11 Home Remedies For Sinus Infection

Sinuses are air filled cavities or fissures present on frontal portion of the skull plate running beneath our cheeks and eyebrows connecting the nasal passages. Most of us are not aware of the presence of these harmless cavities, until we go through the harrowing experience of sharp pain beneath the cheeks and eyebrows coupled with severe headache and blocked nasal passages caused due to sinus infection.

Sinus infection or sinusitis can attack anybody irrespective of age and sex. In most cases, sinus infections can be treated with home remedies, but one should not neglect this ailment as it can lead to serious complications.

Natural Remedies To Cure Sinus Infection

Home remedies for sinus are very useful to the chronic sufferers fed up of taking over the counter medications. The remedies are quite simple to follow as most of the ingredients are readily available on your kitchen shelf.

Apply Alternate Hot And Cold Compress

This home remedy for sinus is very effective in reducing pain and inflammation of the cheeks and the area surrounding the eyebrows. The pain can be felt while bending the head or lying down. Dip a towel in hot water and squeeze out the water from it. Place the hot towel on your cheeks and forehead and keep it for 3 minutes.

Hot compress helps to drain out the mucous from the blocked nasal and sinus passages providing a quick relief from the pain and inflammation.  Similarly, wet another towel in cold water and apply on the cheeks and forehead for 30 seconds. Carry on this treatment for 10- 15 minutes.

Irrigate Your Nasal Passage

Irrigating the nasal passages with saline water is another effective home remedy for sinus. Mayoclinic.com considers this treatment as the safest and the most inexpensive way to reduce sinus infection. Take lukewarm water in a bowl and add half teaspoonful of common salt and a pinch of baking soda in it. Fill a bulb syringe or a dropper with the saline water solution and slowly add it into one of your nostrils.

Keep your head tilted sideways to allow the saline water pass through your nasal cavity. Breathe in deeply while adding the saline water and try to drain out the water through another nasal passage. This may require some practice. This treatment loosens the thickened mucous and flushes it out from the nasal cavities. Repeat this treatment alternately with both the nasal cavities. Doctors recommend the use of specially designed Neti Pot for irrigating the nasal passages. The saline water can be passed through the nasal cavity conveniently through the spout of the pot.

Inhale Steam

Steam inhalation is another useful home remedy for sinus. The University Of Maryland Medical Center recommends this treatment to be carried out 3-4 times a day for better effect. Boil water in a small pan. Cover up your head with a towel and inhale the steam continuously for 10-15 minutes.

Steam helps in loosening the thickened mucous draining it out through the nasal cavities. Heat from the steam reduces pain and inflammation of the facial area and eyebrows caused due to congested sinus cavities.

Treatment With Apple Cider Vinegar

The main constituent of apple cider vinegar is acetic acid, which prevents bacterial growth. This can be used to treat sinus infection as well. Drink a glass of warm water adding one teaspoonful each of apple cider vinegar and honey.

Carry on this treatment for a week if you get positive results. You may add 1-2 teaspoonful of ACV in hot water during steam inhalation.

Drink Plenty Of Hot Fluids

You need to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day in order to reduce the blockages of the nasal and sinus cavities. Drink plenty of warm water. Water lubricates the mucous membranes and prevents thickening of the mucous.

You can sip hot chicken soup 3-4 times a day. Researches have proved that heat from the soup reduces congestion and pains. Add pepper to the soup for better effect. Always have home made soups.

Sip Hot Ginger Tea

Sipping hot ginger tea is another useful home remedy for sinus infection. Crush one inch of fresh ginger and boil it in one cup of water for 5 minutes. Add little lemon juice and one teaspoonful of honey to enhance the taste of ginger tea.

Strain the mixture and drink 2-3 times a day.  The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of ginger are extremely helpful in treating this condition.

Drink Hot Fenugreek Tea

Drinking hot fenugreek tea can also be very effective in relieving nasal congestion caused due to sinus infection. Boil two teaspoonfuls of fenugreek seeds in a small bowl of water for 10 minutes. Allow the seeds to soften. Strain out the tea and add one teaspoonful of honey to it.

Drink it hot. The anti inflammatory property of the fenugreek seeds reduces inflammation of the sinus cavities, which in turn alleviates nasal congestion and pain on the cheeks and eyebrows.

Massage With Olive Oil Or Oil Of Oregano

Massaging the painful facial areas like cheeks, forehead and eyebrows with oil is another important home remedy of sinus. Inflamed sinus cavities create pressure on these areas, which can be reduced by gentle massages.

Carvacrol, found in oregano oil is antispasmodic in nature, which is very effective in treating the inflamed sinus. Add few drops of oregano oil in a half cup of olive oil and massage your cheeks, nose and forehead gently. You will get quick relief from sinus pain.

Have Cayenne Pepper

Have enough quantities of cayenne pepper to treat sinus infection. The potent ingredient, Capsaicin present in cayenne pepper generates a heating sensation in your body that helps in decongesting the clogged nasal and sinus cavities.

Add enough quantities of cayenne pepper (within your tolerable limits) to your dishes and soups. Drink a cup of hot water adding one teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper.

Inhale Eucalyptus Oil

The volatile aromatic oil of Eucalyptus is very useful in treating sinus infection.  Cineole (or Eucalyptol), the major ingredient present in Eucalyptus oil acts as a decongestant and also reduces inflammation. Add 7-8 drops of this aromatic oil in your vaporizing tank and inhale the steam.

Rub few drops of eucalyptus oil on your nose and forehead before retiring at night. The soothing aroma of eucalyptus oil will slowly reduce pain and heaviness caused due to sinus infection allowing you to sleep soundly.

Use Garlic

The antibacterial property of this kitchen herb can be utilized to treat sinus infection as well. This treatment is highly beneficial for chronic sufferers. Chewing 1-2 cloves of raw garlic in empty stomach is undoubtedly one of the effective home remedies for sinus.

You can add enough quantities of  freshly chopped  garlic in the vaporizing tank and inhale the steam. Garlic is a well known natural decongestant. It helps in loosening the sticky mucous clearing out the blocked nasal passages. Use freshly chopped garlic as the potent chemical Allicin, present in this herb is most active in this state.