20 Effective Natural Remedies for Post Nasal Drip

Tired of “the drip”?

Wanna stop dripping?

Don’t wanna be called “Jack the Dripper” anymore?!

Post nasal drip is the worst.

It happens when our body produces too much mucus and we start to notice it. Like, really notice it.

And as anyone who’s struggling with post nasal drip will know, noticing mucus is grim. Like, we all know that we have mucus, but we’d rather pretend that we didn’t! It’s kinda icky and can give us a nasty sore throat, a cough and and an ear infection.

If you’re in a bit of a pickle with post nasal drip, Beauty and Tips has got you covered. In this article, we take a look at what it is, what causes it, what can help to prevent it, as well as 20 effective natural remedies that clear it right up.

What is Post Nasal Drip and Why is it So Unpleasant?

Post nasal drip isn’t a disease, and it isn’t really a condition. It’s best described as a feeling, and while it’s far from life threatening it does make you feel pretty lousy.

All the time, the glands in the linings of your intestinal tract, stomach, airways, throat and nose are constantly pumping out fresh mucus.

Like, this is a non-stop operation.

The thing is, these glands are very good at producing the right amount of mucus – not too much and not too little.

Even your nose, which produces around 25% of your mucus keeps itself in check most of the time.

Mucus itself is a thick, gooey substance that wets these areas, trapping viruses and bacteria before they can cause damage.

As you can see, then, mucus is actually a bit of a babe (even if it’s a bit of an ugly one!).

On a normal day, you don’t notice mucus. It saves your butt from disease all the time, but it doesn’t ask for a medal or anything. It just works away in the background, unseen, unheard and unfelt.

It simply mixes itself with saliva and trundles quietly down the back of your throat until you swallow it.

However – and this isn’t mucuses fault – when your body produces too much of the gooey stuff, you’ll be the first to know about it. It sometimes pours out of your nose (often without warning). And when it runs down the back of your throat? It can give you a nasty sore throat.

When too much mucus is produced, this is what’s known as post nasal drip.

What Causes Post Nasal Drip?

Pinning down the cause of post nasal drip can help you to avoid it in the future, but a lot of the time it’s a symptom of something else, such as the common cold.

Here are some things that are known to cause post nasal drip:

• The common cold
• Flu
• Allergies
• Pregnancy
• Sinus infections
• Medications – medications for blood pressure and birth control have been known to cause post nasal drip and exacerbate it
• Object stuck up your nose – this is more common among children than adults
• A change in the weather – when the climate abruptly changes from cold to warm, or vice-versa, it can cause post nasal drip
• Very dry air
• Fumes – for example, smoke is known to cause post nasal drip, as are scented candles, perfumes, deodorants, paint and so on
• Foods – this one kinda sucks, but it might be that your fav spicy foods are causing your post nasal drip

What are the Symptoms of Post Nasal Drip?

Have you ever had one of those days where you just want to clear your throat all the frigging time? That’s post nasal drip right there.

Excess mucus can also cause a mild sore throat, and it can even make you feel and sound hoarse. It’s the worst when you’ve got to give a speech.

As well as targeting your throat, post nasal drip can also cause a nasty cough that persists more at night. If you’ve got an unexplained cough that won’t go away, post nasal drip could be the culprit.

Another symptom is an ear infection. This can occur if your Eustachian tube gets plugged up. And as we all know, ear infections are downright nasty.

20 Effective Natural Remedies for Post Nasal Drip

If you suspect that you have post nasal drip, there’s no need to take yourself off to your doctor unless your symptoms are super severe. Likewise, you can avoid over-the-counter remedies, too.

Here are 20 natural remedies for post nasal drip that you can make at home:

Apple Cider Vinegar

According to grandma, apple cider vinegar can cure everything. While this probably isn’t quite 100% true, apple cider vinegar can cure lots of things – including post nasal drip.

All you need to do for this one is take a tbsp of apple cider vinegar and mix it with a glass of cool water. Add a pinch of honey for a bit more taste and then consume this once a day until your symptoms have gone.

This works because apple cider vinegar is anti-inflammatory and can therefore reduce the inflammation that has been building up in your nasal passage. It also contains anti microbial properties that come in handy, too.

Lavender Essential Oil

If you LOVE the smell of lavender, you’re going to love this natural remedy.

Simply, take 3 drops of lavender essential oil and add it to any carrier oil you want. We recommend either olive or coconut oil.

Then, massage it on your throat, your back and your chest.

Do this twice a day for best results. Careful, though – because this mixture smells so good, you’ll probably find that you want to do it more often!

It works because lavender is both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. As such, it’s particularly potent whenever you have a cold or the flu.

