Jean's Famous Tomato Tea Remedy for Sinus Infections and Congestion

Worked for me! I get 2-3 sinus infections per year that usually require antibiotics. This past year I decided to try this instead and after about 3 days of drinking this stuff about 3-4 a day, the mucous thinned and I started blowing like crazy. Now I'm in mexico where sudafed is illegal and my right nostril closed up on me, my throat started to hurt and my head started pounding. I remembered this remedy and got the ingredints. The ingredients I used were V8, cloves of garlic that I make sure to smash with wide part of knife, hot sauce and hot peppers. I also used a little afrin to make breathing more tolerable because I'm on my honeymoon and don't feel like sitting around waiting to be able to breathe. Day 3 and i'm blowing away with much thinned mucous and have only had about 1-2 glasses a day! Finally a cure to my sinus infections!

I'm a big fan of Jean's spicy tomato tea, and I just wanted to share this idea. As I like to play around with spices, I recently decided to add some turmeric to this recipe just for the heck of it. Turmeric, among its numerous studied health benefits, has anti-bacterial/anti-fungal properties - which fits the whole purpose of the tomato tea. Taste-wise, I think it works well, too. Blessings!

THIS IS GREAT! Everything is opening up! Even my ear canals are opening. Can turn the TV a little lower now.... And not say, "WHAT D'YA SAY DEAR???" Thanks!

I started reading this site this afternoon after a month of awful sinus problems, following a nasty cold. I've taken Prednisone, pseudoephadrile (?) and anitbiotics, some days felt better and some days worse. Would think it was getting better and then the next, like today, wake up with the right hand side of my face puffed out and unable to go to work due to the pressure in my head and face.

Well thank you Earth Clinic and all your writers. I went and got some ingredients this afternoon, made tomato tea and the apple cider vinegar mix. The relief was instant!! I was able to de-dust the entire house this evening, vacuum under beds etc etc. I wasnt able to get off the sette this morning. It's 6 hours since I took the first batch of tea and ACV, can just feel the headache coming back, so having more ACV before bed. I am 'looking forward' to trying the oil pulling in the morning and crossing my fingers that the misery may be over soon!

This did work amazingly well for me after the second try. The key to it helping I believe was 1) to add as much hot sauce and garlic that you can tolerate and 2) to drink this as soon as you feel sinus inflammation beginning to develop (as opposed to waiting until symptoms are full-fledged).

Another Yea for tomato tea: I made this up (not at all measuring ingredients) for my daughter last night, and this morning her dry cough has turned productive, thank G-d!! Thank you Jean and EC!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! This worked so very well!

I've been suffering from an influenza like illness for a few days here and was desperate for some congestion relief. I also wanted to use my neti pot, but that requires being able to breathe somewhat through both nares.

I decided to try this Tomato Tea and wow, it's awesome! Within a few sips I could breathe. Not only did it help my congestion, but I had also lost my voice completely and after about a cup of this mix my voice is improving. Still far from stellar, but I can talk better now too.

Thank you so much for this. I am a nurse and will be recommending this to people. There's good science behind why this works.

And it honestly doesn't taste half bad!

(I did use a little worstershire sauce as well as some seasoning salt with the V8, lemon juice, 4 cloves of garlic & as much hot sauce as I could stand.)

I've had a sore throat and cough for a week, and 3-4 days ago it turned into a sinus infection. I always feel stomach sick if I take OTC cold medication (Nyquil/Dayquil) so I decided to search for a home remedy. I found the recipe for this tomato soup and decided to try it. Just 5 minutes after starting to drink it, I feel a lot better. My sinuses have already relaxed and can get rid of some of my mucus! My throat feels nice.

I have tried the non-tomato tea recipe before (lemon, ceyenne, etc) with no effect except a burnt throat. I'm very happy to have this recipe!

I made my tomato tea with tomato paste because we don't have juice - I just added 2-3 tsp to a cup of hot water, and added everything else as recommended. It works great, I'll have another cup this afternoon!

