Clearing Out Congestion: 9 Ayurvedic Treatments for Sinusitis
Updated: Nov 21
Explore 9 Ayurvedic remedies for balancing your energy, improving focus, alleviating stress, and preventing sinus problems. 🤧 Ready to enjoy improved breathing? Continue reading! It's time for healthy sinuses with Ayurveda.
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9 Ayurvedic Treatments for Sinusitis
Sinus crud, constant throat clearing, bad breath, sour stomach, and persistent sniffles can feel like an inevitable part of life this time of year – but they don’t have to be. This blog takes a closer look at how Ayurvedic sinus treatments can put an end to sinus suffering.
The 3 Doshas & Sinus Issues
Every person is comprised of a unique mix of the three Ayurvedic doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These doshas are the energetic building blocks of the universe and are present in everything around us.
We’re all affected differently by seasonal shifts, depending on the balance of each dosha in our bodies and environments. Here’s how doshic imbalances manifest in our sinuses and respiratory systems:
Aggravated Vata can lead to dry and weepy nasal tissues and sinus irritation. Wild List of Vata Imbalances
Inflamed Pitta can trigger stuffiness, inflammation, and irritation without the mucus or nasal drip. Hot List of Common Pitta Imbalances
Kapha, which rules the sinuses and chest, can cause wet, damp coughs and winter chest colds when out of balance. Sturdy List of Kapha Imbalances
In Ayurveda, it’s important to treat the whole person. But what’s best for one person may not be best for someone else. An Ayurvedic practitioner can help assess what’s happening in your body – and how to regain balance.
Related Readings: Ayurveda Remedies for Mucus and Congestion
9 Home Ayurveda Sinus Treatments
While personalized treatment is essential, it’s helpful to understand the most common Ayurvedic sinus treatments. Read on to learn Ayurveda can help prepare your body and immune system for seasonal shifts in the world around you.
1. Nasya Oil Treatment
What is Nasya Oil?
Nasya oil is a therapeutic oil used in Ayurveda to nourish and cleanse the nasal passageways. Nasya oil is used for both Panchakarma (specialized deep cleansing) and Dinacharya (daily routine). Nasya oil is infused with Ayurvedic herbs to balance the doshas, improve the flow of prana, and alleviate a number of mental and physical health ailments.
Nasya oil is an herb-infused oil used in Ayurveda to cleanse and nourish the nasal passageways. Regular Nasya oil treatment can help relieve mucus and congestion, pacify doshic imbalances, and improve breathing to support the flow of prana.
Nasya oil therapy is simple, and it only takes a few minutes. An Ayurvedic practitioner can help ensure you’re using the proper herbal blend, and that daily application is right for you.
"Clients love our nasya oils. As with all herbals, which herbalized nose oil is correct for you depends on your constitution, current state, overall doshic picture and condition being treated. We offer seven nasya oil formulations and we also create custom formulations. The specificity of the herbs and oils selected for our nasya oils are aimed to balance Vata, Pitta, and Kapha in specific ways." - Veena | Saumya Ayurveda
2. Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is an Ayurvedic treatment that alleviates excess doshas in the head and mind. It helps cleanse oral ama - or toxins - to ease congestion and support healthy sinuses.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner can assess your prakruti (constitution) and vikruti (current dosha state) to determine which type of oil is optimal for your doshic balance. After this, the process is simple:
Place one tablespoon of oil in your mouth (usually coconut or sesame oil).
Swish the oil through your teeth and gums for 15-20 minutes.
Spit the oil in the trash or toilet when you’re finished. Don’t swallow it or spit it in the sink.
When you’re just getting started, start with five minutes and work your way up to 15 or 20. The oil may quickly change consistency and color at first, which means it’s full of oral gunk. If this happens, spit it out and continue the following day.
Related Readings: How To Do Ayurvedic Oil Pulling
3. Herbal Steaming
Herbal steam baths are an Ayurvedic sinus treatment that balance the doshas in the head and respiratory system. Steaming involves mixing Ayurvedic herbs into boiling water, leaning over the bowl and placing a towel over your head to trap the steam, and breathing it in for 10 to 15 minutes.
Eucalyptus, basil, and rosemary are all great for herbal steaming – but the best combination of herbs depends on your specific symptoms and Ayurvedic constitution.
4. Herbal Therapy
Ayurvedic herbs aren’t just good for steam baths. Ingesting certain anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial herbs can help prevent and relieve sinus and respiratory issues.
Ginger and Honey: A spoonful of honey and ginger every morning helps boost the immune system and alleviate allergies.
Cinnamon: Adding a little cinnamon to your diet can help reduce inflammation, a key trigger for sinus and respiratory issues.
Salt & Turmeric: Gargle warm salt and turmeric water, which have anti-microbial properties.
