What's The Remedy To Get Your Sense Of Smell Back After Covid-19?

The majority of people luckily only face mild to moderate symptoms when they go through Covid-19. Across people, the experience ranges from having no external symptoms to very harsh flu-like sickness that includes fevers, coughs, headaches and shortness of breath. Amongst those who get through this disease, the effects don’t fully disappear even after they have recovered. Headaches, dizziness, sporadic coughing, digestive system issues and difficulty breathing are all common. However one of the most common effects experienced by Covid-19 survivors seems to be a loss of smell (which is very often accompanied by a loss of taste).This effect, like the other side effects of Covid-19, usually disappears within a few weeks or months. This might seem like a long time, especially since it is quite frustrating not being able to smell and taste for so long. While the other effects tend to be more serious, the loss of smell can have psychological effects on the person. For this reason, many people are interested in finding ways to speed up the recovery of their senses of smell, and many home remedies are being suggested online. Let’s go through some of these remedies:

Garlic Concoctions: Garlic has historically been part of home remedies for several ailments around the world. This suggestion might be getting a lot of support because garlic has a large number of nutrients that are beneficial to human health. These include antioxidants, Vitamins B and C, and minerals like iron, copper and selenium. It seems that the healthy reputation of garlic, its use in Ayurveda and its pungent, strong smell have all combined and contributed to using garlic as a way to speed up the recovery of your sense of smell. The basic idea is to sip on a mixture of crushed water, garlic and lime in the hopes that the strong smelling drink will stimulate your nasal passage and bring back your smell. Verdict: There isn’t much scientific data available on recovering your sense of smell by using garlic, so try this one out but don’t have too high hopes.

Castor and Essential Oils: This one has been suggested by aromatherapists and involves taking 4 different essential oils and training your sense of smell by cycling through each fragrance every 20-40 seconds. The recommendation is to perform this activity 2-3 times a day using rose, eucalyptus, clove and lemon essential oils. It is implied that initially, you might have a distorted sense of smell when you begin this process but that it should get better with time. Using other household items such as shampoos and spices are also encouraged to use during this smell training. The suggestion for castor oil is different, it is recommended to use a few drops of it during steam inhalation. Verdict: While it seems to make sense that training your nose to be better might work on the face of it, there’s no strong evidence that it will work with Covid-19-related loss of smell. If you do intend to try this one out, be sure to follow all the required safety instructions.  

Sipping Cayenne Pepper, Sniffing Carom Seed: Two other suggestions involve sipping on a concoction made from cayenne pepper, honey and water while the other recommends smelling Carom (Ajwain) seeds several times a day. It is thought that capsaicin in the pepper can help to clear your nose which may improve your sense of smell while sniffing the aroma of seeds regularly might also train your olfactory senses. In a similar vein, there are many suggestions for a multitude of things that have a unique and powerful fragrance such as vanilla, eucalyptus, mint and perfumes.

Verdict: Unfortunately, this one is also similar to the previous remedies since there isn’t a lot of medical research on the topic. However, many people swear by these remedies so it might be worth your time to investigate and see if it works for you.A permanent loss of smell and taste can have many serious effects on your quality of life, and since you won't be able to smell hazardous things (gas leaks, fire and burning substances) it can lead to dangerous situations. However, so far, most of the data shows that people eventually recover from their loss of smell even if it takes a few months. You should be alert for weight loss as appetite loss might occur when you can’t smell or taste well. Similarly, be extra careful with gas (home-cooking gas or petrol) and fires as you will not have your full senses to warn you if something goes wrong. If you feel like your smell isn’t returning at all no matter what you try then visit a doctor for further treatment options. Hopefully, these remedies help you to regain your sense of smell in a short time rather than having to seek further intervention.[/av_textblock]