache is almost gone and the pressure almost nil! Oh and by the way the ACV steam bath is great for oily skin. I noticed a difference immediately after the face bath. I was then curious to see if this was a known rememdy for acne/skin problems and sure enough it is!!! In fact, Earth Clinic was the first hit.
I am amazed that such a simple, inexpensive product can do so much. Thank you dearly for this site.

I want to share my experience with people because I was so grateful that other people posted tips and facts that helped me in my time of need. When I Googled sinus infections just 3 days ago I was desperate for relief! I lost my job 4 months ago and although I have health insurance I really didn't want to pay $100 out of pocket for a doctor visit. I really wanted to beat this thing naturally without drugs or antibiotics. My right ear bled lightly for 3 days from the intense sinus pressure and I would go to bed with my heart just pounding in my head and ears. After long bouts of coughing up stuff I was gasping for air and the thought of laying down to sleep actually scared me.

Anyway the key to kicking this was good nutrition and HYDRATION! I literally beat this thing in one day and feel great. Here's how my day went. I woke up and ate just a banana for breakfast. Then I went to my favorite Indian buffet for lunch knowing that everytime I went there my nose would run because the food is so spicy. Then I came home and grabbed 2 bottled waters and went for a combination 3.5 mile jog and walk. This took one hour. Then I went to Jamba Juice and had a 16 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice, a 2 ounce wheat grass cocktail, and a power-sized pomegranite smoothie. I drank the first 2 at home and then walked out the door with the smoothie and one more 12 ounce bottled water. I repeated the same walk pattern for another 3.5 miles. I live in a rural area and the key to success was that on both walks I constantly coughed, spit, sniffed in and drank the whole time.

I confess I didn't think ACV really did much since I've read all the testimonials for years now, but never noticed anything amazing when I took it. But one thing was that once when I was coughing all morning at my old job I didn't want to disturb my coworkers and the only thing I had onhand was a bottle of ACV on my desk. Took two swigs straight and the coughing. Stopped. Immediately. No kidding, my coworkers were amazed. Happened again the next day, did it again it worked. My coworker then started hacking away driving me nuts so I gave it to him. It worked.

Anyway so I started taking it in water a few days ago when I caught my fiance's cold because it soothed my soar throat. Now I did lose my voice for 3 days, vinegar or no vinegar. But I woke up in the morning able to breath through my nose, to my utter surprise. Now the past 3 days I can actually breath through my nose and I had been congested for about two months. It feels great to breath through my nose again. I'll keep taking it. Thanks. ES

Carbicarb remedy which is a solution for many symptoms!! I had painful red itchy hands with pimples after working in the garden and i took 1/4 teaspoon of soda crystals (baking soda and sodium bicarbonate) in a glass of water the trademark is Tricel, made in the Netherlands, and in one hour the symptoms were gone. I also had running nose and the soda crystals dried my nose. My nose sometimes gets blocked and with daily use of soda crystals can return your nose to its normal condition and opened sinuses. Soda crystals does a lot! It helps my mother sleep easily, it alkalises your brain, helps your hypothalamus and help your exhausted adrenal glands to recover.This remedy and advice i got from Ted, he advised me to take daily soda crystals with a lot of water... It is helping my thyroid problem as well as i have hypothyroidism. I hope it will clean my liver too from the fats and clean it like it cleans a dirty plate. Thanx Ted for the great help you give with your advice as always. You are the best website!!! And Ted is the best! What do we do without Ted? What do we do without Earthclinic? We would probably die.. I am telling everyone i know how great Earthclinic is and they are checking your site.

what exactly is soda crystals? I am interested in trying this remedy. Thanks for the feedback....

