Breathe Clear with Raw, Handcrafted Shea Butter
Shea Tree
At Alaffia, our business is based on the “beauty of indigenous knowledge.” We have long the promoted the benefits of raw, handcrafted shea butter for a variety of skin and hair concerns, but indigenous communities in Africa have been using shea butter as a medicine for everything from arthritis and eczema to nasal congestion for generations. With cold and flu season upon us in full force, the latter condition is something that many people are suffering with. Dry, recycled air from heating systems in conventionally constructed public buildings and allergies (which strike many during all four seasons) are also common causes of nasal congestion.
Recently I caught a pretty bad head cold and found myself unable to breathe through my nose. Giving in to the severe congestion, I tried some over-the-counter cold medicine but it didn’t help much at all. In the haze of my illness I remembered reading that in West Africa one of shea butter’s uses is as a decongestant! Desperate for relief, I grabbed a jar of Alaffia’s Handcrafted Shea Butter and applied it in and around my nose. I was then delightfully astonished to be breathing freely almost instantly! I knew shea butter was very rich in anti-inflammatory properties and figured it was soothing the swollen tissues but decided to look into it further. I found a very promising study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology on the use of shea butter for nasal decongestion.
The study observed 33 participants and “all subjects had moderate to severe or complete” blockage of the nasal passages. The test group used traditionally crafted shea butter, the control group used a conventional nasal decongestant solution (xylometaxoline), and the placebo group used Vaseline. The test group applied shea butter inside their nostrils and experienced relief within 30 to 90 seconds, with breathing normalized for an average of 5 to 8 1/2 hours (12 to 24 hours for some subjects). The control group experienced initial relief quickly as well, but the results were much shorter lived (2 to 4 1/2 hours) and control group participants also reported “nasal irritation, redness and pain”. The Vaseline, as you might guess, did not provide any relief.
As someone that suffers from periodic sinus congestion year round, I am thrilled that my favorite body care product is also an all-natural treatment for sinus congestion! You can also forget those tissues infused with petroleum-derived “lotions”. I’ve found that applying shea butter around the nostrils will soothe and heal irritation from repeated nose-blowing without clogging pores. Click here to read the complete study paper and click here for more information or to purchase our Handcrafted Shea Butter!
The information in this post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or prevent any disease.
by Matsya Siosal, Contributing Writer