How to Treat a Runny Nose With Natural Medicine

While there is a wide array of prescription and over-the-counter medications available on the market that promise to dry a runny nose, they don't always work and often come with unwanted side effects. So, try stopping your next runny nose in its tracks with safe, affordable and effective natural treatments. Read on to learn how to treat a runny nose with natural medicine.

Things You'll Need

• Elderberry
• Fresh mint
• Yarrow root
• Cayenne pepper
• Andrographis tablets
• Fresh watercress
• Fresh ginger

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Instructions

• 1

  Drink a natural herbal tea, two or three times a day, to help bring a runny nose to a halt. Boil 1 cup of water with one teaspoon of elder berry, 1 tsp. of fresh mint, 1 tsp. of yarrow root and 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper for five minutes. Strain the herbs and allow the tea to cool. Keep your handkerchief handy, because this tea will make your nose run even more at first, but you symptoms will soon dry up.

• 2

  Take 400 mg of andrographis three times a day before meals to help dry a runny nose. Andrographis is a natural homeopathic treatment that is often called "Indian Echinacea," as it shares many of the same curative properties. Andrographis is readily available in natural food stores or from your naturopath.

• 3

  Eat 1 oz. of fresh watercress twice a day to naturally relieve a runny nose. Watercress also works to soothe a cough and can be eaten as is, added to a salad or made into tea. To make tea add 2 or 3 tsp. of dry watercress to boiled water, allowing the tea to steep off heat for five minutes before straining and drinking.

• 4

  Peel a small piece of ginger, about the size of a piece of bubble gum, and gently chew the root, swallowing the juice. Ginger warms the body, increases blood circulation and helps to drain the nose, relieving the symptoms of runny nose. Repeat this natural treatment two or three times a day to keep a runny nose under control.