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Herbal Sinus Remedies
Since some of the equipment to use in creating your own cold medicines is a) expensive, b) difficult to get, or c) illegal in places, I'm not going to post about those methods. Get with me in person if you need to know how to do these methods. I will give you alternatives. Be aware that the alternatives are not necessarily cheap, and may be more expensive than buying OTC or prescription medications even if it will be faster than waiting for a prescription.
Alternatives for pseudoephedrine include using the phenylephrine in OTC medications - a form of pseudoephedrine that can't be used in making meth and of shorter duration than pseudoephdrine. It is as effective, just doesn't have the stamina or stability of pseudoephedrine.
I'd recommend buying the freshest bottles of you choose to use OTC cold remedies with "PE" in their name (that's the quick way to identify them). You'll be using them every 4 hours as opposed to every 12, but they still contain sufficient quantities to work.
Other alternatives are to see out Chinese herbalists and ask for any of the following remedies:
Xin Yi San
Cang Ling Tang
Jie Ge Cang Er Jian
Xin Zhi Er Chen Teng
Yu Ping Feng San
The herbalist will determine which formulation is best for you, but as a guideline, Xin Yi San is a general cold remedy with sinus draining abilities, Cang Ling Tan is for sinusitis with yellow mucus, Jie Ge Cang Er Jian is for sinusitis with green mucus, Xin Zhi Er Chen Teng is for chronic sinusitis, and Yu Ping Feng San is a sinusitis preventive. These may be coupled with an "endurance" blend of herbs or with Chinese herbs tailored more specifically for your condition. I've studied the Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic), but not Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica Classic) or other Chinese medicinal texts, so while I understand some of the reasoning behind it, I am far from expert in Chinese medicine. It is worth the cost of consulting with an actual Chinese herbalist to get a formula that will work best for you. A good starting point for finding a good and reputable Chinese herbalist would be http://www.chinaherbco.com
Other, more accessible, remedies include a steam of eucalyptus (I like putting eucalyptus tincture in warm steam vaporizers in the winter for the comfort of guests - it makes the house fragrant and the steam humidifies an otherwise staticky and dry home. The tincture doesn't clog the steam vents the way an extract or oil would.), peppermint and ginger are also good choices for a vaporizer. I recommend using a vaporizer on dry, cold days even if you are well because it helps keep your nasal passages well lubricated - and that in turn helps you shed potential illnesses.
You can also suck on eucalyptus lozenges (I like Ricolas) and sip eucalyptus tea.
Ginger helps relieve the pain from sinusitis. Chew candied ginger, or if the heat of the herb bothers you, take ginger capsules, following the directions on the bottle.
The German tonic Melissengeist is good. Drink as a warm tea or use as a gargle to ease the sore throat that comes from excessive sinus drainage.
Naturpathica's Deep Forest Bath and Body Oil is a good steamer for relief of nasal congestion, as is Olbas.
An extract of the root of Pelargoniun sidoides, taken as 30 drops in 8 ounces of water 3 times a day for a week, will often knock out a sinus infection and prevent a quick recurrence.
Vermont's Original Bag Balm relieves irritation from nasal congestion. It doesn't do anything for the congestion itself, but it heals the skin around the nose very well.
A neti pot is very useful for unclogging sinus congestion. To use a neti pot, fill it with a warm saline solution. I prefer sea salt to table salt. Add a few drops of grapefruit seed oil. Pour it through the nose as demonstrated with the instructions that come with the neti pot. Rinse your nose 6 times a day for relief.
To use nasal drops, mix ½ teaspoon each of sea salt and baking soda in 8 ounces body temperature water. Store this in a bottle with a dropper and use the dropper to put the solution in your nose while you are lying down with your head hanging over the side of the bed so your head is lower than your body and tilted all the way back. This helps keep the drops in your nose long enough to work. Avoid touching the dropper to your nose to prevent re-infection. Place moist heat on your sinuses for 5 - 10 minutes while the drops are working. You can do this as often as you need to - there is no rebound effect and no addiction.
Avoid foods that produce phlegm while you are sick with a cold or sinusitis: cheese, ice cream, milk, cream, butter, fried foods, or red meat. Once you're well, you can eat them again. Avoid black tea and coffee, as well, although caffeine is perfectly fine. You can get the caffeine through green or white teas, sodas, or chocolate.
Add blueberries, artichokes, red beans, cranberries, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and pomegranates to your diet when you have a cold or sinus problems.
Self-acupressure helps many people, so try it and see if it helps you. The two points that are good for sinus problems are the ones located on each side of the nose at the bottom edge of the nasal bone and the highest s point of the muscle between the thumb and index finger when you put the thumb and index finger together. Use the tips of your index fingers to massage these points three times a day.
If you choose to use Echinacea, don't waste your time or money on the dried botanical - drying Echinacea eliminates the immune boosting properties of it. If you're not growing Echinacea so you can harvest it fresh and process it immediately after harvesting, then buy from a company that makes their Echinacea products from the fresh plant: Bioforce, HerbFarm, or Herbalist & Alchemist. Don't be stingy using it, either. Use 1 - 2 teaspoons in 8 ounces of water every 2 - 4 hours from the moment you start to feel unwell and for up to 5 days after - unless you're allergic to ragweed. If you're allergic to ragweed, you may want to avoid Echinacea altogether as they come from the same family of plants.
