Inhalation for a runny nose at home

Inhalation procedures are a treatment method recognized by traditional medicine as an effective way to deliver medications to the affected area in any part of the respiratory system. It is not for nothing that inhalations are prescribed even to those who are undergoing inpatient treatment. Physiotherapy rooms in most hospitals are equipped with special inhalers and nebulizers, which are bulky enough to be used at home.

If a person is on outpatient treatment, it will not be very convenient for him to visit the physiotherapy room every day to conduct inhalations. Especially if you consider that inhalations for a runny nose and cough can be carried out without any particular difficulties at home.

There is always suitable utensils for steam procedures in the home, because inhalations for a runny nose can be carried out over a saucepan, and over a teapot, and even over a cup in which a hot inhalation solution is poured. There is also a suitable towel in the chest of drawers, which you will need to throw over your head while inhaling medicinal vapors.

When asked what to do steam inhalations with for a runny nose at home, we can offer several options for medicinal compositions:

• solutions of soda, salt, soda plus salt,
• still mineral water (Borjomi, Essentuki, Luzhanskaya, Svalyava, etc.),
• herbal infusions,
• essential oils,
• folk remedies: potato broth, compositions with garlic, onion, Kalanchoe juice,
• furacilin solution, which is not afraid of high temperatures.

Those who have taken care and purchased an inhaler for home use (except for an ultrasonic nebulizer) will have a larger choice of medicinal solutions. In addition to the above-described compositions, they will be able to inhale pharmaceutical drugs: saline, antiseptics and antibiotics, mucolytics, immunostimulants.

In our grandmothers' notebooks and on Internet resources today you can find various recipes for inhalations for runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, accompanying infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Let's first consider those, the ingredients for which you can always find at home, which means you can do without going to the pharmacy.

Inhalations with soda for a runny nose

Soda is a substance used in cooking and in the home to soften water, clean dishes, silverware, etc. It is unlikely that there is a home where they do not know about all the advantages and possibilities of using this effective softening and disinfectant.

Soda inhalations for a runny nose not only help eliminate the inflammatory process on the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract caused by bacteria and microbes (soda effectively fights them and creates conditions in the nose that are not suitable for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms), but also facilitate the easy removal of phlegm. They are very effective if the nose is stuffy during illness and the mucus cannot leave it on its own. Soda inhalations help prevent complications of rhinitis such as sinusitis or otitis caused by congestion.

To prepare an inhalation solution, take 1 tablespoon of soda per 1 liter of water and stir the mixture thoroughly until the alkali is completely dissolved. For inhalers, take a filtered solution at room temperature. When performing steam inhalations, heat it until steam appears or pour soda directly into hot water.

It is popularly believed that when you have a runny nose, it is good to add a few drops of iodine to the soda solution (without fanaticism!). In this case, for 1 liter of water, you will need to take 1 tablespoon of soda and a couple of drops of an alcohol solution of iodine, which is a good antiseptic and only enhances the effect of soda.

Another option for inhalations with soda is to enhance the inhalation solution with the antibacterial action of garlic. The inhalation solution is prepared as follows:

• First, a medium head of garlic is broken into cloves, peeled and covered with 1 liter of water,
• the mixture is brought to a boil and kept on low heat for no more than 5 minutes,
• The broth is cooled to the desired temperature and 1 teaspoon of soda is added to it.

You can make it simpler by adding a few drops of garlic to a hot soda solution. Such inhalations will not leave microbes a chance to settle in the nose for a long time. However, children are unlikely to like the procedure of inhaling garlic vapors.

It is enough to inhale soda 1-2 times a day. Adult patients only need to inhale the healing vapors for 10 minutes, and a three-five minute procedure is enough for children.

For those who are afraid to use concentrated alkali (soda), doctors advise inhaling mineral water for a runny nose. Such inhalations are considered useful for thickening snot, drying out the nasal mucosa, and the formation of hard, difficult-to-remove crusts in the nose.

Most often, doctors recommend inhaling Borjomi for a runny nose and nasal congestion. But this does not mean that other naturally mineralized waters will not be beneficial. You just need to choose natural slightly alkaline types of water that will help remove mucus and shift the pH level in the nose to the alkaline side, which is not suitable for microorganisms. Inhalations for a runny nose can be done with mineral waters Essentuki, Narzan, Luzhanskaya, Svalyava, etc.

