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    herbs to clear lungs

    are there any herbs to help clear lungs of congestion?

    #2
    Re: herbs to clear lungs

    If it is a very bad congestion I will always recommend seeing a doctor. Aside from that try brewing a pot of chamomile tea and breath the steam before you drink it.
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      #3
      Re: herbs to clear lungs

      Lots and lots of warm, herbals teas with honey are quite helpful for chest/nasal congestion. Sage is also said to have healing effects on mucus congestion. Here's a link to a recipe:
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        #4
        Re: herbs to clear lungs

        Originally posted by MoonRaven View Post
        If it is a very bad congestion I will always recommend seeing a doctor. Aside from that try brewing a pot of chamomile tea and breath the steam before you drink it.

        Ok, I wish that I could see a doctor but when you have no insurance and no money...........

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          #5
          Re: herbs to clear lungs

          If you can find a strong peppermint oil I've found that also really helps with congestion (at least personally anyways)
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            #6
            Re: herbs to clear lungs

            eucalyptus eucalyptus eucalyptus !! that stuff is miraculous !! hot steam it...bathe in it...hang it while you take a hot shower...all of that will do the trick. feel better soon!

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              #7
              Re: herbs to clear lungs

              Spoonful of honey all by itself is good for that.

              A dollop of Vaporub in hot water will help, too.
              I often wish that I had done drugs in the '70s. At least there'd be a reason for the flashbacks. - Rick the Runesinger

              Blood and CountryTribe of my Tribe
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              Kin of my Kin
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              For the Yule was upon them, the Yule; and they quaffed from the skulls of the slain,
              And shouted loud oaths in hoarse wit, and long quaffing swore laughing again.

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                #8
                Re: herbs to clear lungs

                yes it is miserable having a cold/flue
                nothing else it is a good time for me to quit smoking
                as I have no desire for a cigarette with being all stuffed up

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                  #9
                  Re: herbs to clear lungs

                  A good steam with mint oils and some rosemary oil will help, also mullein and elderberry tea--ginger, rosemary, chamomile, and peppermint can all be helpful for various reasons, but mullein is the best (safe) herb for chest congestion, avoid dairy and smoking, add garlic and ginger to whatever foods will take them and eat plenty of citrus (or add to tea), sleep with your head and chest elevated, and drink lots of fluids. Also, a hot pack of some sort.

                  Honestly though, go to the drugstore and evaluate whats going on--for chest congestion, you need an expectorant (in the US, likely guanfacine), if its sinus congestion, you need a decongestant (phenylephrine or pseudephrine), and if you are hacking your lungs out, a cough supressent (dextromorphan). If its a combination, then you can usually find them in different combinations. Make sure you drink lots of fluids too...any expectorant or decongestant will be somewhat dehydrating.

                  I've been using herbs for all sorts of things over the years...and TBH, on some things they work great, on others, not so great. Most herbal remedies work best as a long term preventative or in concert with medication. I have chronic sinus problems which frequently develop into bronchitis and even URI's...herbs only do so much.
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                    #10
                    Re: herbs to clear lungs

                    Originally posted by thalassa View Post
                    A good steam with mint oils and some rosemary oil will help, also mullein and elderberry tea--ginger, rosemary, chamomile, and peppermint can all be helpful for various reasons, but mullein is the best (safe) herb for chest congestion, avoid dairy and smoking, add garlic and ginger to whatever foods will take them and eat plenty of citrus (or add to tea), sleep with your head and chest elevated, and drink lots of fluids. Also, a hot pack of some sort.

                    Honestly though, go to the drugstore and evaluate whats going on--for chest congestion, you need an expectorant (in the US, likely guanfacine), if its sinus congestion, you need a decongestant (phenylephrine or pseudephrine), and if you are hacking your lungs out, a cough supressent (dextromorphan). If its a combination, then you can usually find them in different combinations. Make sure you drink lots of fluids too...any expectorant or decongestant will be somewhat dehydrating.

                    I've been using herbs for all sorts of things over the years...and TBH, on some things they work great, on others, not so great. Most herbal remedies work best as a long term preventative or in concert with medication. I have chronic sinus problems which frequently develop into bronchitis and even URI's...herbs only do so much.
                    I can understand avoid smoking but why avoid dairy ?

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                      #11
                      Re: herbs to clear lungs

                      Originally posted by oldhippie View Post
                      are there any herbs to help clear lungs of congestion?
                      The best mucolytic (to break up mucous) is steam. Just plain old hot water steam. You can add all the herbs or oils to it that you like, but it's actually the steam that is doing most of the work. Fill up the bathroom basin with water from the kettle, add the herbs and oils if you wish, then hang over it with a towel over your head and breathe in the steam (make sure there's a vent)... do that two or three times a day for a as long as you can before you get bored. I usually last about two minutes lol.

                      Also humidify the room by placing a bowl of water on your nightstand. You are in the US right? So it's winter there? Heaters are a major culprit for colds and flues because they dry out the atmosphere. So if you have the heater or fire going, put a bowl of water by it, or on top of the wood stove/fire/mantelpiece (heat proof container, obviously) and next to your bed. And one in every room you're going to spend time in. You can get some fancy humidifiers that plug into powerpoints, but you can replicate the effect for free if you have a heater. You're not aiming for the water to be obviously hot, it's just there to put some moisture into the air as it evaporates naturally.

