Home Remedies for Sinus Infection, Recipes to Prevent and Treat

In the classic Broadway hit Guys and Dolls, nightclub singer Miss Adelaide sings of her romantic disappoinments and the annoyance that comes when sinusitis complicates a cold—postnasal drip and “a sinus that’s really a pip.” In fact, one study found that more than 80 percent of people with the common cold had signs of sinusitis, or sinus inflammation, on CT scans.

Here’s what happens: Viral respiratory infections, as well as allergies and air pollutants such as tobacco smoke, inflame the upper respiratory membranes. The resultant swelling and excess mucus blocks the tiny openings that connect the normally air-filled sinuses with the nasal cavities. The mucus normally made by the cells lining the sinuses starts to accumulate, generating a sense of pressure. If bacteria have become trapped within the sinuses, they start to multiply, leading to symptoms of acute bacterial sinusitis.

Most of the time, respiratory viruses cause sinusitis. Symptoms include mild fatigue, pressure, and discomfort in the affected sinus. (There are four pairs of sinuses in your face.) With a cold, nasal mucus typically changes from clear and watery to yellowish and thick.

So, when do you start worrying that the infection has become bacterial? Cold symptoms, including sinus congestion, should resolve within ten days. If the infection lingers, that’s a sign of bacterial infection or other problems. Also, symptoms are usually worse, including sinus pain (usually worsened by leaning down), fatigue, fever, bad breath, and green or brownish nasal discharge. Postnasal drip can irritate the throat and cause nighttime cough. Another pattern is recurrence of symptoms after they seemed to have gotten better. Otherwise, acute sinusitis often resolves without treatment. Simple home remedies can help relieve symptoms.

Recipes to prevent and treat sinusitis

Sinus Tea
2 peppermint tea bags 1 cup (235 ml) water
Preparation and use:
Boil the water and pour it into a cup. Add the tea bags (two, to make it strong). Steep for 10 minutes, covering the top with a saucer to keep peppermint’s essential oils from escaping. Inhale the aroma through your nose as you sip.
Yield: 1 serving
How it works:
Staying hydrated by drinking lots of warm, clear liquids helps keep respiratory mucus thin and easy to expel. Peppermint provides a sense of decongestion. Pepperminty

Steam Inhalation
2 cups (475 ml) water 2 to 3 drops peppermint essential oil
Preparation and use:
Boil the water in a large pot. Pour into a bowl. Add the peppermint oil. Leaning over, drape a towel over your head to trap the vapors. Inhale through your nose for about 1 minute. Repeat four or five times a day.
Yield: 1 application
How it works:
Peppermint has antiinflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, and subtle antihistamine effects. By breathing in through your nose, your sinuses get the peppermint’s immediate effect. Warning: If you want to try this with a child, use only 1 drop of essential oil. Stay with your child to ensure that small hands don’t touch hot objects or tip over the bowl. Note: Don’t lean over so far that the steam feels too hot. If you have asthma, inhale steam without any essential oils, which may trigger airway spasms in vulnerable people. If plain steam causes no problems, cautiously inhale the steam with only 1 drop of essential oil. Stop if it makes you cough or wheeze.

Warm Washcloth Relief 
Hot water
Preparation and use:
Dampen a washcloth with hot water—not too hot to the touch. Wring out excess moisture. Apply to the affected sinus area. Remove when no longer hot. Repeat several times a day.
Yield: 1 application
How it works:
The heat breaks up the congestion and soothes inflamed mucous membranes.

Nostril Cleanse
½ cup (120 ml) sterile water (see warnings) ¼ teaspoon salt (without iodine or preservatives) ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Preparation and use:
Have ready a ceramic neti pot or clean creamer bowl (see warnings). Mix sterile water, salt, and baking soda in a clean neti pot. Leaning over the sink, angle your head so that one nostril is down and one is up, with your forehead slightly higher than your chin. Insert the spout of the neti pot into the top nostril. Pour. Water will drain out of the downward-facing nostril. (If a nostril is completely blocked, quit.) Switch sides. Gently blow your nose. Discard any excess solution. Wash the neti pot in hot, soapy water or the dishwasher. Repeat two to three times a day, making a fresh batch each time.
Yield: 1 application
How it works:
The salt solution helps remove excess mucus and microbes clinging to nasal passages. It does not clean out the sinuses. However, some studies show that nasal irrigation helps manage acute and chronic sinusitis. Warning: Sterile water is essential. Two deaths have been reported from people using tap water contaminated with amoebas. Health experts maintain that nasal washes are safe—as long as you use sterile water. Either boil the tap water for 1 minute (3 minutes if you live above 6,600 feet [2 km]) or buy distilled or sterilized water. Allow boiled water to cool before attempting nasal irrigation. Use a ceramic, not plastic, neti pot, which resembles Aladdin’s lamp. These are available in most natural food stores and from online retailers. Most nasal irrigation pots sold in drug stores are plastic, which are difficult to sterilize. Note: Avoid nighttime sinus rinses; remain upright for a couple of hours to encourage drainage.

Sinus-Clearing Spicy Soup
1 cup (235 ml) vegetable or chicken stock 1 garlic clove, minced ¹∕8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Preparation and use:
Pour the stock into a small pan. Heat until steaming. Stir in the garlic and cayenne and serve immediately.
Yield: 1 serving
How it works:
Ever notice that spicy foods make your nose run, making the thin, watery mucus easier to expel? Cayenne peppers contain capsaicin. Spicy plants, such as horseradish and mustard, contain allyl isothiocyanate. Both plant chemicals stimulate mucous membranes to make copious, thin mucus. Spicy foods, such as cayenne peppers and garlic, are also generally antimicrobial. Garlic also enhances immune function; cayenne can help reduce pain.

Horseradish “Gum”
1 teaspoon (5 g) prepared horseradish
Preparation and use:
Put the horseradish your mouth. Chew, allowing the aromas to work as a decongestant. Spit out any remaining substance.
Yield: 1 application
How it works:
Horseradish, sometimes called “stingnose,” contains chemicals that irritate mucous membranes. In response, your upper respiratory passages release thin, copious mucus, thereby helping you clear your nasal passages. Horseradish is also antibacterial and has anti-inflammatory properties.

When Simple Doesn’t work
A product containing cowslip, gentian, elderflowers, verbena, and sorrel (SinuComp and Sinupret) has been shown to reduce symptoms of acute and chronic sinusitis. Preliminary evidence also suggests that serrapeptase (an enzyme isolated from silkworms) reduces symptoms of chronic sinusitis. It may generally improve chronic airway disease by increasing the clearance of mucus. Serrapeptase is sold as a dietary supplement. Emerging studies also support extracts made from the root of south african geranium (pelargonium sidoides) for symptoms of sinusitis, as well as sore throat, the common cold, and bronchitis. The product used in studies is called Umckaloabo.

When to call the Doctor
If you have any concerns that you have bacterial sinusitis, contact your doctor. The research on whether antibiotics make much difference is inconclusive. Many doctors prescribe on a case-by-case basis. If you develop high fever, confusion, or swelling around your eyes or over your sinuses, seek immediate treatment. You may have developed a serious complication. Also call your doctor’s office if you have persistent (lasting longer than two weeks) or recurring symptoms of sinusitis.