Recently, I came down with a bad cold and very sore throat that I think was brought on by stress - I literally "worried myself sick". I woke up with it on a Wednesday before I was to start a new job the following Monday. This was bad news - I rarely get sick, but when I do get a cold, it's usually miserable and protracted. I turned to Jean's spicy tomato tea, drinking approximately a large coffee-mug-full two to three times a day. (One caveat: I like very spicy foods, and I use a lot more garlic and hot sauce than the recipe calls for! ) I started feeling better right away; my symptoms turned out to be not nearly as miserable as they usually are when I've had a cold; and best of all, by Monday morning I was about 98% recovered and feeling ready to tackle my first day of my new job. It cut my recovery time in half and really eased the symptoms. And this was a month ago and I did not have a relapse - this tea killed the cold virus! :)

I especially appreciate this remedy because I have a highly reactive immune system and have had allergic reactions to at least a couple of OTC cold medications - the upshot of which is that, rather than risk an adverse reaction, I don't take anything other than pain reliever when I'm sick, and just rely on the old methods of rest, lots of fluids, etc. - and spicy tomato tea! My heartfelt thanks for Jean for coming up with this comforting, nutritious and healing concoction.

I realize this post is a year late and you have found an answer not mention had your baby, but for future reference and other pregnant women with this same issue, you can skip the tomato if need be and just add hot water. It is effect as well though maybe not as tasty.

For the heart burn it may cause you, brew a peppermint tea before you drink the spicy tea, then you can have sip of peppermint inbetween sips of spicy. And lots cool water helps to. I find heartburn is not an issue for me tho.

Tomato Tea worked wonderfully for my husband's sinus congestion. He had sinus pain and pressure for about a week before we tried this. He did not believe it would work. It tastes good too! Thank you!

Carly, the post I sent in is NOT misinformation. I have studied the work of Dr Donald Lepore who is a nutritional pioneer with many excellent credentials...ND, DN AND NMD. HE HAS LINKED THE TOMATO IN THE CITRUS ALLERGY CATEGORY with many studies, patient experiences and successes in his clinic to back it up. Sure, it is in the nightshade family, I am not disputing that...it is important for many people to be aware of the work done in field of nutritional medicine and remedies that are usually based on mineral, amino acid and vitamin deficiencies that can be easily corrected. Many of the dis-ase around is a simple form of malnutrition that is easy to remedy. I have had personal experience with tomato tearing my stomach up, I thought I was dying.... In the SAME way as lemon juice did when I tried to do a liver cleanse. We all desire to feel healthy, there are pitfalls on the road, what works for one might cause serious distress in another. We don't investigate the same paths or read the same books or HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCES. That is why a forum like Earth Clinic is so incredibly valuable. Thanks to the many contributors on Earth Clinic I have been able to put missing pieces in the puzzle of many of my ill health issues and am well on the way to being healthy.... I SALUTE YOU ALL!

Hi. Sorry you had a bad reaction to the tomato tea. First things first, there was misinformation sent in earlier.

Tomato is a member of the "nightshade" family.... It is not a citrus fruit. It is in the potato and pepper family of plants.

If the tomato did give you the reaction (and it was not just really bad timing and you had the flu or some other food poisoning type of thing).... then I would be very careful / watchful for symptoms the next time you eat peppers or potatoes.

Do a web search on nightshade plants for more info.... and best of luck to you.

Carly :)

It seems very unlikely that you wouldn't have seen a problem sooner if you have an allergy or high acid stomach. I think you had some bad tomatoe juice, or garlic, or something. If you haven't had any reactions to tomatoes, garlic, or cayenne sooner then, I have to assume you had some bad food. It's a very simple and common recipe. It's also possible you just had the stomach flu along with the cold. I know I've had my share of one food or another getting blamed for my stomach bugs. I will never be able to eat bacon again after my stomach flu hit a few minutes after eating it.

Spike, so sorry to hear about your ordeal with the tomato tea!

