Ear, Nose & Throat
Catarrh
Excessive mucus accumulation in the nasal passages, throat, sinuses, and bronchial passages — caused primarily by improper diet and eliminated by dietary cleansing and anticatarrhal herbs.
📝 Summary
In short: Excessive mucus accumulation in the nasal passages, throat, sinuses, and bronchial passages — caused primarily by improper diet and eliminated by dietary cleansing and anticatarrhal herbs.
Common causes: Improper diet: pasteurized milk, white flour, sugar, processed foods; Overcooked food — renders starches and carbohydrates inorganic and mucus-forming; Food allergies — any allergen can cause catarrh.
First thing to try: Eat a fruit diet and drink fruit juices for 3–7 days to cleanse mucus from the system
See a doctor if: If symptoms persist despite dietary intervention, or if sinusitis, ear infections, or breathing difficulty develop.
🌿 Overview
Catarrh is not a disease in itself but a symptom of excessive mucoid matter caused by devitalized, processed foods, especially pasteurized milk, white flour, and sugars. Left unaddressed, it can progress into hay fever, asthma, or tuberculosis. It underlies many other conditions: bronchitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, arthritis, and others.
Common signs
- Runny or stuffy nose and post-nasal drip
- Sore throat and sinusitis
- Excess mucus in throat, nasal passages, and bronchial tubes
- Gastritis and digestive problems
- Glue-ear (fluid in the ear)
- Respiratory problems from mucus blocking airways
🔎 Why it happens
Common causes and triggers — spotting yours is often the first step to relief.
- Improper diet: pasteurized milk, white flour, sugar, processed foods
- Overcooked food — renders starches and carbohydrates inorganic and mucus-forming
- Food allergies — any allergen can cause catarrh
- Poor circulation, lack of sunshine, fresh air, and exercise
- Poor elimination (constipation) allows toxins to re-enter the bloodstream
- Wrong food combinations; drinking with meals; eating too many soft cooked foods
✅ What to do
Gentle, practical steps you can take at home — start at the top.
- Eat a fruit diet and drink fruit juices for 3–7 days to cleanse mucus from the system
- Nasal rinse: sniff up a palmful of soft lukewarm salt water (1 tsp. salt in a cup of water), then gently blow each nostril; gargleSwishing a warm liquid at the back of the throat, then spitting. How to make a gargle → with salt water
- Steam from a humidifier breaks up mucus; eucalyptus oil added to steam is helpful
- Drink enough water — reduced intake thickens mucus and cuts off breathing
- Lemon juice and honey: highly recommended, especially for children
- Tomato juice, onion, and garlic cut mucus rapidly
- Psyllium seed and herbal mixture: burdock, aloe vera, ginger, alfalfa, cascara sagrada, kelp, slippery elm — cleanses the colon of mucus
- Goldenseal: 1 tsp. in 1 pint boiling water; steep, cool, take 2–3 swallows during the day
⭐ Community-ranked natural supports
Vote ▲ on everything that helped you, and ▼ on anything you tried that didn't — the ranking updates live. Tap 💬 to share what worked, so others can find it faster.
Generous plain water supports nearly every body system and is the most overlooked remedy of all.100461
A simple warm salt rinse that soothes a raw throat and helps wash away irritants.93163
Crowd feedback, not medical advice — in this preview your vote is saved on your device. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit).
📊 Compare these remedies side by side
Our editor score weighs sources, safety, simplicity, cost, and lifestyle fit. Source endorsements tally how many books and studies reference each remedy. A higher number isn't a promise — it's just a starting point.
| Remedy | Type | Editor score | Source endorsements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water & Hydration | Therapy | 100 | 461 |
| Garlic | Food | 85 | 244 |
| Salt-Water Gargle | Therapy | 93 | 163 |
| Epsom Salt Soak | Therapy | 78 | 156 |
| Saline Nasal Rinse | Therapy | 83 | 71 |
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- Fresh fruit and fruit juices (cleansing phase)
- Leafy, juicy raw vegetables
- Whole grains (brown rice, millet, buckwheat)
- Lemon juice and honey
- Garlic and onions
Go easy on
- Pasteurized milk — primary mucus-forming food
- White flour and refined carbohydrates
- Sugar and sweet foods
- Cold drinks
- Meat and dairy in all forms
- Fermented and overcooked foods
One MUST keep away from mucus-forming foods. Outdoor exercise and good elimination are as essential as diet change — without them, catarrh will develop into hay fever, asthma, or tuberculosis.
⚖️ Good to know
- If catarrhal matter congests the bloodstream, it becomes high blood pressure and eventually apoplexy — address early
- If not controlled, catarrh can develop into hay fever, asthma, or tuberculosis
- Wash the nose daily to prevent catarrh from draining into the lungs
🩺 When to see a doctor
- If symptoms persist despite dietary intervention, or if sinusitis, ear infections, or breathing difficulty develop.
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