NationStates Jolt Archive

So its that time of the year (at least for me) when my sinuses decide to bonkers and I am plagued with chest and head colds. Now, since I am in the low income range and do not want to spend a lot of $$$ on medication, I was hoping people could post helpful home remedies for cold or sinuses, or at least cheap alternatives to big name medicine. I'm looking specifically for something that helps with cough, runny nose, and sore throat.

Thanks :)

Eucalyptus oil, get a small bottle of it, and breath in the fumes every now and then, it clears up the nose very well.

Trying snorting warm salty water (not too salty) to clean out teh nostrils. My Grandma used to swear by it.

Also to help prevent colds/flu drink a cup of star anise tea everyday.

It depends what's causing the problem. If it has to do with your immune system or allergies, you could try cutting out wheat, yeast and alcohol.

Also, dairy products make mucus related problems even worse. Cut those out of your diet too.

Thai and japanese food are really good in that respect, and real Mexican food. Not tex-mex. Mexican food.

Liquorice and aniseed. Also taste wonderful :)

i like Olbas oil when i have a cold or blocked nose. a few drops on the underside of my pillow and i sleep like a baby* :)

*babyesque sleep not guaranteed

Honey and lemon juice for your throat.

Nasal lavage and steam inhalation for your nose and sinuses. You can even add a little eucalyptus oil to your cup of just-below-boiling water to get some really nice refreshing steam.

Also, dairy products make mucus related problems even worse. Cut those out of your diet too.


My sinuses block up completely (to the point of causing almost migrane level headaches) when I have too much dairy, so I can definitely concur with this one. Try cutting out diary for a bit and see if that helps.

Oh and garlic, lots of garlic to help the immune system.

Edit: almost forgot, hot honey and lemon is a godsend for sore throats.

Not really cheap nor a home remedy but good anyhoo.

Take a packet of Becheems powers, a tot(or two) of Whiskey(or wiskey) a good spoonfull of honey, anda squeeze of fresh lemon, add boiling water, drink and enjoy then have two more.

I promise you, you'll not even notice your nose.:D

Stay in bed.

almost forgot, hot honey and lemon is a godsend for sore throats.
Why stop at honey and lemon?

A wee dash of whisky in your hot toddy (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A823439) does a world of good.

Nose: "wash"/"douche"/"sniff" slightly salted water. Also, of course, the whole "boil water with eucalyptus etc. oil and inhale steam", though I wonde rhow much of that Joe Average has at home.

Throat: Hot water plus lemon plus honey.

Generally: Instead of plain hot water, cook/let simmer a piece of ginger in a pot of water for a good while. Drink as much as you can throughout the day.

I remember a mixture of garlic, milk and honey, though it's been ages since it was administered to me. Personally I'd recommend good hot tea with lemon/honey/raspberry juice/a mix of two or more - it's good to have a sip even if does not help ;) . For sore throat, very helpful is washing it ("glbulghglbgublgh") with salty water - I've never tried honey&lemon, so I can't say which one works better.

I find an infusion of Vitamin C within 24 hours of getting a cold tends to knock it outta the ball park.

for sinus problems... see if you can find Vick's Vapor rub (http://www.vicks.com/vaporub.php). sniffing that will help clear your sinuses.

Fisherman's Friend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisherman's_Friend) will also do the trick.

Tea Tree oil, just put a few drops in a bowl and put it in the bottom of your shower, take a hot shower, should clear everything out. Don't put too much or your eyes might burn.

Nose: "wash"/"douche"/"sniff" slightly salted water. Also, of course, the whole "boil water with eucalyptus etc. oil and inhale steam", though I wonde rhow much of that Joe Average has at home.

Throat: Hot water plus lemon plus honey.

Generally: Instead of plain hot water, cook/let simmer a piece of ginger in a pot of water for a good while. Drink as much as you can throughout the day.

In place of the eucalyptus oil, etc., put a spoonful of Vick's Vaporub in hot water and inhale the steam. Also, rubbing Vick's on your chest and under your nose before bed, helps keep things clear long enough to get to sleep.

I also like Good Earth tea.

So its that time of the year (at least for me) when my sinuses decide to bonkers and I am plagued with chest and head colds. Now, since I am in the low income range and do not want to spend a lot of $$$ on medication, I was hoping people could post helpful home remedies for cold or sinuses, or at least cheap alternatives to big name medicine. I'm looking specifically for something that helps with cough, runny nose, and sore throat.

Thanks :)


I'm in the same boat as you are, so I know your pain.

