Quick Sinus Relief: Natural Remedies for Congestion

Pumpkin Oil

Posted by Irina (New York, NY) on 01/14/2019
★★★★★

Pumpkin Oil for sinus congestion:

Pumpkin oil is working great for my sinuses, which have been clogged for years now - it is actually finally clearing up! I can't believe it & am so glad after all this time to find relief! Pumpkin oil is an antifungal, so it makes sense it would clear sinus issues.

Cayenne

Posted by Amanda (Des Moines) on 09/08/2016
★★★★★

Cayenne for nasal congestion. This worked for me. I snorted a very small amount. I proceeded to use some saline spray afterwards. I am pregnant and tend to use nasal spray daily.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Brenda (Columbus, Ohio) on 09/30/2015
★★★★★

Tried the 2 tbls coconut, vinegar (didn't have ACV) 2 tbls honey, dash of cayenne pepper, added quarter of raw onion and mug of hot H20 for sinus pain. Pain left quickly, w/in a few minutes. Woke up with sinus pain this AM. Not much mucus, pain was worrisome. Raw coconut Vinegar has 17 amino acids, minerals, vitamin C, broad spectrum B vitamins and has nearly neutral ph. It works faster for me for acidic stomach or indigestion. I use it with water for first morning beverage often. I get it at health food store.

Hydrogen Peroxide, Sea Salt

Posted by Dwight (S. Florida, US) on 12/19/2014
★★★★★

I mixed sea salt and hydrogen peroxide and squirted in each nostril to try to relieve my stuffy sinuses. The solution is very uncomfortable and it remains in my sinuses until I repeat the process about 3 times.Only then will it start to come back out the same nostril and if I keep it up some will eventually come out the opposing nostril. It just seems to get soaked up there.

Wheatgrass

Posted by Audrina (Los Angeles, Ca) on 07/21/2014
★★★★★

Wheatgrass (the juice powder) works miraculously well for clearing out sinuses! I feel relief immediately when I drink it, and if I keep drinking it everyday I have discovered that I can even eat foods like wheat and dairy that formerly made me stuffy. Wheatgrass does not have wheat. Make sure you don't take too much too soon, though! When I first tried it I took too much - 1 tablespoon and got very stuffy. I guess it was detoxifying stuff. When I cut back and started with just 1/4 teaspoon, my sinuses immediately cleared up. Now I can take 1 tablespoon, no problem. If you have chronic sinusitis or allergies that affect your sinuses, wheatgrass could be your cure! As an added bonus of taking wheatgrass, my hair is stronger and fuller than ever and has a very smooth texture.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, Baking Soda

Posted by Doddie (Georgia, Usa) on 03/14/2014
★★★★★

2T ACV, 2T Olive Oil, 1/4t baking soda in 8 oz warm water, was the only ingredients I did have. Been suffering from chest congestion and hacking up phlegm for 6 days. Relief from the coughing, congestion, within the hour! My nose drained and 2 hr later it is still working. Unbelievable! The worst thing I have ever had to drink down in my life (and I am good at drinking horrible tasting stuff for medicinal purposes) . I had use the last of my honey before I got sick. This really does work, and I did manage to drink it down. I will try the ACV, honey, baking soda, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice the next time. The coughing stopped almost immediately. I had to post because it worked so well!!

Kimchi

Posted by Samantha (New York, Ny) on 07/30/2013
★★★★★

Kimchi for sinus infections/congestion: I have just recently discovered after adding other fermented foods to my diet like fermented veggies & sauerkraut that KIMCHI works wonders at clearing up sinus congestion!! It's a must try!!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Suntater (Danville, In) on 05/26/2013
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar for Sinus Congestion: Just a side note, my grandfather drank a glass of apple cider vinegar and honey every day as a daily preventative. I remember him staying home from work for only one day with a cold when I was a kid, and I even lived with him for awhile.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Rosie (Artesia, New Mexico ) on 05/15/2013
★★★★★

I was having such a hard time breathing so I googled home remedies and came across this one using ACV. I heated 6oz of water, 2 tblsp ACV and 1 tblsp honey on the stove and drank it warm. It was actually not bad tasting and worked great. In a matter of minutes I could breath. I will definitely do it again.

Camphor

Posted by Hippocrates (Odin, Missouri, U.s.a.) on 04/28/2012 9 posts
★★★★★

Hello all, I have suffered from sinus problems my whole life. This often leads to headaches caused by the sinuses being inflamed. I love to sleep with a fan for the sound, but this causes them often, so I must not. Drinking milk before bed does the same, so I must not. As does certain times of year, temperature too low in the house, humidity changes, smoke, etc, etc.

