Ear, Nose & Throat
Anosmia
Partial or complete loss of the sense of smell — usually temporary with a cold or nasal inflammation, but chronic anosmia points to zinc deficiency, injury, tumor, or stroke — rapidly corrected by zinc supplementation when the cause is nutritional.
Also known as: Loss of Smell, Smell Blindness, Hyposmia (reduced smell), polyp (definition: small growth protruding from a surface)
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: Common cold or nasal inflammation (rhinitis) — most common cause of temporary anosmia; Zinc deficiency — most common cause of chronic anosmia; Head injury or facial trauma (damages olfactory nerve).
First thing to try: ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION: 30-60 mg (typically 50 mg) zinc, 3 times daily — most cases of chronic anosmia from zinc deficiency respond within days to weeks
See a doctor if: This is a potentially serious condition that requires professional medical diagnosis and care. See a doctor promptly — the suggestions here are gentle, supportive measures only and are not a substitute for medical treatment.
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- Common cold or nasal inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More → (rhinitis) — most common cause of temporary anosmia
- Zinc deficiency — most common cause of chronic anosmia
- Head injury or facial trauma (damages olfactory nerve)
- Nasal polyps (block the nasal airway to the olfactory region)
- Brain tumor or stroke (damages olfactory centers in the brain)
- COVID-19 (post-viral anosmia — not specifically named in this source but zinc still helpful)
Change what you can
- ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION: 30-60 mg (typically 50 mg) zinc, 3 times daily — most cases of chronic anosmia from zinc deficiency respond within days to weeks
- Treat underlying cold, rhinitis, or nasal polyps (see those conditions for remedies)
- For temporary anosmia from a cold: use the remedies under Common Cold and Nasal Catarrh to resolve the inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More →
- CAUTION: zinc supplementation will NOT help anosmia caused by injury, tumors, or stroke — these require medical evaluation
- Note: After chronic anosmia resolves, reduce zinc to 15-30 mg daily (long-term high-dose zinc can deplete copper)
🌿 Then assist nature: remedies & protocols
With the cause being addressed, these are the actual things people do for this — ranked by the community. Vote ▲ on what helped you and ▼ on what didn't, and open How to do it for the steps. Each shows two quick signals: Evidence (how much science backs it) and Gentleness (how safe and in keeping with whole, natural health).
★ Start here — our first-line pick, pinned for safety
Most smell loss from a cold or congestion resolves as the nose clears; smell loss without an obvious cold should be evaluated by a doctor.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Most temporary smell loss comes from swelling or blocked airflow in the nose; saline rinses and steam help open the nasal passageway so scent molecules can reach smell receptors again.
- Use a plain saline nasal spray or rinse 1-2 times daily to clear mucus and reduce swelling.
- Follow with a few minutes of warm steam inhalation to further loosen congestion.
- Stay well hydrated to help thin mucus.
- Rest and allow the underlying cold or sinus irritation to resolve.
A few minutes per session · 1-2 times daily until congestion clears
Caution: Only use plain, sterile saline — never other liquids or solutions in the nose. If smell does not return within a few weeks of the cold clearing, see a doctor.
When to get help: See a doctor promptly for sudden smell loss with no cold or congestion, smell loss after a head injury, or if it is accompanied by headache, vision changes, or confusion.
Source: NIDCD Patient Guidance
Comments & experiences ▾
Also helps — ranked by the community (vote to reorder)
An important safety layer while smell is impaired, alongside treating the underlying cause.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Smell is an early warning system for danger like smoke, gas leaks, and spoiled food; when it's impaired, other safety checks need to fill that gap.
- Install and test smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
- Label and date food in the refrigerator so you can tell when it should be discarded, rather than relying on smell.
- Ask a family member to double-check for gas leaks or spoiled food if you're unsure.
- Be extra cautious with cooking, as you may not notice burning food.
Ongoing · Daily habit
Caution: Do not rely on smell alone to judge food safety or gas leaks while anosmia persists. Impaired smell can also affect appetite and mood — check in on emotional wellbeing too.
When to get help: See a doctor promptly for sudden smell loss with no cold or congestion, smell loss after a head injury, or if it is accompanied by headache, vision changes, or confusion.