What I do is I smoke (don't start if you're not a smoker now... I've been a smoker since I was 16 so it's no big deal for me) or I use this plastic thing my mother gave me and shoots a stream of water up into your sinues, clears them out, and makes all the snot pour out the other nostril. It's pretty gross and it hurts when you do it, but it works like a dream.

i like Olbas oil when i have a cold or blocked nose. a few drops on the underside of my pillow and i sleep like a baby* :)

*babyesque sleep not guaranteed

That really is such an odd simile, given how famously bad babies tend to be at sleeping through the night.

Other than that http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y107/TP4CCCC/emo-noadd.gif

My old grandmammy always used to say: "Kill a virgin under the light of a full moon, then spread her blood upon some fresh, buttered toast. I don't recommend eating the toast though, as the coagulated blood will taste nasty and get stuck in your teeth."
Then she went to prison for quite some time.

My old grandmammy always used to say: "Kill a virgin under the light of a full moon, then spread her blood upon some fresh, buttered toast. I don't recommend eating the toast though, as the coagulated blood will taste nasty and get stuck in your teeth."

Then she went to prison for quite some time.

...though that was for tax evasion.

My old grandmammy always used to say: "Kill a virgin under the light of a full moon, then spread her blood upon some fresh, buttered toast. I don't recommend eating the toast though, as the coagulated blood will taste nasty and get stuck in your teeth."
Then she went to prison for quite some time.

That's what ya get when your dad marries a girl from Innsmouth.

Basically, mate, you want to rub some smooth peanut butter up your nostrils before you go to sleep.

The proteins and salts diffuse into your bloodstream by the morning, so you keep your nutrient levels up, which is a pretty important part of getting better quickly.

Crunchy peanut butter is OK, but the chunks of peanut have a much less absorbable quality to them and it can even hurt a bit to get the stuff up your nose.

The best remedy I've found:

Just grin and bear it. You'll get over it eventually.

I'm in the same boat as you are, so I know your pain.

What I do is I smoke (don't start if you're not a smoker now... I've been a smoker since I was 16 so it's no big deal for me) or I use this plastic thing my mother gave me and shoots a stream of water up into your sinues, clears them out, and makes all the snot pour out the other nostril. It's pretty gross and it hurts when you do it, but it works like a dream.

What? That is the strangest thing I have heard for a long time.

What? That is the strangest thing I have heard for a long time.

It's called a Neti somethingorother, it looks like a tea pot. I have one, I use it on the kids.......unstuffs them without side effects.

What? That is the strangest thing I have heard for a long time.
Wait until you see one in action (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8sDIbRAXlg).
Actually, it doesn't look as gross or weird as all that, once you get past the fact that the woman is fucking pouring hot water through her fucking nose, which takes a few seconds. In theory you can get a similar effect simply by snorting hot water, just google "Nasal Irrigation."

The Neti pot is cute, but the whole water up the nose thing is too much.

When I was a kid my mother used to make up what she called a "saline solution" by bringing salted water to a boil and letting it simmer for 20 minutes. Then she'd put it in a bottle in the medicine cabinet. Whenever she suspected I was coming down with a cold, she'd pour some in the palm of her hand and make me snort it until she was satisfied that I'd inhaled enough to ward off any germs. It never worked and I vowed that my kids would never even know what saline solution was.

I have a hot lemon drink, panadol/disprin, and try to sleep if I am that sick. Not much you can do really apart from go to the doctor to get antibiotics, home remedies are a waste of time. :rolleyes:

It's called a Neti somethingorother, it looks like a tea pot. I have one, I use it on the kids.......unstuffs them without side effects.

Wait until you see one in action (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8sDIbRAXlg).
Actually, it doesn't look as gross or weird as all that, once you get past the fact that the woman is fucking pouring hot water through her fucking nose, which takes a few seconds. In theory you can get a similar effect simply by snorting hot water, just google "Nasal Irrigation."

I am sure it works it just looks strange to pour hot water through your nose, it would make a neat party trick though.

lots of fresh ginger tea, with a slice of lemon.

failing that, a bottle of vodka. Won't cure your sinus but you won't care bout them anymore.

If I can, I'd send you cheaper generic drugs. It sounded like all your drugs up there are so expensive. :p

Home remedies for sinusitis... usually I just sleep through it. Water therapy sometimes works for my friend with allergic rhinitis.

For sore throat... some people swear by gargling warm salty water. Haven't tried that either.

Cough... I don't usually take antitussives/expectorants unless coughing is real bad I can't sleep. They say it's best to cough all of them bad stuff out.

Runny nose... tissue works just fine for me.

:)