Devon (Scottsdale, AZ) on 12/26/2006
1. Heat about one cup of water to steaming and add about 1 tablespoons of red (cayenne) peppers. Stir for approximately one minute and press the peppers with a spoon as you would a teabag for added heat. (Easy Tip: The peppers do not have to be fresh and I actually used the bottled kind that people sprinkle on pizza)
2. Strain. (You may chose not to do this if you like chunky water.... EWWW!)
3. Try not to burn your mouth! Blow on the mixture for a little bit (just like you would tea!) and gargle for at least 20 seconds at least three or four times. (It helps to swallow a bit of the mixture)
4. Blow your nose until it's ALL outta there and you're not getting the post-nasal drip! (THIS IS KEY) Repeat every 15 minutes as necessary. My personal experience may differ from yours. Today I was diagnosed with a sinus infection and I commonly have these (about every 3 months) so I figured why not try something new.
I would also recommend a saline nasal spray to bathe the sinuses morning and night. This has a similar effect and disinfects your nose. It works! I find that the more you use these methods the more effective they are.
Replied By Devon (USA) on 12/26/2006
USE ONLY ONE TABLESPOON OF PEPPER IF NOT A LITTLE BIT LESS. One tablespoon per cup was pretty hot. And if you use that recipe it's a fairly big batch so you can save what you don't use and reheat the mixture in the microwave if you need it later. If you are using the stuff I used (the kind of red pepper sprinkled on pizza instead of whole peppers) I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND STRAINING and possibly even use a cheese cloth. If the stuff gets in the back of your throat it can really tickle.