When using bottled mineral water for inhalation, it is recommended to release the gas from it beforehand. Mineral water can be used in a heated form for steam inhalation or in nebulizers, ensuring that the water temperature is at least 20 degrees. Mineral water is approved for use in any type of inhaler.

Inhalation with salt

Salt is valued by the people not only as a well-known food seasoning that gives dishes a special salty taste, but also as a natural antiseptic. When you have a runny nose, salt disinfects the nasal mucosa, relieves swelling and inflammation that prevent the natural cleansing of the nasal passages. Moreover, doctors recommend using salt in the form of inhalations at any stage of the disease.

To treat a runny nose, you can take table or edible sea salt, which additionally contains iodine and other useful microelements. For ½ liter of water, usually take 2 teaspoons of salt. Such a solution, like soda compositions, can be used both in inhalers and for steam procedures used to treat adults and children.

To make breathing easier and enhance the anti-inflammatory effect, you can add a few drops of essential oils with the appropriate effect to the salt solution (eucalyptus, coniferous trees, lemon, chamomile, thyme, etc.). To thin thick mucus in purulent rhinitis associated with a bacterial infection, doctors advise adding 1 teaspoon of soda to the water in addition to salt.

Inhalations with garlic and onions for a runny nose

Garlic is a vegetable with a sharp taste and a pungent smell, which also has high antibacterial and antiviral activity. It is not for nothing that as a preventive measure against colds, even doctors themselves advise regularly introducing garlic into your diet, eating at least a clove a day. And garlic is very helpful in treating colds.

True, this treatment is not suitable for everyone, and eating garlic is not so easy, especially for children. But the antibacterial ether of garlic can penetrate the body and bypass the oral cavity, as it happens during inhalations for a runny nose, which can be done at any time of the disease. What recipes for garlic inhalations does traditional medicine offer in addition to those described above:

• Chop a few cloves of garlic, put them in a small saucepan and put it in hot water. Lean over the saucepan, covering your head with a towel, and inhale the healing vapors with an antimicrobial effect.
• Using a press or grater, crush the peeled garlic into a paste, which we pour with hot water. Bend over and breathe in the steam.

Adults can do garlic inhalations several times a day at intervals of 3-4 hours; for children, two inhalations a day are enough.

For onion inhalations, you need to heat half a liter of water to boiling point, add a large chopped onion and inhale the steam from such a distance as not to burn your face and mucous membranes. You must close your eyes to avoid burning and tearing. The recommended frequency of onion inhalations is 1-2 times a day.

Garlic and onion inhalations are an effective way to fight microbes and viruses, which is suitable not only for adults, but also for children and pregnant women, because such treatment does not harm the body, and is almost as effective as inhalations with antibiotics. However, children may have an extremely negative attitude to such procedures.

Dry inhalations for a runny nose can also be done with products such as onions and garlic. Phytoncides and volatile essential oils of these products have high antimicrobial activity, so even inhaling the aroma of cut or chopped vegetables helps fight pathogens. In addition, the air in the room where the patient is located is also disinfected. Cut citrus fruits can also be used for medicinal purposes.

Potato inhalations for runny nose

This is an old, absolutely safe method of treating a runny nose, which, unlike inhalations with garlic and onions, should appeal to children. Not everyone agrees that such inhalations are beneficial for a runny nose, comparing their effectiveness with steam inhalations with ordinary water. But those who liked this method claim that the vapors of boiled potatoes contain useful healing components: dipropylene glycol, tetradecane, ethyl alcohol, phytoncides, particles of which are capable of:

• relieve tissue swelling and inflammation by stimulating blood circulation in the affected area,
• facilitate the removal of mucus from the nasal passages,
• stimulate tissue regeneration by improving metabolic processes in them,
• soothe the nasal mucosa, relieving unpleasant symptoms: burning, itching, pain
• fight bacteria, viruses and protozoa due to the content of phytoncides.

