Table of contents:
- What is nose discharge?
- Srigunggu herb drops in the treatment of nasal discharge
- Is the nasal discharge treatment safe?
- Natural remedies other than gurah
In traditional medicine, you may often encounter the gurah method. Gurah is usually used to treat nasal ailments, such as sinusitis and rhinitis. Not only that, gurah is often used as a method to treat vaginal discharge. Even though it is thought that it can heal, is nasal discharge safe and can it be used as a sinusitis treatment?
What is nose discharge?
According to the Big Indonesian Dictionary, gurah is a traditional medicine by dropping herbal ingredients into the nose. The herbal concoction used for gurah is the srigunggu plant, or by another name Clerodendrum serratum.
Prof. dr. Soepomo Soekardono, Sp. THT-KL (K) from the Faculty of Medicine, Gadjah Mada University said that in Javanese, gurah is cleaning the nostrils and throat.
This gurah method was first introduced by Marzuki in 1900 in Giriloyo, Wukirsari, Bantul, Yogyakarta. As previously explained, the material used for the treatment of gurah is the wet root of the srigunggu tree which is then dried.
After drying, the root of srigunggu is crushed until it releases a foam then filtered with a clean cloth until a clear liquid is obtained. The liquid is then added with boiled water (boiled water). Apart from the roots, the leaves and stems of the srigunggu plant are also often processed into herbal extracts in capsule form for drinking.
According to Prof. dr. Soepomo, gurah is believed to reduce the symptoms of sinusitis, including the amount of mucus, less sneezing, and complaints of nasal congestion. Besides being able to relieve some of the symptoms of sinusitis, gushing is also known to cause otitis media, severe acute sinusitis, acute tonsillopharyngitis, and acute peritonsillitis.
Srigunggu herb drops in the treatment of nasal discharge
Clerodendrum serratum is the Latin name of the medicinal plant srigunggu. This plant grows in tropical and warm climates, such as Africa, South Asia, Malaysia and is scattered throughout the forests of India and Sri Lanka.
Based on an article from Journal of EthnopharmacologyThis plant is generally used as a plant to treat pain, inflammation, rheumatism, respiratory problems, fever, and fever due to malaria in India.
C. serratum contains ingredients that are useful for dealing with inflammation, such as saponins, flavonoids, and phenolics. In addition, there is also icosahydropicenic and ursolic acid which is believed to be able to overcome allergies.
Is the nasal discharge treatment safe?
Basically, the use of traditional medicines, including gurah, has been regulated in government regulations. This is regulated in the Law of the Republic of Indonesia No.36 of 2009. In this law, gurah is included in the category of traditional medicine along with other methods, such as massage, acupuncture, reflexology, and cupping.
However, although the benefits of nasal rubbing have been studied in several studies, they do not guarantee that this method is definitely safe. All types of traditional remedies made from natural ingredients have potential side effects and can pose a risk to health.
Unfortunately, until now the effectiveness of gurah and srigunggu plants is still being debated by experts. In fact, there have been no further studies examining the benefits and risks of traditional medicine.
So far, only studies have discussed the side effects of nasal discharge in animals. The research from Padjadjaran University stated that the srigunggu plant had the potential to affect sperm quality in mice.
In addition, there are also those who believe that nasal discharge has the risk of causing side effects of loss of smell, or what is called anosmia in medical terms. This is a condition in which the nose is no longer able to smell any scent or fragrance.
Anosmia conditions are quite common in people who have treated using the gurah method. The appearance of anosmia symptoms that many patients complain about is probably caused by the large amount of mucus that comes out to drain the blood vessels.
Loss of olfactory power may sound trivial if it occurs over a short period of time. However, this condition will certainly make it difficult if it lasts for a long time. According to the NHS, anosmia can recover in varying times, ranging from a few weeks to months.
However, again there has been no research that supports the statements above, especially regarding their effects on the human body. Further medical research is needed regarding the benefits and risks of this nasal discharge.
Even if it is natural, herbal medicine is not necessarily safe. Check the safety and effectiveness of the herbal medicines that you are using, one of which is to see if you have received a recommendation from the BPOM or not.
Natural remedies other than gurah
Although nasal discharge is not known for its effectiveness, there are various natural sinusitis treatments through drinks or foods that can be used to relieve symptoms of sinus infection that you are suffering from.
Here are some tips for relieving sinus infection symptoms that you can try at home:
- Drink lots of water
- Drink ginger boiled water
- Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids
- Consuming honey
- Warm compresses of water
- Use humidifier or hot water vapor
Sinusitis is a nose disorder that requires special and serious care and treatment. When treated at home, this disease can cause complications of sinusitis, and requires greater treatment costs. Therefore, you should consult your doctor first before taking the initiative to take other alternative treatments.
