Pharyngitis, that is, inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa, which is accompanied by pain and discomfort in the throat, is perhaps the most common type of seasonal respiratory infection that affects the upper respiratory tract. Desperate to fight an unpleasant disease with traditional methods or not having time to go to the doctor, many people use folk remedies for these purposes, in particular sea buckthorn oil. Below we will discuss how such a product can be used to treat pharyngitis, whether this remedy is really effective, how it “works” and whether the expected result should be overestimated.

Useful properties of sea buckthorn oil

The useful properties that this or that product may possess, including from the point of view of the possibility of its use for the treatment of a particular disease, is determined by a specific set of biologically active components that together form the chemical composition of the product.

The oil extracted from the fruits of sea buckthorn in an industrial way (extraction, myceration, centrifugation, distillation) contains in large quantities:

• vitamins: A, C, E, B1, B2, B6, B7, B9, K, PP;
• macro- and microelements, including potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, calcium, manganese, selenium, etc .;
• monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, including palmitic, stearic, palmitoleic, oleic, linoleic;
• sterols, pectins, flavonoids, alkaloids, phospholipids, essential oils and other components with pronounced antioxidant and phytoncidal properties.

Thanks to such valuable components, sea buckthorn oil is an excellent product for strengthening immunity, reducing pain (analgesic effect), healing wounds, strengthening blood vessels, diluting blood (very important at high temperature), improving metabolism, and inhibiting the development of pathogenic microflora, including bacteria, fungi and other parasites.

Important! The product sold in pharmacies under the name "sea buckthorn oil" is actually a mixture of several types of vegetable oil, where the proportion of sea buckthorn usually does not exceed 5-10%. This fact must be borne in mind when speaking about the healing power of such a product.

Use for medicinal purposes, including with pharyngitis, such a tool can be either orally (ingestion) or topically (rinsing, lubricating the tonsils and mucous membrane of the throat, inhalation). In the first case, the product saturates the body with vitamins and other useful substances, thus mobilizing the immune system, in the second - it anesthetizes, disinfects, softens and soothes.

Ways to use oil for pharyngitis

Speaking of pharyngitis, people usually mean an acute respiratory viral infection localized in the throat and tonsils. However, in reality, this term does not mean a specific diagnosis, but rather a certain symptomatology, which can be caused by completely different reasons.

Pharyngitis, that is, inflammatory processes of the pharynx, are not only viral, but also bacterial (for example, caused by various staphylococci), fungal (the most common pathogen - Candida), allergic and traumatic, and the trauma that provoked pharyngitis can be mechanical, thermal, chemical , radiation, etc.

Another reason that provokes a similar symptomatology is an overstrain of the vocal cords and pharyngeal muscles, which often happens in people who have to talk a lot and speak loudly for a long time. Finally, pharyngitis can occur as a specific reaction to stress, that is, in simple terms, "on the nerves."

It is absolutely clear that no matter what the beneficial effect of sea buckthorn oil on the affected area, in this case we can talk not about treatment in the strict sense of the word, but only about the removal of unpleasant and painful symptoms.

Did you know? According to statistics, when contacting a doctor about sore throat in 85% of cases, a viral infection is diagnosed, in 15% - a bacterial infection. The percentage of occurrence of the disease for other reasons is so small that it is simply not indicated in the results of the study.

By the method of the course, pharyngitis is divided into acute and chronic. In the first case, the disease occurs quickly and proceeds very painfully, accompanied by fever, chills, aching bones, painful attacks of unproductive cough, etc., but subject to adequate treatment or strong immunity (depending on the specific pathogen), passes quickly.

Chronic pharyngitis develops as a complication of acute and is characterized by a protracted and “sluggish” form of the disease, when the deterioration of the patient's condition alternates with remissions. There are three types of chronic pharyngitis - catarrhal, atrophic and hypertrophic.

