Herbs for sinus congestion? « Back to Group Discussions

[jbk21]

I have a call in to my MW about this as well, but in the meantime I wondered if anyone knew of any herbs that acted as decongestants that are safe during pg... I'm soooo congested it's awful!  Help?!

[Caracol8]

I'm not sure about any herbs, but I highly recommend a good ol' neti pot! 

[Abraisme]

Yup, I second that.
 

Originally Posted by Caracol8 

I'm not sure about any herbs, but I highly recommend a good ol' neti pot! 

[jbk21]

We have one but I've never used it.  Can I use it when I'm already all plugged up?  It seems like it won't flush the water through.... right?  I'll have to have DH help me (he's the neti pro :))

[Caracol8]

I'm not quite sure how it can run through congested sinuses...   But be sure you use one of the saline solution packs that it originally came with or add a bit of salt to warm water.  If the water is warm it's less of a shock and probably helps with breaking through the mucus.  And remember when you're pouring it in your nostril that you don't tilt your head too far back that water goes down your throat instead of through the other nostril - it's just unpleasant.

[jbk21]

We're about to give it a try!  Hope it works!  
 

Originally Posted by Caracol8 

I'm not quite sure how it can run through congested sinuses...   But be sure you use one of the saline solution packs that it originally came with or add a bit of salt to warm water.  If the water is warm it's less of a shock and probably helps with breaking through the mucus.  And remember when you're pouring it in your nostril that you don't tilt your head too far back that water goes down your throat instead of through the other nostril - it's just unpleasant.

[Abraisme]

Somehow it works.  It's also the best way to clear a baby's nose when they're congested.  Both of my kids have had congestion problems and I've had to do it almost daily.  They HATE it, but when it's all done they could breath and thus sleep.

[TalkToMeNow]

I always find that sitting over steaming water works great. I boil water with rosemary, ginger, tea tree oil, and eucalyptus oil. Then I sit over it with a towel tent. It's good for your skin, too. After that I can usually use the neti pot with better results. 

[jbk21]

This sounds heavenly.  The Neti worked... okay.  I need to perfect my stance, I guess, because I got more down my throat than I'd have liked.  Yuck.

Originally Posted by TalkToMeNow 

I always find that sitting over steaming water works great. I boil water with rosemary, ginger, tea tree oil, and eucalyptus oil. Then I sit over it with a towel tent. It's good for your skin, too. After that I can usually use the neti pot with better results.