Inhalations with potatoes are indicated not only for rhinitis, acute respiratory viral infections and other cold symptoms, but also for such a severe ENT pathology as sinusitis. But in order for such procedures to bring real benefits, it is necessary to take into account some requirements:

• potatoes are boiled "in their skins", i.e. unpeeled, because it is the skin and the upper layers of the pulp that contain the maximum amount of useful substances,
• Before placing the vegetables in water, wash them thoroughly with a brush,
• you need to boil the potatoes for 15-25 minutes, making sure that they don’t overcook,
• It is strictly forbidden to carry out inhalations while boiling potatoes or immediately after the pan with them has been removed from the stove,
• to increase the effect, poisoned potato tubers can be mashed with a fork or masher,
• Before you start inhaling potato vapors over a slightly cooled saucepan, it is advisable to clear (preferably rinse) your nasal passages and massage your nose.
• It is better to breathe in the healing steam by covering your head with a towel, which will not allow the beneficial substances to disperse throughout the room.

Inhalations with potatoes can be carried out up to 5 times a day with a procedure duration of 5-10 minutes.

Inhalation of herbs for a runny nose

Medicinal plants, which are usually called herbs, are a great gift of nature, which helped people heal even in the days of the absence of effective medicines. It is not surprising that many recipes of traditional medicine have survived to this day, the main components of which are herbs.

When our ancestors had a runny nose, they used steam inhalations with herbal infusions, which require special care, and today some inhalers allow using these compounds more safely. However, it is not recommended to use herbal compounds and essential oils in such popular nebulizers. And it is not only that the device can break down, but that when you have a runny nose, you do not need deep penetration of volatile substances into the respiratory tract, which is provided by the innovative device.

Rhinitis can be treated with herbal decoctions and infusions. The most suitable for inhalation are chamomile, St. John's wort, calendula, coltsfoot, pine needles and buds, juniper, fir, etc. But when choosing plants from which to make a decoction or infusion for inhalation, you need to take into account the fact that herbs carry the risk of allergic reactions (up to Quincke's edema and bronchospasm when plant ethers enter the bronchi), which means you need to choose those to which a person is definitely not allergic.

The most useful and hypoallergenic plant with a pronounced anti-inflammatory and soothing effect is chamomile. Inhalations with chamomile for a runny nose help relieve tissue swelling and eliminate nasal congestion. Chamomile infusion also has some antiseptic action, which will help in the fight against pathogens, slowing down their reproduction in the nasal passages.

To prepare the inhalation composition, take 2 tablespoons of dried or fresh flowers of the plant per half a liter of water. Pour boiling water over the plant material and leave it in a warm place (you can use a thermos or wrap the dishes in woolen cloth) for 10-15 minutes. After the composition has cooled down a little, you can begin to inhale the healing vapors, covering your head with a blanket, or use a steam inhaler.

There is no point in increasing the dosage of the herb. The therapeutic effect will not increase, but a sore throat and a feeling of dryness in the mucous membrane may appear. It is also better to keep the temperature of the water in the herbal composition within 45-50 degrees. If steam inhalations are carried out for a child, the temperature of the liquid should be even lower - 30-40 degrees. Steam procedures with chamomile are carried out three times a day for a week.

Eucalyptus is very useful for any colds, it is not for nothing that its water extract is included in many drops and sprays used for colds. In case of a runny nose, you can inhale eucalyptus leaves.

To prepare the inhalation composition, take 2 tablespoons of plant leaves per half a liter of boiling water and leave in a warm place for a couple of hours, trying to keep the composition from cooling down during this time. You need to breathe in eucalyptus vapors covered with a towel for 15-20 minutes daily, 3-4 times a day. If there is a shortage of plant materials, it is not necessary to prepare a new infusion each time, it is enough to warm up the old one. Eucalyptus infusion retains its properties well, so you can use the prepared composition during the day, and prepare a new one the next day.

Inhalations with coniferous plants will be invaluable for a runny nose. The easiest way is to use pine buds and needles, harvesting them during the New Year celebration, but you can also take spruce needles, juniper shoots or fir.

Pine infusion is prepared as follows: take 2 tablespoons of crushed pine needles per half a liter of water and leave to infuse in a warm place for about 1 hour. Inhalations are performed over the hot mixture (about 50-55 degrees) for a quarter of an hour (10 minutes is enough for children). The frequency of procedures is from 1 to 3 inhalations per day.

For inhalation procedures, you can use not only single-component compositions, but also herbal mixtures. Here are some examples of such mixtures:

• Eucalyptus leaves, St. John's wort, calendula flowers.
• Calendula and chamomile flowers.
• Chamomile flowers and eucalyptus leaves.
• Linden and chamomile flowers, yarrow herb.