I must admit- I had little faith but was desperate. After three rounds of antibiotics and still constant congestion/ sinus infection, I became addicted to Afrin. Using it twice daily cleared my nose enough for me to make calls at work and sleep at night but after only two weeks, I had to increase to 4x's a day to stay clear. I realized this was a major problem and began searching for alternative solutions. After reading the earthclinic site, I threw out the Afrin, purchased apple cider vinegar and a Neti Pot (since lots of friend have been recommending it too). My nose was so clogged the Neti Pot was not effective- the water had no where to do. So, I mixed the one TBS. of ACV with 8 oz. of water and chugged it. I haven't been able to taste anything for over a week but could still feel the bitter tingle on my tounge. I was disappointed when I didn't feel relief within the hour. The evening passed and I realized as I went to lay down for the night- I could breathe through my nose. While it wasn't totally clear- I could sleep with my mouth closed- without using the dreaded Afrin! I followed the same procedure the next day and by the second night- I was breathing totally clear and feeling great! GOD BLESS YOU earth clinic. My taste buds are back and the ACV is terrible but I don't care- it's worth it x's 100 for the relief I finally feel!!! After reading the other benifits ACV offers- I have recommended it and your site to many family and friends. Thanks again!

After being overseas for awhile, I returned back to Yuma, AZ and seen a doctor about my sinus. Well, he made his diagnosis from my charts dated one year ago. I didn't take any free drugs that he had given to me and surfed the internet for cures. I tried the vinegar and it really helped my clogged sinus. The cayenne pepper in water also took out the soreness in my throat. The slice of apple really helped the acid reflux (loose water pipe that I hear at nights.) Many thanks. I hope that you will continue because there are MANY medical care people nowadays only looking to obtain more money instead of really caring for their patients. Very superficial care.

I was referred to this site by a friend of mine and was amazed at all of the benefits ACV has. I suffer from chronic allergies/sinus infections. It has only been 24 hrs and I CAN BREATHE!! I had problems breathing out of my left nostril and my left side of my face always has sinus pain...it has completely opened up. I cannot wait to see other health benefits including some weight loss. It has suppressed my appetite today!

After spending years stuffed up, and trying everything including acv, I just wanted to post a possible cause to your congestion. Took me a long time to figure out with not much help from my Doctors. Congestion caused by food allergies and overgrowth of candida albicans (yeast) in body. Candida can cause a lot of problems from food allergies to muscle and joint pain (which I also suffered). I would suggest seeing a naturopath who can test you for food allergies and also help you try a candida diet. I am doing so much better, and with watching my diet I hope to be rid of allergies and get candida under control. Life is so much better when you can breathe and have energy. Candida feeds on sugar, yeasts and gluten to name a few, which are heavy in the american diet. Worth checking out.

WORKED TEMPORARILY

I tried the tablespoon of honey with a teaspoon of cinnamon to try to cure my sinus infection. It helped initially, but only for a few minutes. I don't believe this actually works.

I recently tried the apple cider vinegar remedy for my plugged sinuses to no avail! Absolutely didn't work. I drank the stuff and steamed it in water and inhaled it. All that I accomplished was drying out my skin on my face incredibly so I look about 20 years older with wrinkles and my sinuses are getting worse. I would not recommend apple cider vinegar to anyone! It is a drying acid!

You don't inhale it and you don't steam it over your face/skin! Go to ACV.com or _____s.com and read the many uses for vinegar BUT YOU MUST USE IT CORRECTLY YOU CANNOT MISUSE IT AND SAY YOU DO NOT RECOMMEND IT! You could misuse anything and get bad results. Your post was ridiculous. Your own fault!

I have had horrible sinus problems for almost a year. My doctor deeps prescribing different allergy medicines. No matter which one, the side effects were much worse than having a constantly clogged nose. Don't we all need to be alert? I have been hearing about ACV from some of my "natural" friends and family and thought nothing of it until I found this website. I started doing "shots" of ACV 2 days ago and already noticed a big difference! If you mix that with water - there's just more of it to drink - plus when you're really really clogged you can't taste much of it anyway. The natural tastes better!

Went to bed last night with stuffy nose, woke up 3 time in the middle of the night, my nose was so stuffy i felt like i was suffocating, finally got up and stayed up because i could not breathe through my nose, and went to yahoo search engine and typed in sinus infection cures and came upon your site. After reading several testamonials i went straight to the kitchen and got poured a 1/3 cup ACV to 1/3 cup water (i don't like ACV) but was willing to try anything! chased it down with a little pomegranite juice and 15 min later i could breathe again. Thank you, thank you for this website.