A Great Herbal Remedy for Nasal Congestion
You know how kids in the winter often say, “Your nose is running, you’d better go catch it!” And sure enough, there are multiple reasons why your nose runs when it’s cold outside.
I mean, to survive the winter, humans often go outside to work, gather supplies and care for their homes. It’s hard for your nose to completely avoid being affected by the cold even when you wrap your face up in a scarf!
When your nose meets the cold air, it does produce mucus, and this can be endlessly annoying. But it may help you to know that your nose is just trying to protect you.
When the nose meets cold weather –
See, when stressed out by cold temperatures, blood vessels in the nose heat up, and then the nose produces mucus to help balance the fluid in the nose and keep it from drying out in cold, dry air.
Some research shows that when the nose becomes just 9 degrees colder than usual, this can lower its protective immune response by up to 40%. This points to the importance of wearing an effective, nose-warming scarf or a jacket that can comfortably cover your nose.
The winter blahs –
Another winter stressor for the nose comes about when families and roommates spend extra time inside together, because this may cause germs to run amok among the group. And although I acknowledge this possibility, I think that an even greater winter concern may be the increased exposure to indoor allergens.
For instance, mold can grow and become a strain for the indoor environment as activities like cooking and taking showers spread moisture into a home that is closed up tight against the winter weather.
Also, simply being shut inside for extended periods of time can cause people to experience increased reactions to dust … it’s like having a dust allergy. And winter weather has even been known to cause extra dust and an uptick in dust mites in the home!
In other words, noses have a lot to worry about in the winter! And those who believe strongly in preventative medicine often winterize themselves in the fall by drinking teas that prevent nasal congestion and using extra squirts of saline nasal sprays before the seriously cold weather arrives.
What happened when I shopped the bargain aisle –
One fall, I was experiencing some troubling nasal congestion, and I did not know what to take for it. Also, the Over the Counter cold medicine I was taking didn’t seem to be helping.
So, I was at the grocery store, shopping on the cat food aisle … moving past colorful squeaky dog toys … and I came upon one of those baskety wire shelves containing all of the oddball items that weren’t chosen in a timely manner from the store shelves. (Think the Island of Misfit Toys.)
Rummaging through this thrift store of items – hey, I love a bargain – I picked up a box of tea sporting a bright red bargain label and a happy giraffe on the front (must have been packaged for children) and it was labeled Throat Coat Tea.
Taking it home, I tried the tea and found that it was great for colds; and thankfully, it was some of the first nasal congestion relief I’d had that season. Also, despite the name, “Throat Coat,” you don’t need a sore throat to get a great health benefit from this tea.
Slippery Elm and Throat Coat Tea —
Now, I have some training in herbal medicine, but the good health effects of Throat Coat Tea was a surprise to me. And it is my opinion that some of this tea’s effectiveness is due to the use of the herb, Slippery Elm, as a key ingredient.
It is thought that Slippery Elm works in areas of the body that are coated inside with mucus, like the nose and the large intestine. And Slippery Elm may be helpful for increasing mucus flow in the nose: decreasing irritation in the nasal passages.
Also, this herbal treatment is often used to assist mucus flow in the large intestine, so people sometimes drink it to relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS.)
Good news! I have since found several brands of tea called Throat Coat, and I especially like the highly recommended version made by Traditional Medicinals (see link below.)
I’ll be back with more suggestions for nasal care soon!
This article was written by Vanna Silverwood, medical writer and outspoken advocate for natural medicine. See more at simplynaturalmedicine.com. Encouraging stability, helping you clarify your health goals … we are always “Natural by Nature.”
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Click here to see Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea on Amazon!
Resources
Ask the Doctors (2023). New study links nose temperature and immunity. UCLA Health. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/new-study-links-nose-temperature-and-immune-response