Congestión de los senos

Chinese ephedra (Ma huang)

Ephedra sinica

Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products are approved for sinus congestion; they are sold behind the pharmacy counter in the US because they are methamphetamine precursors.

Horseradish

Armoracia rusticana

Authors of a manufacturer-linked cohort study cite clinical studies of the combination in upper respiratory infections such as sinusitis; those studies were not reviewed here.

Nasturtium

Tropaeolum majus

Licensed in Germany for acute sinusitis, but supported only by observational data: a cohort of over 1,600 patients found symptom improvement comparable to other treatments, and a records study linked its prescription to fewer recurrences and antibiotic prescriptions. No placebo-controlled sinusitis trial was found.

Pineapple

Ananas comosus

NCCIH: there is not enough high-quality research to say whether oral bromelain helps sinusitis.

South African geranium (Umckaloabo)

Pelargonium sidoides

One trial of 103 adults found more people fully recovered by day 21 (relative risk of persisting symptoms 0.43), but Cochrane rated the evidence very low quality.

Tasmanian blue gum

Eucalyptus globulus

In a randomised placebo-controlled trial in 152 adults with acute non-purulent rhinosinusitis, 200 mg of cineole three times daily for 7 days lowered a symptom score more than placebo (3.0 vs 9.2 points from 15.6). A reference-controlled trial in 150 patients also favoured cineole. These are trials of isolated cineole, not of eucalyptus oil, and the placebo-controlled cineole trials cited here share a co-author (U. Dethlefsen).

Vervain

Verbena officinalis

Vervain is one of several herbs in Sinupret, a combination product described as effective for acute viral rhinosinusitis in children. The evidence is for the mixture, not for vervain alone.

Xin yi

Magnolia biondii

Xin yi was the most frequent ingredient in classical Chinese formulas for bi yuan (sinusitis), in oral and nasal remedies alike, and the most frequent herb in nasal formulas tested in modern randomised trials. All of these trials tested formulas, not xin yi alone.

Cocklebur

Xanthium strumarium

In a text-mining study of classical Chinese medical books, Cang er (zi) san ('Xanthium powder') was the formula cited most often for rhinosinusitis (47 citations, 1253–1911), and cang er zi was among the most-used herbs. Only two randomised trials of the formula were found.

Dahurian angelica

Angelica dahurica

Bai zhi is recorded in the Ben Cao Gang Mu and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia for nasosinusitis and nasal obstruction; it is used within formulas rather than alone.

Indian acalypha

Acalypha indica

In Sri Lanka a salad of shredded leaves with grated coconut is a popular home remedy for nasal congestion; the case reports of haemolysis arose from exactly this use.

Mapacho

Nicotiana rustica

The tabaquero treats respiratory problems such as sinusitis, saying tobacco 'absorbs phlegm and removes it'; Cherokee healers used it as an expectorant.

Pepper-bark tree

Warburgia salutaris

Sinus complaints, headache, abdominal pain and rheumatism are among its recorded traditional uses.

Sea hibiscus

Hibiscus tiliaceus

One informant on the Society Islands (French Polynesia) reported a cooked bark mixture for children's sinusitis.

Squirting cucumber

Ecballium elaterium

Diluted fruit juice drawn into the nose is a traditional Mediterranean remedy for chronic sinusitis, a use traced to Dioscorides. No reliable human trials were found. Its use has repeatedly caused severe swelling of the uvula, nose and upper airway: one ENT department treated 42 such patients in four years, and a single dose of undiluted juice as nose drops caused hypoxaemia.

Ti plant

Cordyline fruticosa

Leaves or leaf buds appear in remedies for nanu (sinusitis) recorded in the Society Islands.

Wild ginger

Asarum sieboldii

Traditionally used for sinusitis and to 'open the nasal passages' and relieve runny nose.