Sinusitis is swelling of the air spaces around the nose, usually after a cold. Most cases clear within two to three weeks without antibiotics; a few need a doctor, and rarely it is an emergency.
Reviewed September 2026 · For information, not diagnosis
These signs mean infection may be spreading to the eye socket or brain. Call 112 or go to an emergency department.
The sinuses are small air-filled spaces in the bones of the face, lined with the same membrane as the nose. During a cold or an allergy flare the lining swells and the narrow drainage channels block, so mucus builds up. The result is sinusitis (or rhinosinusitis):
Most acute sinusitis is viral. Green or yellow mucus does not by itself mean a bacterial infection or a need for antibiotics. Other contributors include allergic rhinitis, a deviated septum, nasal polyps, dental infection, smoking and swimming.
Also see a doctor if sinusitis keeps coming back, lasts more than 12 weeks, or only one side of the nose is always blocked.
Steam inhalation may feel soothing, but bowls of boiling water have scalded many children. If you use steam, a hot shower is safer; never leave a child with a bowl of hot water.
When symptoms last longer than 12 weeks, it is chronic rhinosinusitis, sometimes with nasal polyps (soft swellings that block the nose and dull the sense of smell). It is treated with daily saline rinses and a steroid spray used correctly for months, treatment of allergy, and sometimes a short course of steroid tablets. An ENT specialist may arrange a nasal endoscopy or CT scan and, if medicines fail, endoscopic sinus surgery. Stopping smoking helps.
A homeopath notes the colour and consistency of the mucus, the site of the pain, what makes it better or worse, and the person’s general make-up, and chooses a remedy.
Using homeopathy safely with sinusitis
A few trials of homeopathic combination products for acute sinusitis have reported benefits, but they were small, mostly funded by the products’ manufacturers, and have not been confirmed by independent research. There is no good evidence for individualised homeopathy in chronic sinusitis.
More broadly, the largest independent assessment — the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council’s 2015 review of 176 studies — found no reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective for any health condition, and advised against using it for conditions that are chronic, serious or could become serious. People often do feel better after a long, unhurried homeopathic consultation; in one controlled trial in rheumatoid arthritis, the benefit came from the consultation rather than the remedy.
In practice: if you choose homeopathy, use it alongside the care described on this page, not instead of it — and tell each practitioner what the other has prescribed. More on the research →
These are the traditional descriptions (“keynotes”) from the homeopathic materia medica, listed so you recognise names a practitioner may mention. They are not evidence that a remedy works and not a guide to self-treatment. Homeopaths choose one remedy for the whole person rather than by diagnosis.
Described for thick, stringy, yellow-green mucus with pressure at the root of the nose.
Described for thick yellow mucus dripping down the back of the throat.
Described for thick, bland mucus with loss of smell, better in the open air.
Described for long-lasting sinusitis in chilly people who catch colds easily.
Described for painful sinuses very sensitive to cold air and touch.
Described for greenish discharge with sweating and bad breath.
Described for sudden, throbbing sinus pain with a flushed face.
Described for a dry, blocked feeling high in the nose.
If you would like to try homeopathy, see a registered homeopathic doctor (BHMS or MD (Hom)) who will take a full history, knows your other treatment and will tell you when you need a medical specialist. Take your prescriptions and recent test reports with you.
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This page is general information, reviewed September 2026. It is not a diagnosis and does not replace a consultation. Do not stop or change a prescribed medicine without talking to the doctor who prescribed it. In an emergency in India call 112 (ambulance 108).