An effective herbal mixture can always be made independently from the raw materials available at home, taking into account the action of individual plants. In order to prepare an inhalation composition from a herbal mixture, you need to take 2 tablespoons of dry or fresh plant materials per half a liter of boiling water, keep the composition in a water bath for 20-30 minutes (you can use a thermos for infusion), cool to a temperature of no more than 50 degrees and use as intended.

Infusions and decoctions can use not only herbs, but also plant shoots (pine, currant, raspberry, blackberry). In this case, it is recommended to boil the shoots in water for about 5 minutes and mix with the herbal infusion. According to this principle, an inhalation composition is prepared from blackberry shoots and coltsfoot grass, raspberry leaves and twigs with calendula flowers.

When selecting herbs and plants for an infusion, you need to make sure that the mixture does not include plants that cause allergies in the patient.

Essential oils for inhalation for runny nose and colds

As we know, medicinal herbs contain healing essential oils, which are actively used in cosmetology and alternative medicine. You can buy oils in most pharmacies and beauty salons. If you don’t have a suitable herb in your home medicine cabinet, you can use essential oils, which are added drop by drop to the inhalation solution (usually 2 to 10 drops).

Inhalations with essential oils for a runny nose are not only a pleasant, but also a very useful procedure, because ethers are volatile substances that easily penetrate the nasal passages and envelop the nasal mucosa, creating an invisible film on it. Depending on the properties of the plant, the essential oil of which is used in inhalation, we get an anti-inflammatory, soothing, antimicrobial and antiviral effect.

Most often, when colds and runny noses are treated, people turn to eucalyptus ether. And this is not surprising, because this plant is considered the most powerful defender against colds. It is not without reason that in those places where eucalyptus trees grow in large quantities and the air is saturated with healing ether, people practically do not know what respiratory infections are.

The next most effective is coniferous tree oil. The situation with coniferous forests is identical to eucalyptus. People living near them rarely get colds. This speaks in favor of using essential oils of pine, juniper, and fir for runny noses and colds.

Inhalations with fir oil are very popular for runny nose and cough, as it has a disinfectant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effect, facilitating the discharge of phlegm from the nasal passages, increasing local immunity. In this case, you will need to take only 2-3 drops of ether per liter of warm water.

If you don't have eucalyptus or coniferous essential oils at home, don't despair. There are many other oils that have a healing effect on a runny nose: lemon, orange, mint, cypress, lavender, chamomile, tea tree, etc. Oils can be taken separately or in a mixture.

For example, adult patients can do steam inhalations with bitter orange and rosewood oils (2 drops per liter of hot water) with the addition of 1 drop of black pepper oil. Or take a mixture of the following oils:

• cinnamon and lemon (3 drops each)
• lavender, pine and thyme (1 drop each) plus 3 drops of eucalyptus oil
• eucalyptus, pine and lemon (or orange) 3 drops each
• juniper (3 drops) – a particularly effective remedy at the very beginning of the disease
• mint (3 drops), fir (2 drops), eucalyptus (1 drop)
• tea tree, eucalyptus and mint (2 drops each) are a good option for nasal congestion
• lavender, eucalyptus and rosemary (2 drops each) – suitable for both prevention and for combating the first signs of a cold.

Inhalation steam procedures with essential oils should be carried out without covering your head with a towel, especially if more than drops of oil are added to the water. The duration of such procedures usually does not exceed 10 minutes (5 minutes is enough for children). The frequency of procedures is usually 1-2 times a day.

In addition to steam procedures, air inhalations can be performed, which are more suitable for small children. Water with a few drops of oil dissolved in it is sprayed in the room where the child is, and he breathes in the healing vapors without interrupting his games or during sleep. You can use an aroma lamp with the appropriate essential oils.

Another option for inhalations that does not require a child or an adult to sit over a saucepan for ten minutes is baths with essential oils. A few drops of oil added to the bathing water will make the procedure not only pleasant, but also useful (warm water promotes the evaporation of the ether, and it will enter the nasal passages during breathing). The same oils can be used as for steam inhalations.

You need to select aromatic oils according to the same principle as herbs. The essential oil should have the properties necessary for a runny nose and not cause allergic reactions.

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