If you are looking for simple and effective home remedies for viral sinus infections, continue reading this article and find out what they are. But first.
Viral sinus infection or sinusitis is one of the most severe symptoms of the flu and cold season during autumn and winter. During the cold seasons, upper respiratory tract infections proliferate, especially those affecting the sinus mucous, causing sinusitis. Often times they relapse and we confront chronic viral sinus infections that can be very painful. But before we get into the home remedies for viral sinus infections, let’s see the causes and symptoms of viral sinus infections.
In This Article You Will Find:
Types of Viral Sinus Infections
Viral sinus infections can be of two types: acute or chronic. Depending on where it is located, there is maxillary sinusitis, located in the cheekbones, frontal sinusitis in the low part of the forehead (in between the eyebrows), and sphenoid sinusitis in the bones behind the nose or polysinusitis when the sinusitis is manifested by the simultaneous inflammation of two or more sinuses. When you have a first inflammatory spurt, the chances are you have an acute sinus infection. When they relapse periodically, in the fall and winter seasons, then we’re talking about chronic sinusitis.
Viral Sinus Infection Symptoms
Sinusitis can affect the maxillary, ethmoidal, or nasal sinuses, but the latter is more widely encountered. An untreated acute sinus infection can develop into a chronic form and lead to even more serious conditions that may require surgical interventions to drain the sinuses. Infectious sinusitis manifests with purulent nasal discharge, high fever, and an altered general state. In this situation, antibiotics treatment is recommended, to bring the infection down.
For mild inflammatory flares, these home remedies for viral sinus infections can work wonderfully. Essential oils, herbs, and natural cataplasms are amazing home remedies for viral sinus infections if followed properly and with perseverance.
8 Home Remedies for Viral Sinus Infection
1. Sinusitis Remedy with Horseradish
Local cataplasms are amongst the most effective home remedies for viral sinus infections when you experience pain in between the eyebrows, at the root of the nose, and at the beginning of the forehead. Ginger and horseradish paste cataplasms are wonderful when applied to this area on the forehead. For this, all you have to do is to finely grate the ginger or horseradish, then mix it with a little bit of water and apple cider vinegar and your cataplasm is ready.
Before applying them to your forehead, rub a bit of marigold salve on the skin to prevent irritation. Keep the cataplasms on for 10 minutes, and you can do up to 3 applications every day.
Swedish Bitter and mustard seed flour cataplasms are also amazing with viral sinus infections. Pippali, Tejapata, and Gajapippali cataplasms are also great for sinusitis. A combined treatment of remedies for sinusitis is more effective if you suffer from chronic relapse sinusitis. This is one of the most powerful home remedies for viral sinus infections.
Powerful Horseradish Remedy for Viral Sinus Infection
There is another very old folk remedy for viral sinusitis with horseradish that goes like this. You will need horseradish root, rubbing alcohol or apple cider vinegar, and a piece of red-colored cloth. This is a very old folk remedy for chronic sinusitis, and the reason for the red-colored cloth has been lost in time.
- Grate the horseradish then splash it with the rubbing alcohol or vinegar and place it on the cloth.
- In the evening, apply the poultice on the forehead and on the cheek where the sinus infection is located.
- When the skin gets really hot, it’s time to take the cataplasm off to allow the skin to cool down, and then apply it again.
Continue doing this until the horseradish has lost its strength and the skin no longer heats up. Then you know the cataplasm has worked its effect on the sinusitis and the procedure is over. Repeat the treatment the following days uninterruptedly, until you have fully recovered. A sign that you are healed is when you eliminate the infected phlegm from the nose and throat. The mucous has a consistent yellowish coloration, sometimes may contain some blood threads and it has a very foul smell. This is one of the best home remedies for viral sinus infections.
Read Also: 8 Natural Remedies for Sinusitis
2. Sunflower Seeds Inhalations for Viral Sinus Infection
This steam inhalation is one of the simplest and most effective home remedies for viral sinus infections. For this remedy, you will need 4-5 sunflower florets with seeds. Boil them in a large pot and inhale the hot steam. Repeat 4-5 times per day in a row. If you don’t have sunflower florets at hand, you can use potatoes instead. All you have to do is skin boil a few large potatoes, then take them out on a plate, cut them, and inhale the steam that comes out from the boiled potatoes. That’s it!
3. Hay Steam Remedy for Sinusitis
Another one of the best natural remedies for viral sinus infections is hay flowers.
- Bring to boil 8-10 l of water in a large pot and add 1 handful of dried hay flowers.
- Cover with a lid for 5-10 minutes to allow steam to build up in the pot.
- Then start inhalations with this hay, but use a towel to put over your head, so the steam doesn’t dissipate.
- Continue the inhalation until there is no steam left.
4. Apitherapy for Viral Sinus Infections
Viral sinus infections are more and more common, and apitherapy has proven to make an efficient remedy for sinusitis. Here is what you have to do.
- Whenever you have pain, drink a glass of water (the size of a wine glass) in which you stir 2 tsp. of apple cider vinegar with honey. Drink it slowly, as you drink coffee.
- In the morning, immediately after you wake up, rub your forehead in between your eyebrows and the bones of your cheeks with a mix of apple cider vinegar and honey.
Bee venom acupressure is also wonderful for sinusitis, and for this, you need a natural skin cream enriched with bee venom that you apply on the pressure points to relieve the respiratory pathways. However, for this particular therapy, it is better that you consult an acupressure specialist.
Honey and propolis inhalations are also amazing home remedies for viral sinus infections. All you have to do is add 2 tbsp. of organic honey and 12-15 drops of propolis tincture in the water that you have prepared for the inhalation after it has cool off a bit. This is amazing for softening the nasal secretions and disinfecting the nostrils.
