A variety of colds accompany a person almost year-round. One of the most annoying and unpleasant signs of these pathologies for many is a runny nose, which interferes with normal breathing, rest and causes a host of other problems. Traditional medicines in the form of drops are aimed at narrowing the vessels of the inflamed mucous membrane, which often provokes the process of addiction. As a result, such drugs simply cease to bring the desired effect or require regular instillations.
But you can get rid of a cold with a simple natural remedy - tea tree oil. It is famous for its many beneficial properties and has a strong effect, facilitating respiration and inhibiting bacteria in the nasopharynx. It is only important to know how to apply tea tree oil from the common cold to prevent the development of all sorts of complications and achieve a positive result.
A little information
Tea tree oil is a product with a high concentration of active substances, which is obtained by steam processing of fresh leaves of melaleuka. The tool has a bactericidal, antiviral and antiseptic effect due to the presence in its composition of a huge number of derivatives of terpenes. Due to the pronounced therapeutic effect, this oil is often used to treat colds, including laryngopharyngitis, rhinitis, tonsillitis and other diseases accompanied by a runny nose.
The active ingredients of the drug contribute to the elimination of pathogenic microflora in the foci of inflammation, which allows to improve local immunity. Regular use of tea tree oil from the common cold helps stop the symptoms of rhinitis and recover as quickly as possible.
Composition
Tea tree oil is considered an excellent cold medicine with a wide spectrum of action. It consists of components that have a pronounced bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and regenerative effect on the cells of the ciliated epithelium. The main ingredients of the product are such substances:
- terpineol;
- cineol;
- limonel;
- sabinen;
- terpin;
- pinen.
At the moment of contact with damaged tissues, these components penetrate into the pathogenic microorganisms and destroy them.
In what cases is it necessary
Essential oil allows you to destroy many pathogenic bacteria. Its effects are:
- E. coli;
- Proteus;
- yeast-like fungi;
- staphylococci;
- streptococci;
- pneumococci.
In fact, tea tree oil is often used not only by folk, but also by traditional medicine to treat colds. This natural antiseptic helps destroy bacteria on the mucous membranes, due to which it is regularly used in otolaryngology, dentistry and even gynecology.
Beneficial features
An effective antiviral drug can be successfully used to eliminate the symptoms of a cold, including acute rhinitis. Essential oil contributes to increased sweating, due to which pathogens are much faster removed from the body. The necessary result is gradually achieved: local immunity increases and the regeneration process begins.
Tea tree oil, used from the common cold for a long time, has many healing qualities:
- antiviral - suppresses the activity of rhinoviruses, which often turn out to be the initial cause of inflammation in the nasopharynx;
- bactericidal - inhibits the development and spread of microbes, which helps to reduce the number of pathological foci;
- healing - accelerates the metabolism in cells, due to which there is a quick restoration of damaged areas of the ciliated epithelium;
- anti-inflammatory - prevents the development of inflammatory mediators that provoke the appearance of swelling;
- immunomodulatory - increases local immunity, due to which tissue reactivity improves;
- analgesic - reduces the susceptibility of pain receptors, which helps get rid of discomfort.
But it should be borne in mind that you can not use tea tree oil from the common cold caused by an allergic form of rhinitis.
Inhalation
How to use tea tree oil for a cold? To eliminate rhinitis, doctors advise doing inhalation. Warming up the nasopharynx with the use of essential oil helps to eliminate the inflammatory process. Thanks to this therapy, tissue swelling disappears and breathing is greatly facilitated.
To treat a runny nose with tea tree oil, you can resort to several options for inhalation:
- 2 liters of hot water with 5 drops of the drug and the same amount of eucalyptus oil;
- 2 drops of anise oil and tea tree with a liter of water;
- a spoonful of honey and 4 drops of oil, added to 1.5 liters of water.
The therapeutic session should not last more than 10-12 minutes.
Hot inhalations can be done no more than three times during the day, subject to normal body temperature. Hyperthermia usually indicates the development of serious inflammation in the body. And excessive heating of the nasopharynx may in this case not be beneficial, but, on the contrary, lead to the development of sinusitis.
In general, such activities are considered safe. By the way, it is in this form that the drug is recommended for the common cold in children. Tea tree oil is a plant product and therefore completely safe. For kids who are concerned about a runny nose, this remedy will help get rid of unpleasant symptoms as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Nasal drops
Before resorting to using tea tree oil from a cold, it is advisable to consult a doctor. After all, this tool has a high concentration of active ingredients and in some cases can be dangerous. So, pediatricians advise to refrain from using essential oil of tea tree with a cold in children under two years of age. After all, the mucous membrane of such a baby may be too susceptible, which will become favorable soil for the development of allergies.
For the treatment of adults, this product is used in combination with base oils to prevent side effects. To prepare nasal drops, you can use one of the most effective recipes:
- mixing 2 drops of chamomile, lavender and tea tree oils;
- adding 20 ml of St. John's wort oil to the medicine.
The resulting product should be instilled three times throughout the day in the nose.
With a runny nose, tea tree oil acts as quickly as possible if you use cotton turunds soaked in a prepared solution. But if you have ulcers or some damage on the mucous membrane, you will have to refuse this method of treatment.
Rinse nose
Rhinitis is always accompanied by inflammation of the ciliated epithelium, which lines the surface of the nasopharynx. Abnormal changes provoke increased mucus production, which leads to nasal congestion. To speed up the process of removing this secret, it is necessary to arrange nose washing procedures using tea tree oil. To do this, prepare a solution:
- in 100 ml of water add 5 drops of emulsion;
- warm the product to 40 degrees;
- flush your nose with a syringe.
Only during the procedure, try not to throw your head back - so the liquid can get into the Eustachian tube.
In conclusion, it is worth saying that tea tree oil has a symptomatic effect and cannot completely eliminate the initial cause of rhinitis. That is why in the treatment of colds, this tool is given only an auxiliary role - it is used only to eliminate the signs of the disease.
Contraindications
A concentrated product can lead to side effects due to the presence of a large number of active ingredients in the composition. Experts do not recommend using tea tree oil from a cold in such conditions:
- gestation;
- lactation;
- acute form of sinusitis;
- vasomotor rhinitis;
- tendency to allergic reactions;
- mucosal injuries.
Conclusion
To avoid the appearance of negative symptoms, before starting the use of the drug, an allergy test should be performed. To do this, moisten a cotton pad or shawl in a small amount of emulsion and breathe it in for at least an hour. If you do not begin to feel a burning sensation and do not find redness of the nasal mucosa, you can safely use tea tree oil to eliminate a runny nose. Only then do not forget to follow the rules for using the emulsion.