How to Stop Post Nasal Drip with Remedies from Your Kitchen

A runny nose is certainly not attractive, but it can also drive you crazy and cause irritation in your throat and coughing as well. If you are suffering from any of the above post nasal drip symptoms, knowing how to stop post nasal drip is critical for you. The good news is that there are plenty of remedies to put an end to sinus drainage, and they are already in your kitchen.

Post nasal drip can be a symptom of a more serious condition. So, if your symptoms persist, it is best to consult a health care professional rather than using these remedies as all inclusive cures.

15 Accessible Ways to Learn How to Stop Post Nasal Drip

1. Drink More Water

Though it might seem a little strange at first one of the best remedies in how to stop post nasal drip is by drinking more water. Dehydration in your nasal passages and the rest of your body will aggravate your post nasal drip symptoms. In addition, increased fluid intake helps to thin mucus.

What to do:

• Drink a minimum of ten 8 to 10 oz glasses of room temperature water daily.
• Lemonade, home extracted fruit and vegetable juices, soups and broths also help to hydrate.
• Caffeine, alcohol and soda, tend to cause dehydration so stay away from them.

2. Up Your Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an important nutrient related to learning how to stop post nasal drip. Besides being great for boosting immunity and building resistance to infection, vitamin C also helps to lower histamine production.

What to do:

• Vitamin C supplements can help, if you simply aren’t getting enough of it in your diet.
• You will get far more benefit out of vitamin C-rich foods such as: lemons, kiwis, berries, dark leafy greens, oranges, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and papayas.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar

Helping to make your body more alkaline using apple cider vinegar will also help in how to stop post nasal drip. Alkalinity helps to shrink swollen sinus membranes and gain control of the production of mucus.

What to do:

• Mix 2 tsp of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a cup of warm water.
• Add a little raw honey and drink this twice a day.
• You can also add equal amounts of apple cider vinegar and water to a pot, boil it until it produces steam.
• Remove the pot from heat and inhale the steam (see steam remedy below).
• Repeat either of these a couple times a day.

4. Lemon or Lime

Besides providing vitamin C, as mentioned above, lemons and limes are also effective in loosening mucus and making it easier to get rid of. The elimination of mucus is a major factor in how to stop post nasal drip.

What to do:

• Into a cup of warm water, squeeze the juice of ½ lemon or lime.
• If necessary, you can add a little raw honey to sweeten it.
• Drink this every morning on an empty stomach before you eat or drink anything else.
• You can also add a little lemon or lime to your favorite cup o tea.
• Repeat this daily.

5. Garlic

When it comes to post nasal drip remedies and how to stop post nasal drip, few ingredients in your kitchen are more powerful than garlic. Besides preventing infection through its antibiotic properties, garlic helps control the production of mucus.

What to do:

• Roast 3 to 4 chopped garlic cloves in 1 tsp of clarified butter for 1 minute.
• Consume this in warm milk twice daily.
• If you are on the go, you can chew a clove of garlic several times a day as well.

6. Ginger

Ginger is a natural decongestant which is also a great remedy for how to stop post nasal drip. Ginger’s expectorant properties help to reduce mucus production and help to get rid of it as well. Because it is antiviral and antibacterial, it can get rid of irritants that are causing the symptoms as well.

What to do:

• Add 1 Tbsp of sliced ginger into 1 1/2 cups of boiling water.
• Turn the heat down to a simmer for 10 minutes.
• Strain the tea and some little raw honey before drinking it.
• Drink this tea 2 to 3 times daily.
• You can also chew on ginger slices like garlic slices.

7. Cayenne Pepper

Another remedy for how to get rid of post nasal drip is probably rather obvious if your nose has ever run and your eyes watered while eating spicy food. An excellent antihistamine, the capsaicin in cayenne pepper helps to thin mucus and ease raw, irritated post nasal drip sore throat.

What to do:

• Besides enjoying cayenne pepper as an addition into your favorite dishes, you can make a quick syrup to help reap its benefits fast.
• Mix ½ tsp of cayenne pepper in 1 Tbsp of honey and swallow it 2 or 3 times per day.
• Or, you can add 1 tsp of cayenne pepper to 1 cup of warm water and sip it.
• Repeat this a couple times a day as well.

8. Nasal Irrigation

Nasal irrigation is probably one of the most common remedies in how to stop post nasal drip. Moreover, nasal irrigation helps clear out excess mucus and prevents the chance of obtaining an infection from mucus buildup.