Source: NIDCD Patient Guidance
Comments & experiences ▾
A gentle, low-risk practice to try alongside medical evaluation, especially for smell loss following a virus.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Repeatedly and intentionally smelling a small set of strong scents appears to help stimulate the regrowth and retraining of smell-sensing nerve cells over time.
- Choose four distinct, familiar scents and keep them in small labeled jars.
- Each day, smell each scent slowly and deliberately for about 15-20 seconds, trying to recall what it should smell like.
- Do this twice daily, morning and evening.
- Continue for at least 8-12 weeks, tracking any changes.
2-3 minutes per session · Twice daily for 8-12 weeks
Caution: Results take weeks to months and are not guaranteed for every cause of smell loss. Does not help smell loss from injury, tumors, or stroke — these need medical evaluation.
When to get help: See a doctor promptly for sudden smell loss with no cold or congestion, smell loss after a head injury, or if it is accompanied by headache, vision changes, or confusion.
Source: NIDCD Patient Guidance
Comments & experiences ▾
How the numbers work: a weighted voting system — trusted published sources cast endorsement votes for each protocol, and your ▲/▼ adds to them. Not medical advice.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- This is a potentially serious condition that requires professional medical diagnosis and care. See a doctor promptly — the suggestions here are gentle, supportive measures only and are not a substitute for medical treatment.
- For anosmia that appears suddenly without a cold or nasal congestion, or that persists after a cold resolves.
- Evaluation should rule out tumors and neurological causes.
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your anosmia — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
Anosmia is the inability to detect odors. It occurs temporarily with any cold or episode of nasal inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More → (rhinitis). When chronic, the most common and correctable cause is zinc deficiency. Other causes — injury, tumors, or stroke — are not corrected by zinc but warrant medical evaluation. Zinc deficiency anosmia is one of the most rapidly reversible nutritional deficiencies in medicine; smell typically begins to return within days to weeks of supplementation.
Anosmia is the partial or complete loss of the sense of smell, which also dulls the sense of taste, since the two are closely linked. Most often it is temporary, caused by a cold, sinus inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More →, allergies, or nasal congestion blocking odors from reaching the smell receptors, and it returns as the underlying problem clears.
For these common causes, the natural approach is to treat the congestion or inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More → — steam, saline rinses, managing allergies, and time. Recovery of smell can sometimes be gently encouraged with smell-training, regularly sniffing familiar scents. However, smell loss that is sudden without a stuffy nose, persistent, or follows a head injury deserves medical evaluation, as it can have other causes; and because losing smell removes the ability to detect smoke, gas, and spoiled food, simple safety steps like working smoke and gas alarms become especially important.
Common signs
- Inability to detect odors — either temporary or chronic
- Food may taste bland or lack flavor (smell contributes to taste perception)
- Cannot smell warning scents (smoke, gas, spoiled food) — safety concern
🍃 Supporting foods & habits
The gentle, everyday foods and supports that help in the background — secondary to the active remedies above. Vote on what helped you.
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- Zinc-rich plant foods (pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, legumes, nuts, whole grains)
- Adequate overall nutrition to support sensory nerve health
Go easy on
- Tobacco (damages sensory function including smell)
- Alcohol (inflammatory, can worsen rhinitis)
Zinc deficiency also causes loss of taste. If both smell and taste are impaired, zinc deficiency is very likely. Take zinc with food to reduce stomach irritation. High-dose zinc (above 40 mg daily) long-term can deplete copper — take a copper supplement (2-3 mg) alongside if supplementing for more than 4-6 weeks.
⚖️ Good to know
- New or sudden anosmia without an obvious cold warrants medical evaluation to rule out neurological causes
- Long-term high-dose zinc (above 40 mg daily) can deplete copper — always take copper alongside
- Anosmia is a safety risk — install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; do not rely on smell for food safety
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
Loss of smell is treated by addressing the cause — congestion, infection (incl. viral), or nerve issues — with smell training to aid recovery.
Commonly offered
- Treating nasal congestion, polyps, or sinus disease–
- Smell ('olfactory') training for post-viral loss–
- Reviewing medications; evaluating for neurological causes–
- Steroid sprays for inflammatory causes–
Worth knowing
- Sudden smell loss with other neurological symptoms needs prompt evaluation.
- Loss of smell affects safety — use gas and smoke detectors.
- Recovery after a virus can take months; smell training helps.
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
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