Inhalation and Rinse

• The most common home cure for congestion is steam inhalation, at least twice per day. Boil a pot of water with some lemongrass or basil, bend your head over the vessel, and cover your head with a towel for maximum inhalation of the upward moving steam. Inhale for 15 minutes and afterward keep yourself, including your feet, covered for the next 30 minutes for the steam to work magic on your system. You could also do a nostril rinse with a mixture of a couple of tablespoons of salt in a glass of tepid water. Use a syringe to take the solution in and try to spit it out through the mouth. This helps eliminate mucus.
  
  

Massage and Packs

• Rub eucalyptus oil or warmed olive oil on to your throat and chest and keep the area wrapped with a towel or cloth to trap the emanating heat. This will help melt the mucus and aid in expelling it from the body. Another natural treatment for mucus and congestion relief involves making a hot pack with hot roasted fenugreek and cloves packed in a cloth and placing it on the throat and neck for a few minutes at a time, a few times a day.
  
  

Herbal Remedies

• Turmeric consumed with a glass of warm milk in the morning and before bedtime, and 1 tbsp. of ginger juice mixed with 1/2 tbsp. each of honey and lime juice taken three times a day can help ease the mucus and congestion and aid in quick recovery. You could also have a warm mixture of rum and a boiled concoction of 1/4 cup of honey and fresh juice from a couple of lemons for relief from chest congestion. Another home remedy for the complaint is to boil some lemongrass, a couple of tablespoons of honey, pepper and an inch of ginger root in a glass of water, and then strain it before consumption.
  
  

Dietary Remedies

• Have a hot bowl of soup---vegetable, chicken or pepper---twice a day. The warmth of the soup will help thin the mucus and lower the membrane inflammation and provide quick relief from mucus-related congestion. You could also sauté two cut onions in a teaspoon full of curry powder and two tablespoons of olive oil, and have it two times a day for relief from congestion.
  
  

General Measures

• Drink at least eight glasses of water every day and eat spicy foods. Try to use a humidifier for your bedroom on winter nights if you live in a cold, dry area. To keep your nasal tract free and easy to drain, raise the head of your bed when you go to sleep. Avoid smoking and stay away from areas with elevated levels of air pollution.