A stopped up nose is fluid moving into swollen tissue. Whatever set it off, dry air, dust, pollen or whatever is going around, the tissue swells and the mucus thickens and sits still. The herbs and kitchen ingredients people reach for at that point are working on one of a few things. They thin what is stuck so it moves, they soothe membranes that are raw, or they open things up with steam and warmth.
This page covers the ones we get asked about most, what tradition says about them, and how people use them. For something you can make in about fifteen minutes, we keep our own recipe on the blog.
How people use them
- Thinning what is stuck. Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and fresh horseradish all get used this way, on the old idea that thin mucus drains and thick mucus sits.
- Steam. Peppermint and eucalyptus carry volatile oils that lift off hot water, and a fair share of what people feel from a cup of tea comes from breathing it before they drink it.
- Warmth and capsaicin. Cayenne sets off the nerve endings in the nose and your nose runs. That is the whole idea behind it.
- Soothing. Mullein and honey settle membranes gone raw from blowing and coughing.
Most of the old kitchen recipes stack two or three of these in one jar, which is why the vinegar, honey and cayenne combination has stayed in use as long as it has.
The herbs we get asked about most
Horseradish
Fastest of the lot. Horseradish carries allyl isothiocyanate, the same compound that sends wasabi straight to your sinuses. Half a teaspoon of fresh grated root is plenty, and you know inside a minute whether it suits you. Fresh or barely cooked is best. A long simmer drives off most of what makes it worth using.
Cayenne
Capsaicin sets off receptors in the nasal passages and the nose starts to run. Most people feel warmth first. A quarter to half a teaspoon in a batch of syrup is enough, and more is not better, since what you want is a nudge rather than heat for its own sake.
Ginger
Ginger has been in home remedies for the chest and throat about as long as people have had ginger. Fresh is stronger than dried. It goes down easiest with honey and lemon in a mug, which is also why people manage to keep taking it past the first day.
Mullein
Mullein sits differently from the rest of this list. It is a soothing herb rather than a stirring one, so it suits steady use through a rough stretch of the year better than it suits one bad afternoon. Traditional use here and in Europe has centered on the chest and the throat. The mullein we sell is wildcrafted here in Alabama, and we carry it as Mullein Extract and as dried leaf for tea. There is a good deal more about the plant on our mullein page.
Peppermint and eucalyptus
Both carry menthol and its relatives, which trip the cold sensing nerves in the nose. That reads as an open airway whether or not anything has moved yet. Steam is the quicker route. Pour a cup, put a towel over your head and breathe it for five minutes before you drink it. Our Sniffle Season Tea is the blend we make for this stretch of the year.
Elderberry
Elderberry is an immune support herb more than anything else, and it has earned its long place in sniffle season blends across most of Europe and North America.
Apple cider vinegar and lemon
Two sour liquids people have long used to loosen what is stuck. Neither is pleasant on its own. With honey and warm water they go down fine, and the honey looks after the throat, which is usually the part that hurts worst by the third day.
Thyme
Thyme has a long history in European kitchen remedies for the chest, and it holds its own in a teapot better than most cooking herbs do.
Foods people eat when they are stopped up
- Hot peppers and spicy food, working the way cayenne does
- Garlic and onions, the old standbys in a sick day pot of soup
- Hot broth, half steam and half hydration, and hydration is what keeps mucus thin
- Pineapple, for bromelain, an enzyme studied for its effect on swelling in the sinuses
- Turmeric, cooked with across South Asia for centuries and studied a good deal in the last twenty years
Tea and steam
Tea does two jobs here. The steam gets to work while the cup is still too hot to drink, and the herbs keep going after. Brew it strong, keep your face over the cup while it steeps, and drink it slowly.
Good ones to brew alone or together: peppermint, ginger, thyme, mullein, elderflower, eucalyptus. A strong ginger, lemon and honey tea is the one most people can make tonight out of what is already in the kitchen.
The syrup we make at our kitchen table
Ours has been made in this kitchen for years. Lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, ginger, cayenne, cinnamon and horseradish, simmered together and strained into a jar. It takes about fifteen minutes and it keeps a month in the refrigerator.
The full recipe is on our blog.
When to call your doctor
Herbs and hot tea suit the ordinary stuffiness that comes with dry weather, pollen and whatever is going around. Call your doctor if:
- there is hard pain or pressure across your face
- ten days go by with no improvement
- your fever climbs above 102
- you are coughing hard and your chest hurts with it
- you are already dealing with something that complicates an ordinary illness
Herbs support what the body is already doing. They are no substitute for a doctor when something more is going on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What helps a stuffy nose fast?
Horseradish and cayenne are the quickest of the kitchen ingredients, and steam off a hot cup is quicker still. For a rough stretch of days rather than one bad hour, people tend to settle into mullein or thyme tea and keep at it.
What can I make at home for a stuffy nose?
The plainest version is hot water with lemon juice, honey and fresh ginger. Add a pinch of cayenne and a splash of apple cider vinegar if you want more out of it. Our full syrup, with horseradish and cinnamon, is written up on the blog.
What helps with nasal congestion?
Steam from peppermint or eucalyptus, horseradish taken by mouth, and capsaicin from cayenne all reach the nose by different routes. Steam off a cup of tea is usually the fastest to hand.
Is there a tea for a stuffy nose?
Peppermint, ginger, thyme, mullein and elderflower are the usual ones. Brew them hot and breathe the steam while they steep. Our Sniffle Season Tea is what we blend for this time of year.
How long does a homemade syrup keep?
The cooked vinegar, honey and lemon version keeps about two weeks at room temperature and a month or more in the refrigerator. The lemon, vinegar and honey all work as preservatives. Keep it in a sealed glass jar and shake it before each use.
Can children use these herbs?
Most of what is on this page is used with children at smaller amounts. Cut the cayenne back or leave it out for little ones, and no honey at all before a first birthday. Peppermint steam and ginger tea are the two children take to most easily. Ask your pediatrician when you are unsure.
Are these safe to use every day?
Ginger, honey, lemon and apple cider vinegar are food, and plenty of people take them daily without being sick at all. Mullein tea is also a steady one rather than an occasional one.
What foods help when you are stopped up?
Hot peppers, garlic, onions, horseradish, ginger and pineapple all turn up in kitchen remedies. Hot broth and plain water do as much as any of them, since staying watered is what keeps mucus thin enough to move.