Symptoms of a runny nose are often just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the homeopathic prescription, and there's no 'one size fits all' pill for dealing with it.
Most of the time your nose receives little more attention than just being a convenient place to perch your sunglasses. It’s only when it becomes itchy or runny, making you grumpy or foggy that you realise it's as important as the air you breathe.
However, no matter how annoying it might me, your nose knows what it's doing when it goes into overdrive. Mucous production drown out invaders and washes them out, rather than allowing them to reach the deeper recesses of your respiratory system where they can multiply and cause more harm.
While some noses use their filtering systems to trap the various elements in the air, others go into overdrive for 'harmless' elements such as dust, pollen and animal dander. For those who are (over)sensitive, these elements are perceived to be as threatening as viruses and they receive the same mucous-drowning treatment. This misguided attempt to keep the nose clean is an allergic reaction called "hayfever", which has little to do with hay or fever, and more to do with the itching, sneezy and watery noses that redden at the change of season when pollen abounds.
If you have a runny nose right now the homeopathic conversation around it would ask about the colour, quantity and consistency of the mucous as a start and then how it has influenced the rest of you: your sleep, appetite, mood, digestion and energy before a prescription is made.
Homeopathic Help for Runny Noses:There are hundreds of homeopathic remedies for noses based on the type of mucous, triggers of overdrive and involvement of the eyes, ears, nose and throat. The ones listed below are some of the common ones:
Dulcamara noses are allergic and go into mucous overdrive after inhaling freshly cut grass. They also do not cope well with sudden changes in temperature or wet weather. The nose feels completely blocked and there is a lot of mucous that is thick and yellow. The eyes swell and stream as well.
A nose that responds to changes in weather with frequent and painful sneezing needs Arsenicum album. The discharge is thin, watery and burns a red trail between the nose and upper lip. The eyes also water, feel sore and are sensitive to light. The person feels anxious and restless.
A Pulsatilla nose is stuffy all night long and runny during the day. The discharge is yellow-green and thick. There is a pain at the root of the nose and above the eyes and a loss of appetite, taste and smell. The person wants reassurance.
Hepar sulphuris is needed after exposure to cold winds. The mucous is at first watery but later becomes thick, yellow and offensive and the nose becomes swollen and painful. The glands around the neck are swollen. The person is hypersensitive and irritable.
A Nux vomica nose also response with sniffles to the cold weather with a lot of sneezing, but the nose is stuffy all night and runny all day. There is irritation in the nose, eyes and throat (and in the personality).
A Gelsemium nose is affected by summer colds; it tingles and has violent sneezing that expels mucous that burns the edges of the nostrils. The throat is dry and burning and the eyes are heavy. There is aching and heaviness all over the body. The person feels dopey.