One thing I found helps lessen the pain is the "nose bullets" as I call them. Tubes you stick in your nose and inhale the vapors. They contain Camphor/Menthol. They do not "cure" a sinus headache, but lessen the pain. Heating up some "chest rub" in a jar does the same, but it is not as portable. Also, rubbing the "chest rub" onto your forehead helps soften the pain. I use Neti pots but add 1 teaspoon or less of Xylitol and several drops of hydrogen peroxide per each pot full to the standard salt/baking soda powder that is out there.

I post these not as medical advise, but something that has worked for me to make living with sinuses more bearable.

Tomato Tea

Posted by Holly (Fresno, Ca) on 04/15/2012
★★★★★

I honestly can't believe this WORKED! I have had a terrible cold with a sore throat and the worst sinus congestion for four days straight. Fearing a sinus infection, I was preparing to head to the Dr. in another day. I had tried everything I could think of, Sudafed, Dayquil, and even Nasal Spray (which only worked for a couple of hours, not 12 like the label promised). Desperate, I went online to try a "natural" remedy. I was willing to try just about anything. And what do you know? It WORKED. Within 20 minutes my congestion felt less "throbbing" and one more cup and 2 hours later - my sinuses are TOTALLY CLEAR! My throat is starting to feel better too! I am definately going to use this remedy again if I ever feel a cold coming on. One thing, I added a little honey and I crushed my garlic with a garlic press. It seems to have helped get the garlic to juice out a bit more. THANK YOU so much for this amazing recipe!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Brenda (Manning, South Carolina) on 01/23/2012
★★★★★

I've gone through sinus surgery and suffer at least once a week with congestion and running. Got bad tonight that I could not breathe thru BOTH nostrils. I am pregnant so I can not take anything. I drank 6 oz of warm water with 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and one tbsp honey. Warmed it in the microwave for 20seconds. After about 5 minutes, I can breathe thru left nostril. Right one is still blocked but I'm happy to have at least one to breathe from!!!

I do know that cutting sugar and caffeine will help. A nutritionalist also said that milk/dairy is mucous forming. Can't live without all three! I also learned thru study that continuous decongestants will actually worsen congestion. Hope this helps everyone because it is miserable not being able to breathe!

Anise

Posted by Shorty (Austin, Tx) on 11/07/2011
★★★★★

Another thing that works for congestion is a spice called "anise", you boil the seeds and drink it with honey & lemon. my mom swore by it when we were younger & I used it for my infant kids since it was hard for them to cough up the mucus.

I need to use it myself for I have been suffering from nasal congestion/mucus & acid indigestion. That combination makes it hard to breathe freely, and sleep.. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Cayenne

Posted by Nathan (Pittsburgh, Pa, Usa) on 10/30/2011
★★★★★

To relieve lingering sinus congestion due to allergies, I tried the method of snorting small rice sized amounts of cayenne powder.

Like Veejay25 said, there is about 30 seconds of fairly intense burning. For me, however, the burning continued for approximately 30 minutes after taking the powder. After the intense first few minutes, it gradually lessened. The pain is nothing that an average person could not tolerate. There was also about 6 to 7 minutes of intense sneezing, watering eyes, and nose blowing. If you plan to try this, make sure you have about 10 or 15 minutes to recover.

My sinuses cleared slightly, though not completely. I should stress that I did not have a severe sinus condition, so better results could probably be achieved during treatment of a worse condition.

One question to consider is the potential for cayenne to damage the nasal cavity if used chronically. Of course we should all realize it would never be recommended to use many (not all) of the remedies on this site for extended periods due to the lack of scientific research on long term side effects.

Red Pepper, Ground Pepper

Posted by Red9979 (Miami, Fl) on 09/06/2011
★★★★★

cayenne pepper might work better, but I did not have any at hand, decided to take a facial vaporizer, that has the nose attatchment, to the water, I added crushed red pepper and ground black pepper, smelled it for about 15 minutes, at medium or high setting made me sneeze instantly, did not burn and cleared me but then again I do not have chronic sinus. I guess for chronic sinus or bad infections with headaches and sinus pain- the cayenne would be more powerful .

but if your desperate enough and do not have it at hand, try my method might work for you.

General Feedback

Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia) on 06/11/2011

Larry you write: "My alternative physician suggested using betaine HCl instead of ACV to alleviate my nasal congestion, thereby not ingesting vinegar that fungus thrives on".

The above is NOT true. Vinegar does "not" thrive on fungus. I totally cured by toenail fungus by ingesting ACV (and doing nothing else). I had it for many years and even took tablets years ago to cure it but nothing worked until I drank the ACV.