Make a Natural Chest Decongestant
Basic Essential Ingredients
The gooey portion of the chest rub can come from a number of different ingredients. You can use petroleum jelly, ointments, beeswax or coconut oil. Any one of these will work effectively as a way to keep the ingredients mixed together while also binding to the skin. You also have a great deal of flexibility when it comes to what to use for the active, mucous-fighting ingredients as well. Some people use a little bit of mint, eucalyptus or castor oil, whereas others use lemon juice, vinegar and garlic. Keep in mind that the fragrance of the rub is dictated by the ingredients that you use. So, if you have an aversion to garlic vapors wafting into your nose, don’t include it in this recipe.
Preparing the Ingredients
Take ½ of jelly, ointment, coconut oil or beeswax and place it into a small glass jar. Add one tablespoon of eucalyptus and castor oil along with a teaspoon of grape seed oil or lemon extract if available. Place into a small pot of boiling water until the mixture melts. Gently stir until all of the ingredients are blended thoroughly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. You can seal and store the medicine or use right away.
Playing with Proportions
Castor and eucalyptus oil break down the mucous in the bronchial passages in the lungs. The eucalyptus will relax and expand the bronchial passages, allowing in more oxygen while also enabling the mucous to be expelled more easily. You may need to add stronger concentrations of the oils to increase the potency of this rub, but you may also need to incorporate more jellied ingredients to firm up the medicine and keep the ingredients together.
As mentioned before, a number of different herbal ingredients can be used to reduce decongestion. Lemon, chamomile, echinacea, basil, sage, aniseed and licorice are all commonly used examples. Much of their effects are similar, and people add or omit them based on their own preferences. If you are in a wilderness situation, yarrow, mullein and barberry are common plants that contain oils that are useful. Simply boil the leaves in a small amount of hot water and strain the ingredients. Let sit overnight and then pour the condensed liquid over some petroleum jelly or ointment and then rub on the chest.
These simple and natural ingredients will not only help to break down mucous, but they can also help the lungs to expel them as well. The advantage to using a chest rub is that the remedy will stay in place for hours, providing a continual stream of vapor to soothe the respiratory system.