If your viral sinus infection is in full bloom, there is a simple 24 hours treatment that goes like this. Every hour take a bite of a honeycomb and chew slowly on it for 15 minutes. The remaining beeswax can be swallowed at the end if you wish; it doesn’t do any harm to the stomach. 12 hours later your sinuses should start to clear up, but for a full treatment, it is best to follow this remedy for 6 days in a row. These home remedies for viral sinus infections are truly healing and amazing.
5. Salt Remedies for Viral Sinus Infection
When you have trouble breathing properly through the nose, this is one of the best home remedies for viral sinus infections that you can try. You will need coarse salt that is natural and untreated in any way.
- Mix 1 tsp of salt into 1.5 l of lukewarm water and you will obtain the entire quantity for 1 day of treatment.
- You will need to inhale this saltwater through each nostril, one at a time.
- Cover one nostril while inhaling the salt water from your palm with the other.
- Then exhale on the same nostril, while continuing to keep the other covered.
- Don’t put too much pressure or force into it, so you don’t break any capillary.
Whenever you do this procedure, you need to be calm and patient. Don’t haste or hurry, but relax and take your time. It is also necessary that you have perfectly clean hands when you do this, since the saltwater may enter the sinuses, which don’t communicate directly to the exterior.
The idea is to allow the salt water to clean up the nostrils from mucus, but be careful to not allow the water to go too deep inside. Continue this salt treatment 3 times a day and in 3 months you will start to see the results, and in 6 months your sinusitis should be off and away. Salt nasal washes are among the best home remedies for viral sinus infections.
6. A Simple Massage for Sinus Relief
Sinusitis and viral sinus infections can be prevented with a simple daily massage. All you need to do is to rub your forehead using both palms, starting from the center to the sides. You need to apply quite some pressure with your palms for the massage to be effective. Repeat this very simple movement 30 times for a full massage. The best time of the day to do this is in the morning after you wake up. You can also perform this massage with wonderful homemade thyme and mint balm.
Mint & Thyme Home Remedies for Viral Sinus Infection
For the preparation of the balm, you will need 1 tsp of natural simple balm (marigold balm for instance), in which you add 2-3 drops of mint and thyme essential oils. Apply this balm on the entire surface of the forehead, rubbing it in gently, and massaging it has been absorbed completely by the skin. Essential oils have the ability to penetrate through the skin into the bloodstream and have a direct effect on the sinuses and upper respiratory passages. This simple massage is one of the most effective home remedies for viral sinus infections.
7. Essential Oil for Viral Sinus Infection
This is one of the best home remedies for viral sinus infections when they are mild. The best essential oils for rhinosinusitis are fir and pine oils, as well as lemon and mint oils. Add 3-4 drops to 1 l of hot water for inhalations. Thyme and oregano essential oils are very effective for sinus infections, but they are quite strong, so you can only use them in small dosages and diluted. For this, add 3-4 drops in 10 ml of olive oil and then use them, but be aware they are very strong.
The best time of the day for these inhalations is the evening time, before going to bed. Depending on the severity of your sinus infection, you should follow this natural treatment for 5-7 days consecutively and after you see the first signs of improvement, keep going for 2-3 days with these amazing inhalations. Essential oils are some of the best home remedies for viral sinus infections.
8. Eucalyptus Oil, the Cure for Sinusitis
Eucalyptus essential oil helps decongest the respiratory pathways and it also stimulates breathing due to its direct action on the central nervous system. In addition, it reduces the unpleasant sensations associated with respiratory infections. This is one of the best home remedies for viral sinus infections, and here is how to use it. Take 2 drops 4-5 times per day internally.
But the most powerful action of eucalyptus oil is external, through inhalations. If your sinus infection is accompanied by fever, eucalyptus oil inhalations are much recommended. Eucalyptus oil inhalations will unclog the nostrils and allow you to breathe normally once again. This is one of the best home remedies for viral sinus infections.
Natural Prevention for Viral Sinus Infections
Besides the home remedies for viral sinus infections, the best treatment is prevention. As prevention means, the most effective one is going to salt mines to breathe in the strongly ionized air. Propolis tincture is also a great way to prevent viral sinus infections because it boosts the immune system. When the cold season is approaching, start a 10-14 day-long cure with propolis tincture. Take 1 tsp. a day, in honey, or on a piece of bread.
Another way to stay away from viral sinus infections is by protecting yourself as much as possible. Cover your mouth and nose with a scarf when you go outside in the cold and keep an ambient temperature of 22-23°C in your house. Ventilate your room at least twice a day, so that if there are bacteria and viruses inside, they are flushed out. Also, avoid too crowded spaces as much as you can, especially if there is an epidemic viral spread.
Natural Tips for Viral Sinus Infection
Great health starts with a healthy diet. And when you suffer from a viral infection, such as sinusitis, your diet is key to your fast recovery. In addition to the home remedies for viral sinus infections, you can follow the simple recommendations below.
- Follow a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid dairy foods because they enhance the mucus production that obstructs the airways.
- A low protein diet is ideal for sinusitis and especially chronic sinusitis. Avoid dairy products because they cause more mucous in the body and will only add to the nasal obstruction.
- It is also important that you have regular physical activity daily. Even if it’s just a walk in the park or going shopping. Whatever keeps you moving at least 30 minutes a day is great.
- Try to have fixed meals and sleep at least 8 hours every night.
- Avoid stressful situations and worry less. Active relaxation and meditation are also amazing for a strong immune system and a happy life.
Read Also: 3 Natural Remedies for Polysinusitis
We hope you’ve found a few amazing natural home remedies for viral sinus infections here. Let us know in the comments below which of the home remedies for viral sinus infection here worked for you. Stay healthy, naturally!
