Good Quality Snot Stops Respiratory Infections

Simply using herbs that tend to \”moisten\” mucus membranes

can be your friend this fall. With dryer air in the places with a lot of dryness, like Calgary, Alberta plus spending more time indoors with forced-air furnaces, this is extremely important. As you can keep yourself from getting respiratory infections by simply having a proper mucus layer in your nose. mucus, the \”clear\” type is ever so important to keep the foreign invaders out so that when you breath a virus into your nose for instance the immune system can go after the foreign invader ASAP. Dried mucus in your nose means viruses can get in because the immune system cannot \”get to\” the virus since there is no \”fluid\” for the pathogens to get stuck in…not to mention they are easier to blow out of your nose when the mucus is moist and wet…and clear. Green or yellow mucus means you have an infection.

Here is an excerpt from a medical journal National Library of Medicine: Cell Host Microbe. 2016 Feb 10;19(2):159-68. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2016.01.001

There are 2 big things that help keep your mucus of high quality and they are;

1. Purified water…drink up to 3 litres per day depending on your size. 25 mL of water per Kg of body weight. This keeps the mucus membranes from drying out everywhere in the body. (Drink water with minerals in it unless you have a condition that requires you to drink R/O water or distilled water.)
2. Diet low or lower in mucus. This means avoiding or limiting dairy, soy, wheat, and other gluten-rich foods. This means you will not have \”excess\” mucus to deal with which can clog your sinuses and nose which is not good quality snot.

Basically, you want a \”moist\” nose and sinuses so that your first \”barrier\” to the world of microbes is in tact, so that you stop it from \”getting in.\”

Some herbs to help you do that are;

1. Marshmallow root in a capsule form or tincture, though I find the capsules are better and you usually only need 1 or 2 per day to accomplish a moister mucus membrane.
2. Fenugreek in capsule form, the tea can be good, though I don\’t like the flavour of it. Again usually 1 or 2 capsules per day are usually required.
3. Licorice root capsules or 1:1 tincture. Do not use if you have high blood pressure. Dosage 1 or 2 capsules per day or use 10 drops of a 1:1 tincture.

Other helpful tips to create great snot:

1. Rinse nasal passages with salt water to remove dried mucus and keep sinuses clear.
2. Rinse with a herbal solution containing Yerbe manse. (I make up the formula as required to help get rid of infections and moisten directly.)
3. Rub your forehead with a Lavender/Eucalyptus essential oil blend or you can also use Rosemary in the blend as well.
4. Use a drop of Peppermint Essential Oil on the back of your hand, lick it off…it will clear your sinuses and give your throat a nice cool feeling…it can be a bit of a shock when you use this as it can be strong…but it is good to do and has some anti-microbial activity as well.

With all this Covid 19 craziness going on it would be advisable to take care of your snot!

Disclaimer:

This article was written for information purposes only, not to diagnose or treat and does not replace proper medical treatment when required. Please see a Professional Registered Herbalist or another licensed Natural Health Practitioner of your choice.