Herbs to Address Nasal Congestion

Case Study #1:

Writing articles for HERBCare began with a client (a woman in her 60’s) who wanted to know if there were any herbs to help with runny nose, congestion, and postnasal drainage.  She had tried “over-the-counter remedies” for several years and did not find relief. 

Dr. Dave had just presented the mini-course: The Sick Nose Owner’s Manual in which he presented the pharmaceutical route for managing a runny nose. The pharmaceutical route is fraught with challenging instructions, potential side-effects, or serious complications that may require a doctor visit and additional pharmaceuticals. Alternatively, using herbs which have a limited potential for side-effects, like a plant allergy, and have no reported serious complications, seems easier, safer, and possibly less expensive. 

Before addressing her symptoms, I inquired about my client’s lifestyle, diet, medications, and allergies to food or the environment.  Then began the differential look at whether her symptoms favored recurring colds or more of seasonal allergies.

Symptom        Cold                 Allergy            Client

Cough              Usually            Sometimes      In the morning upon awakening

Body aches      Sometimes      Never              No

Tired & weak   Sometimes      Sometimes      No

Itchy eyes        Rarely              Usually            Sometimes

Sneezing          Usually            Usually            Sometimes

Sore throat      Usually            Rarely              Occasional with postnasal drainage

Runny nose     Usually            Usually            Often

Seasonal          Rarely              Usually            Spring and Fall

Fever               Sometimes      Never              No

She fit the seasonal allergy category and reported her doctor told her she had “hayfever.” Using the Botanical Safety Handbook, no interactions were found between the herbs I selected and any supplements or OTC products the client was using.  She was provided a formula of 3 herbs: Nettles, Burdock root, and Orange peel as a tincture or extract with instructions for 1 squirt 3 times per day. During a follow-up conversation on how the formula was working, she reported that she was not using it.  She no longer needed it.  Her symptoms had cleared up.  The symptoms did return in the fall, and another week and as needed use of the formula and a hard MN freeze, her symptoms resolved.

Case Study #2:

Another client (a 75 year old male) with similar concerns about runny nose, congestion, and postnasal drainage, met the allergy criteria and was provided with the Anti-Allergy Formula.  This client was on several prescription medications and no interactions were found with his medications and the herbs in the formula. His follow-up report on the effectiveness of the formula was that it “seemed to make a little difference when he remembered to use it.”

I dubbed the tincture “Anti-Allergy Formula” because that was what I formulated it to do. But in truth herbs do not actually “fight” microbes, allergies, viruses, or bacteria, even though they are often called upon for those health concerns.  Because research on plants as medicine and clinical trials are limited, the mechanism of action of most plants is unknown.  Thousands of years of anecdotal documentation of successful use of plants as medicine to restore body balance and therefore health, provides us reliable guides for their use today. The herbs in the Anti-Allergy Formula support the body’s return to balance without using synthetic chemicals that block or suppress the body’s natural pathways and with few, if any, potential adverse-effects. 

Check back next month for another Herbal Case Report.