Ayurvedic Home Remedies

Nasal Crust

Some individuals, when their systemic kapha dosha becomes high (perhaps due to eating too many kapha-increasing foods), become sensitive to pollen, dust, ragweed, cat hair, dog hair, and other allergens, as well as to cold temperatures. As a result, they may develop rhinitis, with nasal congestion and nasal discharge. Even in the absence of infection, dryness in the atmosphere may dry up the mucous membranes and nasal passage; to compensate for that, the body will produce more mucus. Then, due to continuing dry heat in the environment, the nasal discharge becomes thick, dry, and crusty. This is known as nasal crust.

People with deviated nasal septum can also accumulate nasal discharge, and because of dryness in the air it may form a crust. Nasal crust can create stuffy nose, sinus headache, and difficulty breathing. It can be one of the causes of snoring and of sleep apnea. Nosebleeds may also be due to nasal crust.

Ayurvedic medicine offers a number of effective remedies:

STEAM IT. The simplest remedy is to inhale steam. You can use plain water, water with some ginger boiled in it, or a tea of the following ingredients:

ginger
ajwan (Indian celery seed)
turmeric

Put equal amounts of each of these herbs in a pint of water, and boil it up. Then turn off the fire, put a towel over your head, and inhale the steam. This will ease out the discharge. The crust will come out, and you will breathe freely. Though simple, this is an effective remedy.

MENTHOL AND EUCALYPTUS. Rubbing menthol on the forehead and on the sinus area will help. Placing a few drops of mild eucalyptus oil in the nose will also help.

NOTE: Do not use pure eucalyptus oil. Dilute a few drops of eucalyptus oil with sesame oil or some other mild oil so that it doesn’t burn your skin or the sensitive tissue in the nose.

USE AN ONION. Chop up an onion, and sniff its fragrance. Onions contain ammonia, which is a powerful decongestant. It brings tears to the eyes and promotes sneezing. The tears from the eyes will pass through the tear ducts and into the nasal passage, which will lubricate and loosen the crust; then the sneezing will help the crust to be eliminated.

LUBRICATE THE NOSTRILS. Putting a few drops of brahmi ghee or saline solution into the nose will also lubricate the nasal passage and facilitate removal of the crust. You can make an effective saline solution by adding ⅛ teaspoon salt to ½ cup water.

BURN IT OUT. A meal of spicy food will also help. For example, a hot soup or vegetables spiced with cayenne pepper, curry powder, or chili pepper (within your limits of comfort!) will increase circulation and help to eliminate stuffy nose and nasal crust.

USE A HUMIDIFIER. At night, run a humidifier so that the room will be warm and moist. If possible, don’t use an ultrasound humidifier. A hot-water type is best.

VITAMINS AND HERBS. Finally, take some or all of the following: