Aloe is a common indoor plant that has long been used for medicinal purposes. It is actively used in the fight against arthritis, psoriasis, diabetes and many other painful processes. But does aloe help with a runny nose and during colds? Life experience and doctors answer this question positively. From this plant, you can make a medicine yourself, or you can buy ready-made drugs based on it in a pharmacy.
The benefits of aloe
Aloe with a cold is an effective tool, because its trace elements can kill viruses and germs, disinfect, relieve inflammation and heal damaged tissue. In addition, the juice of the plant prevents the spread of infection, because it contains a light antibiotic. Due to this property, complications that often occur against the background of colds can be avoided. All vitamins, trace elements and amino acids contained in aloe strengthen immunity.
Best remedy
Many pharmaceutical drops are not recommended for longer than five days, as addiction occurs and microbes become more resistant to drugs. In this case, the disease does not recede. It is proved that aloe juice with a cold does not cause the effect of addiction. After the first application, significant relief comes. With the stable use of this plant, the disease state goes away. The instant result is achieved thanks to the structure of the nose, inside which there are many capillaries. Juice immediately penetrates through the bloodstream to the site of inflammation, fighting the main problem. Very soon, relief comes, breathing becomes freer, and the irritated mucosa calms down.
Making juice
In order for aloe with a runny nose to have the maximum therapeutic effect, it is important to prepare it correctly. It is worth knowing that a young plant that is not yet three years old does not have a full range of healing properties. Therefore, for these purposes, it is worth taking the leaves of an adult aloe. They are qualitatively washed under ordinary cool water. Clean leaves are placed in cheesecloth and put in a cold place for 12 hours (you can on the lower shelf in the refrigerator). After cooling, remove the needles and finely chop the aloe. In the container, the leaves are crushed to a pulp state. The prepared mixture is filtered through cheesecloth. Ready juice can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than two weeks, after this time the medicine becomes unusable, since it is wasting all its healing properties.
How to apply a medicinal plant
There are many recipes on how to use aloe for a cold. It can be bred with other components or used as a standalone product. But never aloe can not be used undiluted, pure. Juice is a concentrated product and can burn the nasal mucosa. Therefore, to avoid unnecessary problems, aloe juice with a cold in children is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 3, for an adult it is enough to dilute 1: 2. Using a pipette, four drops are dropped into each nostril. Only four doses per day. If a runny nose appears in an infant, a gentle concentration is made: 1 part aloe juice and 5 parts water. You can dig in the nose no more than three times a day. When treating children, it is advisable to use such homemade drops in a “duet” with a vitamin complex that allows the child not to weaken during the fight against a runny nose. This method is the simplest, but in folk medicine there are other ways to use aloe.
Honey Recipe
In this method, we do not need aloe juice. The use of this recipe with a runny nose does not have an immediate effect, but instead it gradually and gently eliminates the symptoms. To prepare the medicine, you need three fresh leaves of aloe, 300 gr. honey and 100 gr. filtered water. All components are put in a saucepan and simmer for two hours over low heat. The cooled potion is stored in a dark place. It should be drunk every day with a tablespoon in the morning, evening and at lunch.
Alcohol tincture
First, aloe leaves are prepared. After keeping them in the refrigerator on the lower shelf (so all the components that make up the plant are activated), we cut them along, squeezing all the juice out of the pulp. If desired, you can grind the product in a blender. Tincture is prepared in a glass vessel. Aloe is filled with alcohol (1: 5). Therapeutic tincture is aged 10 days.
This remedy must be taken in several cases: to improve health in the offseason, as a preventive measure for colds and during the common cold. Drink tincture with caution no more than twice a day. The dosage at a time is no more than half a teaspoon. This tincture of aloe with a cold should be diluted with water 1: 1. Two drops should be instilled into each nostril. This dosage is sufficient even with copious discharge. Do not increase the number of drops, as this can lead to unpleasant dryness in the nose or even burns.
Other healthy recipes
Over the past decades, various options have been invented for using aloe leaves for the common cold. Most of these "grandmother" recipes are tested and truly effective. They can cure not only an adult, but also a child. Unfortunately, this method is not valid during the bearing of a child, especially in the early stages. Here are some simple healing recipes:
- Ready aloe juice from the refrigerator is diluted with carrot juice (1: 2). Every five hours, drip this medicine five drops into each nasal passage.
- With a severe cold, another remedy is prepared from two large sheets. But before cutting them off, it is unnecessary to water the plant for a week, so that its composition is more concentrated and saturated. Need to grind 1 tbsp. celandine and red pepper. All components are mixed into gruel and poured with vodka. Tincture is aged 10 days. Ready means you need to lubricate the nose and nasal passages. This remedy is not suitable for children.
- The next option is called grass collection. To compile it, you will need three parts of honey and chopped rosehip pulp (ripe seedless fruit), part of eucalyptus oil and four parts of aloe juice. These components are well mixed. Two swabs are prepared from gauze, which must be moistened in the finished product and carefully placed in the nasal passages. Hold for approximately 15 minutes. This procedure is performed in the morning, at night and in the evening.
- The following mixture gives excellent results. In equal quantities, lemon juice, honey and aloe juice are taken. All components are thoroughly mixed. The medicine is used as regular nose drops.
- If you do not have your aloe on the windowsill, or the plant is still young, you can buy extract from a pharmacy. It has a yellowish tint and is as safe (for those who have no contraindications) as a real plant.
Special warnings
It should not be forgotten that during the period of bearing a child, all medications that are made on the basis of aloe should be prescribed only by a doctor. Such drugs can even cause miscarriage in small doses . Aloe juice affects the contraction of the muscles of the uterus, and this in turn can lead to tragedy, so aloe with a cold during pregnancy is not recommended at all.
In addition, such drugs should be treated with caution during menstruation or with uterine bleeding. It is also necessary to consult a doctor if inflammatory processes occur in the bladder or if there are liver diseases. Caution should be taken with aloe-based medications for those who regularly have high blood pressure and have heart disease, since the juice of this plant enhances the flow of blood. Patients with epilepsy are strictly prohibited from such drugs. People who have previously noticed personal intolerance should also refrain from such treatment methods.
It is important to determine exactly why you have a runny nose. In chronic rhinitis, this treatment method is not suitable. In this case, complex therapy is required. If this is a common seasonal or catarrhal reaction, aloe with a cold will be useful.
Precautionary measures
Although there is no addiction to an aloe-based medicine, it is still important not to exceed the dosage indicated in the recipes, most often it is no more than five doses per day. Excessive use of the juice or extract of the plant can cause severe irritation of the nasal mucosa, which will bring additional pain during a runny nose. It is better to do the last instillation in the nose no later than one and a half hours before going to bed.