Differences between them can be determined by a doctor based on some features of the external signs of damage (the presence or absence of enlarged lymph nodes, pale or, conversely, reddened tissues of the mucous membrane, the presence of purulent discharge or mucus). At the household level, it is not so important for the patient to know these subtleties as to be able to recognize in time the transition of an acute state of a disease to a chronic one.1- sharp; 2 - chronic catarrhal; 3 - chronic hypertrophic; 4 - chronic atrophic; 5- chronic lateral; 6- chronic granulosa

The following criteria should be followed:

Acute pharyngitis does not need medical treatment if the disease is of a viral nature. Bacterial infections require the mandatory use of antibiotics, so there can be no talk of any self-medication, including using folk remedies.

The main feature of the use of sea buckthorn oil in the treatment of acute viral or bacterial pharyngitis is that in the first case, the drug can act as the only "medicine", in the second - only as an adjunct against the background of full-fledged antibacterial therapy.

Important! Regardless of the type and form of pharyngitis, sea buckthorn oil does not cure the disease, but only relieves unpleasant symptoms - swelling, pain, dry throat. Recovery in some cases can provide the patient’s own immunity, in others special medicines are required for this.

It is not so difficult to distinguish a bacterial infection from a viral infection, and every competent person should be able to do this. General rules are as follows:

• in the vast majority of cases, a bacterial infection occurs as a viral complication, that is, chronologically follows it;
• a viral infection is characterized by the presence of a complex of symptoms - runny nose, cough, sore throat, hyperthermia, general weakness, while the discomfort is almost always "distributed" throughout the body, while the localization of the disease process in one place (with regard to pharyngitis - in the throat) is the first sign of the bacterial nature of the disease.

Allergic, traumatic and other specific causes of pharyngitis are easily recognized based on events that preceded the onset of the disease. For their treatment, depending on the severity of the patient's condition, sea buckthorn oil can be considered as the main means of help. The fungal nature of pharyngitis is evidenced by the situation when conventional methods of treatment, including antibiotics, do not give the expected effect.

In this situation, it is necessary to carry out special laboratory tests and prescribe specific antifungal agents. Alternative methods of treatment can only reduce discomfort, but should not replace drug therapy.

Chronic pharyngitis is a situation requiring compulsory medical intervention. Trying to improve the condition with the help of sea buckthorn oil, milk with honey, gargling with chamomile and other folk remedies is to drive the disease deeper. With this approach, the patient has practically no chances for a full recovery, moreover, over time, seizures are likely to happen more often, last longer and go harder.

Methods of using sea buckthorn oil for pharyngitis are standard for all varieties of the disease. The tool is most often used for:

• gargling;
• inhalation;
• lubrication of the pharynx, tonsils and nasal cavity.

Rinsing

Pharyngitis occurring against the background of an acute respiratory infection is very often accompanied by the accumulation of a large amount of mucus in the pharynx and tonsils. If the patient’s body temperature is elevated, and in the room where he is located, it is dry and warm, this mucus begins to dry out, giving the patient great discomfort, sometimes even associated with difficulty breathing (the nasal passage in this state can also be “clogged” with dried up or simply thick mucus , and the patient cannot breathe through the nose).

Rinsing the mouth is one way to moisturize the throat, soften the mucus, and thus greatly facilitate overall well-being. By and large, ordinary warm water can quite cope with this task. But if you add sea buckthorn oil to it, the effect is greatly enhanced.

In addition to the fact that the oily texture in itself is a good way to retain fluid on the mucous membrane, enveloping it with a dense film, the vitamins and other healing components contained in sea buckthorn penetrate through the epithelium into the tissues of the body, where they begin to “work” on the general result - mobilization of the immune system to fight infection.

The local bactericidal effect of the drug can also not be excluded, and this is important, because it is against the background of a general weakening of the patient that various microbes and other parasites are activated in his body, and stopping this process at an early stage means reducing the likelihood of complications. Adding oil to the rinse water, due to its analgesic properties, also allows you to slightly reduce sore throat.

To prepare a solution for rinsing in 250 ml of purified water, heated to a temperature of 40 ° C (hot, but not burning) you need to add 30 ml of sea buckthorn oil, mix well and immediately use as directed. Repeat the procedure as necessary, up to 5-6 times a day.

Lubrication

Lubricating the throat with sea buckthorn oil has the same purpose as rinsing, but is designed to last longer. When using the drug in this way, in addition to moisturizing, another important task is achieved - the removal of puffiness. The antioxidant properties of sea buckthorn contribute to this.