What to do:

• Dissolve ¼ tsp of salt and a pinch of baking soda into 1 cup of warm, distilled water.
• Place the solution in a neti pot.
• Use the neti pot to irrigate you nasal passages and rinse them.
• Repeat this process daily, especially before going to bed to help reduce drip cough at night.

9. Steam

Steam is also common among post nasal drip remedies. Also, steam warms up mucus, which thins it and helps to rinse it from your nasal passages. Adding apple cider vinegar or certain essential oils can give this process a boost.

What to do:

• Boil water in a 4 to 6 quart pot, and then remove it from heat.
• Place a towel over your head and use it to direct steam into your face as you hold it over the pot.
• Inhale the steam for about 10 minutes, then blow your nose.
• Add essential oils like menthol, eucalyptus oil, peppermint, tea tree, or rosemary oil to the hot water.
• Repeat the process 2 or 3 times a day.
• Warm showers can also assist in breaking up mucus.

10. Stinging Nettle

One of the most effective, though less popular remedies for how to stop post nasal drip is stinging nettle. As a natural antihistamine, stinging nettle helps shrink swollen nasal membranes and reduce mucus production.

What to do:

• Put on a pair of rubber gloves before handling fresh nettles.
• Chop and add 2 Tbsp of leaves to 1 ½ cup boiling water.
• Turn down the heat and allow the water to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Strain the leaves from the tea, add some honey and lemon if you like, and sip.
• Repeat this 2 to 3 times daily.

11. Pineapple

Bromelain is one of the most effective remedies for how to stop post nasal drip and you get it from pineapples. This key phytonutrient in pineapples helps reduce swelling in nasal membranes and reduces mucus production.

What to do:

• Keep the pineapple top, core and husks from a fresh pineapple.
• While you enjoy the pineapple in your favorite salad or desert, boil the top, husks and core in a large pot of water for about an hour (until all husks are soft).
• You can throw the top in your compost bin, however, add the husks and core into a blender, along with a cup or so of the boiled water to help it puree.
• Press the purees pineapple through a strainer and add the rest of the water from the pot to make juice.
• Drink this juice 3 or 4 times a daily.

12. Onions

Breathing those powerful vapors when you are chopping onions is another obvious way of how to get rid of post nasal drip. The antihistamine properties of onions come from the sulfides contained in them and those vapors are great for reducing swelling and mucus production.

What to do:

• Extract the juice from a few slices of onions in a blender or food processor.
• Add ½ tsp of the juice to 1 tsp of pure raw honey.
• Repeat this several times a day.
• Onion juice added to a pot of steaming water can also be beneficial when using the steam remedy above.

13. Gargling Salt Water

One of the associated symptoms is a raw, irritated, post nasal drip sore throat and gargling with salt water can help soothe that, but it is also effective at how to stop post nasal drip by reducing swelling and helping flush out excess mucus.

What to do:

• Dissolve ½ tsp of salt in 8 oz. of warm water.
• Gargle about 1 Tbsp at a time and spit.
• Repeat this until the salt water solution is used up.
• Do this a couple times per day.

14. Horseradish

Like cayenne pepper, horseradish is another powerful antihistamine which is beneficial in how to stop post nasal drip. By shrinking the nasal membranes and reducing mucus production, horseradish helps to clear up this issue and helps extract the excess mucus as well.

What to do:

• Consume horseradish dips and sauces along with your meals.
• You can also prepare horseradish root in a tea, like you did with the ginger recipe above.
• Repeat drinking this tea 2 to 3 times per day.

15. Oregano

Oregano is a valuable ingredient found in your kitchen which is a top performer in how to stop post nasal drip. The phytonutrients carvacrol and thymol found in oregano help to rid your sinus membranes of viruses, fungus and bacteria, which add to the swelling of sinus membranes and increase the production of mucus.

What to do:

• You can use oil of oregano in the steam treatment we mentioned above.
• Add oregano oil to your room humidifier, which can help calm drip cough at night.
• You can also chew on fresh oregano leaves to obtain the oil and phytonutrients direct from the source.

In the End

Sinus drainage can drive you crazy and it is less than attractive to have to be tending to it constantly. Making use of one or more of the remedies on how to stop post nasal drip from our list above, you can gain control over your condition and help maintain some of your sanity.

If you have additional remedies to add to our list, or have some success stories you would like to share, we invite you to do so in the section below.

Images: depositphotos.com.