                      I usually use essential oils rather than herbs for colds and flues, because they are much more effective when added to a steam bathe than herbs are. But you could use the following herbs. Or you could use a combination. My standard 'expectorant and decongestion' mix is below. Add a few drops of the mixture into a steam bath, a regular bath, an oil burner/aromatherpy diffuser or dilute it in a carrier oil and rub it on your chest. DO NOT INGEST THIS.

                      Rosemary - decongestant and anti-inflammatory. It's also a diuretic so if you are using the herb itself, limit ingestion if you have kidney problems, and ensure that you are drinking enough fluids.
                      Eucalyptus - decongestant, analgesic (for the headaches and for sore throats), anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and general all-round extremely-useful oil. This is the mainstay of Australian cold and flue remedies (along with various cleaning purposes and wound healing). Never ingest anything from the eucalyptus family. Only koalas can do that safely.
                      Black Pepper - expectorant. It can be irritating to some skins so never use it neat and if you're sensitive then don't add it to a chest rub.
                      Peppermint - decongestant, expectorant, analgesic (for the headaches), among other things. It can also be irritating to some skins - see above.

                      All of the above, apart from Eucalyptus can be ingested, so you could use it sans Eucalyptus as a tea. Most people have Rosemary and Black Pepper in their kitchens (at least they do here). The Black Pepper is the peppercorns, the Rosemary is ideally the whole flowering head but the leaves will do, the Peppermint is the leaves.

                      You can also add a bit of Lavender at night, or use a separate oil mix at night. Normally I use the above mix during the day, then do Lavender and Eucalyptus at night, with Peppermint if I have a headache (Rosemary is a stimulant so I don't use it at night). Either in an oil burner (if you can burn one safely while you sleep - we put ours inside the bathtub in our ensuite as the door is right next to the bed) or put a few drops on a square of cloth and put it inside your pillow, under your pillow, or on your nightstand (depending on how much you can stand the smell... you should be able to smell it but not have your eyes watering). You could also put the crushed herbs into a sachet inside your pillow - crushing them releases the oils, so if you are not eating them you can still get the benefit. I would be inclined do to this rather than drink it as tea before bed.

                      Originally posted by thalassa View Post
                      Honestly though, go to the drugstore and evaluate whats going on--for chest congestion, you need an expectorant (in the US, likely guanfacine), if its sinus congestion, you need a decongestant (phenylephrine or pseudephrine), and if you are hacking your lungs out, a cough supressent (dextromorphan). If its a combination, then you can usually find them in different combinations. Make sure you drink lots of fluids too...any expectorant or decongestant will be somewhat dehydrating.
                      Thal, can I add something to this? Don't take a cough suppressant if the cough is productive (ie if you are coughing stuff up). Suppressants are okay if it's dry, but if it's productive then it generally needs to be coughed up. Or use one of the combination products that is specifically for your exact type of cough, because those are usually in the correct balance to allow you to get the phlegm up with minimal coughing. You want a mucolytic to break up the mucous and then an expectorant to encourage you to cough it up. Suppressants stop the coughing and so the mucous and phlegm stays in the lungs, which isn't that helpful. But a lot of non-productive coughing is not helpful either. So you need to find that balance.

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                        #12
                        Re: herbs to clear lungs

                        Originally posted by oldhippie View Post
                        I can understand avoid smoking but why avoid dairy ?
                        I don't know if it affects all people, but for just about everyone I know dairy causes flemming to a greater or lesser degree. I know if I eat ice cream, I have to hit the inhaler (small price to pay for ice cream).
                        I often wish that I had done drugs in the '70s. At least there'd be a reason for the flashbacks. - Rick the Runesinger

                        Blood and CountryTribe of my Tribe
                        Clan of my Clan
                        Kin of my Kin
                        Blood of my Blood



                        For the Yule was upon them, the Yule; and they quaffed from the skulls of the slain,
                        And shouted loud oaths in hoarse wit, and long quaffing swore laughing again.

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                          #13
                          Re: herbs to clear lungs

                          Apples are supposed to be good for lung health.

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                            #14
                            Re: herbs to clear lungs

                            Originally posted by Rick View Post
                            I don't know if it affects all people, but for just about everyone I know dairy causes flemming to a greater or lesser degree. I know if I eat ice cream, I have to hit the inhaler (small price to pay for ice cream).

                            Dairy doesn't actually increase mucus at all, but it does make it feel like it for some people. So cheese away if it doesn't bother you.

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                              #15
                              Re: herbs to clear lungs

                              Plain steam is most effective, IMO, especially for those with other chronic respiratory illnesses or who already have irritated airways (like from coughing). If you're already sensitive to scents when you're operating at 100%, then there's a good chance you might be more sensitive when you're not.

                              blue_coyote mentioned apples. Apples can actually help a little bit because they contain quercetin, which does some anti-inflammatory stuff. I've personally used them for mild asthma symptoms. They're not a replacement for anything, obviously.
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