Herbal Water: Add basil leaves, mint leaves, cloves, and ginger to boiling water and sip throughout the day for sinus relief and immune support.
Please note: Saumya Ayurveda does not recommend using herbs as if they were over the counter or prescribed pharmaceuticals. An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner will create you a custom herbal formula, special nasya, and customized Ayurveda plan to support the whole you.
Herbs are not Ayurvedic because it comes from India. Nor it is correct for you because it is organic. Herbs become Ayurvedic when used as part your customized Ayurveda plan which is carefully tailored for your constitution. An herb that is balancing to one person for a concern, may be imbalancing to another.
Related Readings: Ayurvedic Remedies for a Sore Throat
5. Yog-Asana
Yog-asana (the physical part of a yoga practice) benefits our physical and mental health in many ways.
The following poses, in particular, support the sinuses and respiratory system:
Adho Muka Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog): This foundational pose helps improve circulation and open blocked channels to decongest the nasal cavities.
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose): This pose stretches your chest and lungs to enhance the breath and flow of prana. It also invigorates the heart and reduces stress to boost immunity.
The Best Asana and Pranayama for Your Dosha: A Guide for Vata, Pitta, and Kapha
Discover the Best Pranayama Practices for Balancing Kapha Energy
6. Balancing Diet: Let Food Be Your Medicine
When the doshas are out of balance, we become more vulnerable to respiratory infections. In general, consume foods that are well spiced, warm, well cooked, and light in nature.
"Which dosha or doshas are out of balance, determines which specific food, herbs, yoga, pranayama are correct for you. Ayurveda shines in it's specificity of treatment and is not a cookie cutter approach. In Ayurveda, it's all about you!"
-Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
7. Ayurvedic Cleanse and Detox
Ayurvedic detox diets help flush contaminants (ama), correct doshic imbalances, and give your body a clean slate to combat respiratory issues. They’re one of the best Ayurvedic sinus treatments – but it’s essential to take the unique needs of your body into account. Explore this guide to learn how to do an Ayurveda detox diet at home.
8. Pranayama and Diaphragmatic Breathing
Today, the word pranayama is familiar to many – yet its meaning may not be. The word “pran” is the prefix “pra” and the verb root “an”. Think of words such as animate and animation. The prefix “pra” means forth and perfectly. Prana is the animating force. Today, pranayama is widely taught as exercises of the physical breath, and as preparations for meditation, but it is a vast exploration of depth and subtleties.
There are many pranayama breathing practices. Some practices are generally balancing, and others specifically affect different doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha), tissue layers, organs and channels. It is important to know, with certainty, your current state (Vikruti) before beginning pranayama.
Pranayama practices are powerful, and it is imperative to perform the practices that are correct for you currently, as well as to perform them correctly. (Incorrectly performed pranayama can create disturbances.) The first step, prior to pranayama, is to have diaphragmatic breathing well established – and this typically takes six months to a year of daily practice.
Related Readings:
9. Systematic Guided Relaxation Practices
Retrain and rejuvenate your nervous system and calm your mind with our daily guided practices. Eleven minutes as part of your Ayurvedic morning routine and eleven minutes as part of your evening routine.
9 Ayurvedic Treatments for Sinusitis can be woven into your morning and evening Ayurveda routines.
Related Readings:
Ayurvedic Morning Routine | 6 Rituals for a Calm and Centered Day
10 Ayurvedic Evening Rituals for a Calming Night
“So glad I came across Saumya Ayurveda’s clinic. This is a gem offering holistic preventive care. I had great results with seasonal allergies and general well-being.
Veena is extremely knowledgeable and takes great care in remedying underlying health issues. Thank you for all your help and continued services to our community.” --Pawan K., Corrales, New Mexico
“I feel much, much better. Amazing. I feel ten years younger and at 76, that really matters. Digestive issues are totally 100% gone. Not an issue at all. I feel great! Blood sugar and lifelong sinus issues, much better.”
--Kathy B., Minneapolis, MN
“I've been working with Veena since 2010. She has helped my overall health improve in many ways. We addressed my health concerns using food, lifestyle, and herbs that best support me. I used to have chronic sinus infections and in the first year of her care, I didn't have one.
She also works with my emotional health. My anxiety has decreased significantly and I'm almost completely free of it! Emotional ups and downs are gone.
Veena teaches you what to eat and drink to maintain balance from one season to the next. I'm amazed that learning what foods to eat, which teas to drink, and the herbal treatments helped mental health as well and my physical body.
I highly recommend seeing Veena if you are looking for better physical and emotional health.”
–M.B., Minnesota
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MEET VEENA: YOUR AYURVEDIC GUIDE
Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.
Learn more about Veena's work and book your FREE discovery call today.