Honey

Winnie the Pooh loved honey so much that he’d walk around with a jar of it whether he had post nasal drip or not!

Honey is divine, and honey on porridge should be mandatory. Apart from that, honey is also a sweet and tasty way of eliminating post nasal drip.

All you need to do is take a tbsp of honey and add it to a cup of warm water. Then, drink it three times a day. And that’s it!

Of course, honey is a sweetener, so you don’t want to keep on taking it all the time once your post nasal drip symptoms have gone.

It works super well because of its anti-inflammatory agents. Indeed, folk have been using it for hundreds of years to treat various ailments, post nasal drip among them.

So if ever you’ve needed an excuse to consume more money, you now have one!

Coconut Oil

Perhaps our all-tim fav carrier oil here at Beauty and Tips HQ, coconut oil is amazingly versatile and can treat a number of ailments.

And if there’s one thing it doesn’t like, it’s post nasal drip.

This is good news for you! All you’ve gotta do is take a tsp of coconut oil – and consume it!

That’s right, consume a tsp (or two) of coconut oil each morning before you eat or drink anything else, and do this each day until you stop dripping.

Like most other things on this list, coconut oil is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, and is thus guaranteed to work.

Ginger Tea

Like coconut oil, ginger tea comes in handy for so many different things, from stomach aches to post nasal drip.

All you need for this one is an inch of fresh ginger.

Then, steep it in a cup of hot water for around ten minutes.

For a bit more of a kick, you can add some honey to the proceedings.

Then, drink your tea when it’s nice and warm. Do this three times a day and you should soon start to see results.

Ginger tea always works because it’s a total superstar that contains something called gingerol. This is a neat component that has antibacterial properties.

Not just this, but ginger is anti-inflammatory too, which means that it’s ready to kick post nasal drip in the private bits!

Green Tea

If you prefer green tea, the good news is that you can drink green tea instead of ginger tea!

Green tea works just as well for clearing up post nasal drip and its assorted symptoms because it’s loaded with lots of powerful antioxidants that go to work on your infection.

Green tea also contains anti-inflammatory agents, and this helps it to soothe your poor inflamed nasal passage.

All you need to do is take a tsp of green tea and add it to a cup of hot water. Let it cool for 10 or 15 minutes before drinking.

If green tea isn’t really your thing, you could flavour it by adding a dab of honey.

Whatever you do, drink a few cups a day for the best results.

And if you’re not even keen on the idea of green tea with honey, you can buy flavoured green tea. It’s just as effective as regular green tea, but some people think it tastes better.

Garlic

Dieticians, nutritionists and health experts all agree that you should be aiming to consume garlic every single day, irregardless of whether you have post nasal drip or not.

Garlic is amazing and contains something called allicin that itself contains antimicrobial agents.

Garlic is used all around the world to combat many ailments, and it’s especially effective when treating the common cold.

For this remedy, take 3 garlic cloves, crush them and extract the juice.

If you want more taste, add some honey to the juice and consume three times a day for best results.

Salt Water Gargle

When you have nothing else in the house, you can always rely on good old salt water gargle to clear up a nasty throat infection.

Because salt water gargle attacks the infection behind your post nasal drip, it can improve your symptoms so that you soon start to feel better.

For this one, all you need to do is take a tsp of salt and add it to a glass of warm water.

Then, once you think it’s nicely cooled, gargle it around your mouth for a few moments (but don’t swallow!).

Then, just spit and rinse.

If you do these a few times a day, you should start to see some noticeable results pretty darn soon.

Grapefruit Seed Extract

Grapefruit seed extract is known to work wonders when it comes to post nasal drip. It contains antimicrobial agents, and it works at soothing inflammation,

It’s used to combat a number of infections, including post nasal drip.

For this one, take 200mg of grapefruit seed extract and consume it twice a day for best results.

Watch out, though – it has one heck of a sour taste!

Lemon Juice

Arguably as sour as grapefruit seed extract is Miss Reliable herself – lemon juice!

Lemon juice is well known for its health benefits, and it’s advised that anyone drinks it in the morning to flush toxins from their system.

Lemon juice can also combat post nasal drip because it’s a fab source of vitamin C, which hastens up the speeding process.

All you need to do is take a tbsp of lemon juice and add it to a glass of water 3 times a day.

Pineapple Juice

Not a massive fan of lemon juice? Try pineapple juice instead.

Just take a cup of cut pineapples, blend them with a cup of water and drink at least once each day.

Turmeric

Rather like apple cider vinegar and ginger tea, turmeric is known to cure a great deal many things. This is because it’s a natural decongestant that contains anti inflammatory and antibacterial agents. It’s often used in the fight against the common cold, which itself is one of the prime causes of post nasal drip.