Your reaction to the tomato tea could very well be linked to a Pantothenic acid (vitB5)deficiency…you could also react similarly to other foods in the 'citrus allergy group' eg oranges, lemons, grapefruit, tangerines, pineapple, cantaloupe and tomatoes that can cause 'metabolic antagonism' or what is commonly called an allergy…so be careful. A great source of Pantothenic acid is Royal jelly. Pantothenic acid is present in many of the multi B supplements in the form of Calcium Pantothenate, which is great- because the mineral antidote for this 'citrus' allergy is calcium, the amino acid used is Serine.

It is better to take a multiB than singling out a single B, as it can lead to deficiency in other B vitamins. These 'allergies' disappear once adequate co-factors added. It is important that one see the bigger picture, supplement when warning signs appear, before more serious problems raise their head.

It is also important to note that a sodium/potassium depletion can cause people to become 'allergic' to everything. Supplementing with Himalayan salt or other good mineral salt will keep a myriad of illnesses at bay, a good read is 'Salt your way to health' by David Brownstein MD.

You guys should really put some of the " nea" responses up there where people see them instead of bury them way at the back.

Some people just might have a horrible reaction like I did. This had a horrible affect on me.

I'm a very healthy 52 year old. I made this concoction and seriously was up all night, vomitting and had diarrhea all night. I even blacked out from vomitting at one point. I couldn`t go to work the next day. I was bed ridden.

I followed the instructions exactly. It was the first cold I've had in 2 years but, it was in my sinuses and my ears had been stuffed up for a week.

We eat a lot of garlic. I have no problem with cayenne pepper in general but this just tore my stomach up.

Please let people hear the flip side- a weaker person would have been hospitalized.

Here is a more enjoyable way to fight nasal congestion and it works:- Make a strong cup of coffee and have with one chocolate ginger sweet. If a little extra help is needed particulary before going to bed use a minimum of Vicks Sinex Soother nasal spray. Your breathing will be clear all night. This type of spray is not supposed to be used longer than 7 days but I have found that only one spray of Beconase nasal spray, once in seven days, can avoid this rebound. Microwave all uncooked fruit & acid drinks.

I was talking to my daughter and she complained of severe congestion, blocked nose, headache. I searched earth clinic and came across the tomato tea. I gave her the exact measurements and asked her to drink before going off to sleep. She did that and viola, the next day she mailed saying that the sinuses have all cleared! This really works. I have asked her to continue for a few nights more. Its a healthy soup as well!!

Works Really Well - My Dad tried it and it had instant effects (unblocked nose, clearing of headache), when we got home he had another cup, but this time, blended, it was SO STRONG he started to SWEAT! After his third cup he felt better then ever.

BTW it tasted better, and was easier to drink (less spicy) when it was raw, and not blended, to do this, he squashed the garlic with hands and squashed the tomato with a bended spoon and knife.

To be honest, he didn't think it work at first, but he proved himself wrong after one sip.

This tea works GREAT! I added a whole habanero and let it simmer with the tea for 5-10min on top of a boat load of ground cayenne pepper.

Just made the tomato tea for my husband. His sinuses were so congested. He had used the saline rinse for 2 days. Within 5 minutes he had relief and is now fast asleep and snoring! What a wonderful sound. Thank you for the wonderful website. I come here often to look up things. I find natural remedies work so much better with our bodies. Thank you to all who offer advice. Thanks Jean for the tomato tea recipe. No trip to the Dr., no prescription, and all better!

Hi Naturelover, if you're using tabasco sauce or any of the hot sauces in the little bottle then just add a few drops, taste and add more if needed. If using cayenne pepper powder then use about 1/8 of a teaspoon or less and try. Lily.

Naturelover, I cannot stand too spicy, so I put just a bit in my concoction and it also worked. Even a 1/4 of a tsp. for me is unbearable, so just a few grains does work too. You take it from there as to how much would be right for you. Not always is more better.

I would like to try this but everyone says, as much hot sauce as possible. I have no clue how much that is. So, what would the minimum be that might work? 1/2 teaspoon? 1 tablespoon?? Anybody know?
Thanks so much

The "tomatoless" tea worked for my fever and sore throat. I found it on this site: honey, lemon, garlic, tiny pinch cayenne, tiny pinch celtic salt. All in hot water. It worked pretty fast too, thank G-d.