Licorice root reduces inflammation and stimulates the immune system to reduce sinusitis. If you buy capsules, be sure you buy the immune boosting capsules, not the ulcer capsules. Again, buy from one of the above companies or some other company that is run by actual herbalists.
Alternatives for pseudoephedrine include using the phenylephrine in OTC medications - a form of pseudoephedrine that can't be used in making meth and of shorter duration than pseudoephdrine. It is as effective, just doesn't have the stamina or stability of pseudoephedrine.
I'd recommend buying the freshest bottles of you choose to use OTC cold remedies with "PE" in their name (that's the quick way to identify them). You'll be using them every 4 hours as opposed to every 12, but they still contain sufficient quantities to work.
Other alternatives are to see out Chinese herbalists and ask for any of the following remedies:
Xin Yi San
Cang Ling Tang
Jie Ge Cang Er Jian
Xin Zhi Er Chen Teng
Yu Ping Feng San
The herbalist will determine which formulation is best for you, but as a guideline, Xin Yi San is a general cold remedy with sinus draining abilities, Cang Ling Tan is for sinusitis with yellow mucus, Jie Ge Cang Er Jian is for sinusitis with green mucus, Xin Zhi Er Chen Teng is for chronic sinusitis, and Yu Ping Feng San is a sinusitis preventive. These may be coupled with an "endurance" blend of herbs or with Chinese herbs tailored more specifically for your condition. I've studied the Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic), but not Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica Classic) or other Chinese medicinal texts, so while I understand some of the reasoning behind it, I am far from expert in Chinese medicine. It is worth the cost of consulting with an actual Chinese herbalist to get a formula that will work best for you. A good starting point for finding a good and reputable Chinese herbalist would be http://www.chinaherbco.com
Other, more accessible, remedies include a steam of eucalyptus (I like putting eucalyptus tincture in warm steam vaporizers in the winter for the comfort of guests - it makes the house fragrant and the steam humidifies an otherwise staticky and dry home. The tincture doesn't clog the steam vents the way an extract or oil would.), peppermint and ginger are also good choices for a vaporizer. I recommend using a vaporizer on dry, cold days even if you are well because it helps keep your nasal passages well lubricated - and that in turn helps you shed potential illnesses.
You can also suck on eucalyptus lozenges (I like Ricolas) and sip eucalyptus tea.
Ginger helps relieve the pain from sinusitis. Chew candied ginger, or if the heat of the herb bothers you, take ginger capsules, following the directions on the bottle.
The German tonic Melissengeist is good. Drink as a warm tea or use as a gargle to ease the sore throat that comes from excessive sinus drainage.
Naturpathica's Deep Forest Bath and Body Oil is a good steamer for relief of nasal congestion, as is Olbas.
An extract of the root of Pelargoniun sidoides, taken as 30 drops in 8 ounces of water 3 times a day for a week, will often knock out a sinus infection and prevent a quick recurrence.
Vermont's Original Bag Balm relieves irritation from nasal congestion. It doesn't do anything for the congestion itself, but it heals the skin around the nose very well.
A neti pot is very useful for unclogging sinus congestion. To use a neti pot, fill it with a warm saline solution. I prefer sea salt to table salt. Add a few drops of grapefruit seed oil. Pour it through the nose as demonstrated with the instructions that come with the neti pot. Rinse your nose 6 times a day for relief.
To use nasal drops, mix ½ teaspoon each of sea salt and baking soda in 8 ounces body temperature water. Store this in a bottle with a dropper and use the dropper to put the solution in your nose while you are lying down with your head hanging over the side of the bed so your head is lower than your body and tilted all the way back. This helps keep the drops in your nose long enough to work. Avoid touching the dropper to your nose to prevent re-infection. Place moist heat on your sinuses for 5 - 10 minutes while the drops are working. You can do this as often as you need to - there is no rebound effect and no addiction.
Avoid foods that produce phlegm while you are sick with a cold or sinusitis: cheese, ice cream, milk, cream, butter, fried foods, or red meat. Once you're well, you can eat them again. Avoid black tea and coffee, as well, although caffeine is perfectly fine. You can get the caffeine through green or white teas, sodas, or chocolate.
Add blueberries, artichokes, red beans, cranberries, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and pomegranates to your diet when you have a cold or sinus problems.
Self-acupressure helps many people, so try it and see if it helps you. The two points that are good for sinus problems are the ones located on each side of the nose at the bottom edge of the nasal bone and the highest s point of the muscle between the thumb and index finger when you put the thumb and index finger together. Use the tips of your index fingers to massage these points three times a day.
If you choose to use Echinacea, don't waste your time or money on the dried botanical - drying Echinacea eliminates the immune boosting properties of it. If you're not growing Echinacea so you can harvest it fresh and process it immediately after harvesting, then buy from a company that makes their Echinacea products from the fresh plant: Bioforce, HerbFarm, or Herbalist & Alchemist. Don't be stingy using it, either. Use 1 - 2 teaspoons in 8 ounces of water every 2 - 4 hours from the moment you start to feel unwell and for up to 5 days after - unless you're allergic to ragweed. If you're allergic to ragweed, you may want to avoid Echinacea altogether as they come from the same family of plants.
Licorice root reduces inflammation and stimulates the immune system to reduce sinusitis. If you buy capsules, be sure you buy the immune boosting capsules, not the ulcer capsules. Again, buy from one of the above companies or some other company that is run by actual herbalists.
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