Natural way of Relieving Nasal Congestion

I remember it well when I was a kid that my mom gave me treatment and advise with regards to congestion due to colds and cough or asthmatic symptoms.

• Inhaling steam

This is done by putting a cardboard or a heavy gauge paper folded in a shape of a cone just above the boiling pot of water. If you have a vaporizer you can make use of it too and it is much safer. Fold the cone it in a way that it leaves a hole in the tip for the steam to pass. Dont put your face/nose directly in the spout as it may scald you, use a little bit of common sense. Now, inhale the steam coming out of the spout until your congestion is relieved.

• Bitter gourd leaf stock

This is a little bit herbal approach for cough decongestant. I think it is a little bit hard to find this leaf if you're in the city. Some asian stores carry it but it is frozen already and I doubt its effectiveness as the fresh ones. You can prepare the stock by boiling a cup of water. If it starts to bubble, put in the leaf shoots, about a cup or so. The water will turn greenish and it is bitter. What I do is to put a little bit of sugar and lemon to compensate the bitterness.

• Beach Air at Dusk

I dont have any scientific explanation (I too lazy to search) about this process nor proof that it works. But my mom told me that inhaling beach air at dusk is helpful for asthmatic cases. It was olso advised by the elders. When I say beach air, its not the port area air with lots of diesel fumes as it will definitely out of the question. I mean the air from like Carribean setting, rural or suburban.

• Eating spicy foods

This approach is very manly and somewhat just for fun. Chew Jalapeno chilis until you turn red, sweaty and having runny nose. Voila, congestion relieved. Another way is to use tabasco as a dip for you favorite chips.