The sinuses are just open spaces lined with mucous membranes, easily irritated by whatever enters the airways.
It is thought that they make the skull lighter to carry around and provide a resonance box for sound production.
Here’s the problem though, an open space has no blood supply! Meaning we cannot get any medicine into an infected sinus to clear it up.
As many plants contain volatile oils which evaporate up into the sinuses once they hit the warmth of the stomach, herbal medicine has the answer.
One of the best ways to get medication up into the sinuses is to put essential oils into hot water and inhale the steam that comes off them.
• Fill a basin with very hot water.
• Add 3 drops of eucalyptus oil, 2drops of peppermint oil, and 3 drops of Camphor oil. ( or if you have Olbas oil that’s ok)
• Place a towel over your head and the bowl and inhale the rising steam for up to five minutes. Don’t put your face too near the hot water, to avoid scalding yourself. Also Peppermint oil is very strong so you may need to close your eyes whilst you are inhaling.
You can do this twice a day if you have sinusitis until the sinuses are clear.
The tinctures that help clear and tone sinuses are:
Eyebright, which we saw growing in the Downs walk video and elderflower, which we saw growing in the west rise marsh video.
Eyebright tones all mucous membranes as it is high in tannins and in doing so makes them toughened up and less susceptible to external irritants.
Elderflower, seen in the West Rise Marsh video, is anti bacterial, anti viral and anti catarrhal, drying up the membranes and preventing them filling up with mucous. It is often a good idea to add an immune stimulating herb such as Echinacea to these two herbs to prevent reinfection.
These three herbs can be mixed in equal amounts and the resulting tincture taken at 5 mls twice a day in a little water. (Echinacea is yukky tasting)
Dietary advice is to dramatically reduce all dairy product intake, as dairy increases the amount of catarrh produced which will contribute to blocking the sinuses.
As usual you are very welcome to come and see me in my clinic, the details of which can be found by clicking here the “Clinic”
Linda Bostock
Medical Herbalist
Herbal Health Information.