Did you know? Some doctors, including Yevgeny Komarovsky, with angina and pharyngitis quite seriously recommend being treated ... with ice cream. The cold dessert in this case, however, does not work as a medicine, but as an anesthetic that alleviates pain, as well as constricts blood vessels and, accordingly, relieves edema of the mucous membranes.

In addition, its carotenoids and pyridoxine are the “main” vitamins that fight the pathological accumulation of fluid in organs and tissues. Thus, when lubricating the throat with sea buckthorn oil, there is real relief and partly true feeling of slowing down the inflammatory process.

In the treatment of chronic pharyngitis, folk doctors recommend lubricating the throat with sea buckthorn oil regularly for at least a month and a half, for an acute form of the disease, as a rule, only a few procedures are enough.

Only high-quality oil is suitable for lubrication; it is important that it is produced by cold pressing. The procedure is carried out using a cotton pad, which is first abundantly moistened in oil, and then the affected area of ​​the mucosa is treated with it. Often, in addition to the pharynx, the drug should also be applied to the inner region of the nasal cavity, having previously cleaned it of clots of mucus and its dried crusts. This will facilitate nasal breathing for a while and enhance the effect of the procedure.

An alternative method of treatment is the preparation of a more complex ointment: 2 tbsp. l sea ​​buckthorn oil should be mixed with 15 g of propolis, slightly warming the resulting slurry in a water bath. Sometimes bee nectar is used instead of propolis: it is mixed with sea buckthorn oil in equal parts.

To enhance the therapeutic effect of lubrication, it can be combined with oral administration of a medicinal product. Prepare it from the following components:

• sea ​​buckthorn oil - 45 ml;
• walnuts (peeled and crushed to the state of crumbs) - 10 kernels;
• freshly squeezed lemon juice - 45 ml;
• liquid honey - 1 tbsp

Take this vitamin elixir after eating 1 tbsp. The treatment course is 2 weeks.

Inhalation

Unlike the first two methods of using sea buckthorn oil, in which the drug acts on the mucous membranes of the pharynx, inhalation involves its entry into the body through the respiratory tract with steam in the form of tiny particles (the term itself comes from the Latin “inhalo”, which means inhaling) .

Important! According to the official position of the World Health Organization, the effectiveness of inhalation as a method of treating respiratory tract infections is not confirmed. Traditional medicine considers this procedure unreasonably risky and in the vast majority of cases unnecessary.

The main task of the effect of steam on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract is to moisturize and soften dried mucus. Accordingly, if there is no such mucus on the surface of the pharynx, we should not talk about inhalation in principle.

Moreover, the civilized “self-treatment” of pharyngitis in both adults and children should be aimed primarily at preventing a condition in which it is difficult for a patient to breathe, and not at eliminating the consequences of this state of affairs.

The main reason for the drying of mucus in the throat with pharyngitis is dehydration, which develops against a background of increased body temperature and low heat transfer, which is greatly facilitated by:

• dry and warm air in the room;
• wrapping up the patient;
• hot food and drink.

By eliminating these factors and giving the patient a lot of liquid at room temperature (preferably in the form of fruit compotes, including from sea buckthorn fruits), drying out in the mouth can easily be avoided. But even if a feeling of dryness, discomfort or sore throat, which are characteristic symptoms of pharyngitis, cause severe suffering to the patient, it is easier and safer to solve the problem by rinsing than by inhaling hot steam at risk of getting a burn in the already injured respiratory tract.

Inhalation has another danger. The fact is that the effect of warm air on dried mucus from the point of view of physics leads to an increase in the volume of this mucus, thus, a “medical” procedure can give the exact opposite effect, that is, simply put, cause suffocation in a patient.

Nevertheless, despite all the above, inhalations with sea buckthorn oil are still widely used to treat pharyngitis. The classic recipe suggests adding 6 drops of the drug in 0.5 l of boiling water and then breathing over this saucepan for 15 minutes, covering your head with a towel.

For those who remain adherents of such methods of therapy, it is worth advising to minimize risks by using not hot, but warm air for inhalation, having acquired a special device for these purposes.