For this remedy, grab yourself a tsp of turmeric and mix it into a glass of hot or warm milk.

When the milk has cooled down, drink it up!

Do this at least once a day if you want to see results.

However, this one is a bit of a hit and miss remedy because turmeric itself is a bit of an acquired taste.

And turmeric milk? Not everyone is going to go for that!

Peppermint Essential Oil

If you’re a big fan of essential oils – and especially if you’re a big fan of peppermint essential oil in particular – you’re going to love this one.

Peppermint essential oil works because it’s a natural expectorate that comes with both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This ensures it’s able to treat post nasal drip quickly and effectively.

All you need to do is take around 5 drops of peppermint essential oil and and them to a bowl of hot water.

Then, carefully inhale the steam.

Don’t put your face too close to the bowl – the last thing you want to do is burn your face!

Do this at least once a day and you should soon start seeing results.

If you prefer the smell of lavender, as we mentioned above you can use lavender essential oil as an alternative.

Vicks Vapour Rub

Remember when you were a kid and your mom used to rub this on your chest to cure your cold?

We’ve got news for you – Vicks vapour rub isn’t just for kids! It’s just as effective for adults, and it comes in real handy if you’ve got post nasal drip.

All you need to do is pop to your local chemist and buy a tub. Then, rub a hefty amount of it onto your back, your throat and your chest. Don’t be mean with the amount you use – use a generous amount for the fastest results.

In fact, Vicks works so fast that you should see instant relief.

It works so well because it contains an ingredient called menthol. It also contains eucalyptus which, like menthol, is known for its antibacterial and expectorant agents.

If you have post nasal drip, check your medicine cabinet to see if you already have some Vicks in!

Oil Pulling

Ever heard of oil pulling?

This is a known detoxifying treatment that helps to clear post nasal drip right up by clearing the congestion in your throat.

Oil pulling also contains anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents that allow it treat your drip super fast so that you feel better in no time at all.

All you need to do is take a tsp of sesame oil and mix it with 3% of hydrogen peroxide (no more than that).

Then, swish the mixture around your mouth for around 10 minutes. That’s quite a long time but you can do it!

Also, make sure that you only do it on an empty stomach.

After the 10 minutes are up, spit the mixture out into the sink and then rinse your mouth with water.

Do this each day for best results.

How to Prevent Post Nasal Drip?

To stop post nasal drip from returning again, here are some tips:

Wash Everything

Okay, you don’t have to wash everything. But it’s important that you soak your mattress covers, pillowcases and sheets in hot water.

Cover Pillowcases and Mattresses with Dust Mite Proof Covers

Dust mites can exacerbate post nasal drip, so you need to do what you can to avoid them. As well as washing your sheets etc, cover your pillowcases and mattresses with dust mite proof covers.

Just because you can’t see dust mites, that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there!

Clean your House Often

We’re not saying that you don’t already dust and vacuum often, but it’s now important than ever that you clean your house as often as you can.

Dust at least once a week. Dust soon builds up and more dust means more dust mites.

And more dust mites mean an increased risk of post nasal drip. It’s a vicious cycle that you want to avoid.

Consume More Vitamins

Are you eating enough vitamins? If you aren’t, you need to step up your game.

Vitamin = a healthier you.

And when you’re healthier, your body is better able to fight off infections and viruses …

… and it’s much better equipped to keep your mucus production firmly in check.

There are all kinds of vitamins you should be consuming more of, from A to E, but if you want to focus on those with the most antibacterial properties, vitamins C and D are your best friends.

Vitamins C and D are effective for preventing post nasal drip, while zinc is a very beneficial mineral that can also prevent post nasal drip from forming.

Buy a Humidifier

A humidifier or vaporiser will do the trick.

Why?

Because these bad boys boost the amount of moisture that’s in the air.

When it comes to preventing post nasal drip, it’s all about improving the conditions in your home. There are certain conditions in which post nasal drip thrives, and dry air is one of them.

Know When to See your Doctor

Post nasal drip can generally be treated at home, but there will be times when you’ll need to take yourself off to the doctor.

If you develop an ear infection, you for sure need to see your doctor. Ear infections can be severely painful and if left untreated, they can cause you big problems.

See a doctor if you spot blood in your post nasal drip, too.

All in all, post nasal drip doesn’t have to spoil you day and make you feel lousy. As you can see, there are lots of things you can do to both prevent and cure the dreaded “Drip.”

Follow the tips in this article and we hope you begin to feel better real soon!

Stay happy and healthy!

from Beauty And Tips Magazine