So, one of the most convenient household inhalers is a nebulizer that provides ultra-low dispersion spraying of a given dosage form, for example, sea buckthorn oil mixed with warm water.The cost of such a device in pharmacies starts at $ 25, so the device is quite affordable.

Is it possible for children

Children, according to statistics, suffer from respiratory infections several times more often than adults, therefore it is impossible to find a mother who would never have had pharyngitis in her child. However, self-medicating, an adult acts at his own peril and risk, then conducting experiments on his own children is irresponsible and even criminal.

Did you know? Scientists have proved that the statement about the high degree of allergenicity of fruits and vegetables that are red or orange in color is a myth. In fact, the color does not matter when a negative reaction occurs: if there is an allergy to apples, it appears equally when eating both red, and green or yellow fruits.

Since sea buckthorn oil is not a medicine, the most appropriate solution would be to completely forget about this method of dealing with a sore throat in a child.

Nevertheless, it is more difficult to overcome the desire to somehow help the baby than to be guided by common sense, therefore, in an effort to use the "grandmother's methods" of treatment, it is important to at least make it safe.

And here, medical science requires compliance with the following rules.

1. Children under 2 years of age should not be given sea buckthorn oil in any form, including topically.
2. Inhalations are strictly and unequivocally prohibited in the treatment of children under 7 years of age. The exception is the direct prescription of a doctor (although in such cases, and it can be a matter of really serious conditions that are life-threatening, inhalation is administered not only folk remedies, but narrowly targeted drugs, for example, bronchodilators for asthma).
3. It is possible to drip sea buckthorn oil in the nose or lubricate the nasal passages of a child older than 2 years old in exceptional cases - to prevent drying of the mucus (for example, at night if the room is hot and the baby has a high temperature).
4. It is better to refrain from lubricating the throat with sea buckthorn oil until the baby reaches the age when he can carry out this manipulation on his own - because of the risk of causing injury or suffocation.
5. Rinsing the mouth and throat is allowed from about 3 years old, when the child already understands the principle of the procedure and is able to execute the “command” correctly (throw back your head with a liquid-filled mouth, utter an elongated sound “y-s”, without swallowing the medicine )

Contraindications

There is only one contraindication to the use of sea buckthorn oil for medicinal purposes, and its name is allergy. Officially, sea buckthorn is not considered an allergenic product, however, a negative reaction to its components such as ascorbic acid and carotenoids occurs - a very common phenomenon.

The risk of an allergy to sea buckthorn oil must be taken into account when deciding on the treatment with the help of such a drug for pharyngitis in a child. The effect of a substance that is potentially capable of causing a negative reaction of the immune system, in this case occurs locally and is localized precisely in the area where the manifestation of allergies can have the most dangerous form - angioneurotic edema of the larynx, better known as Quincke edema.

Since the potential effect of the procedure is difficult even to compare with the possible consequences of such a manifestation (even death), in the absence of a child’s allergy to sea buckthorn, her mother must be absolutely sure.

Sometimes the patient does not show signs of an allergy to sea buckthorn oil, but still getting the drug on the mucous membrane of the throat causes the patient to express vomiting. This specific reaction should also be attributed to contraindications, since vomiting with sore throat will cause much more discomfort than refusing to rinse or lubricate.

Side effects

Apart from a possible allergy, there are, in general, no direct side effects of sea buckthorn oil when it is used by the methods described above. Of course, in the case of using a fresh and high-quality product.

Nevertheless, a potential "side effect" can be considered a high probability of complications, in particular, the spread of viral pharyngitis into bacterial pharyngitis, and acute into chronic, if we consider rinsing, lubricating the throat and inhalation as the only and effective way to recovery.

Sea buckthorn oil cannot cure pharyngitis, if only because this disease has a different nature, and without establishing the cause of the problem, it cannot be solved. However, with proper use, a natural plant product with a high concentration of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and other useful components is quite capable of alleviating the unpleasant symptoms of inflammatory processes in the throat, and, therefore, it is not necessary to refuse it.

The main thing is to be able to recognize situations when going to the doctor to establish an accurate diagnosis and getting qualified help is vital, and when you can limit yourself to alternative treatment.