Potato inhalation: how to do it correctly

Thermal procedures help in the treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract. Inhalations are popular in home cough therapy. They use herbal decoctions, essential oils and even food. One of the classic methods of self-medication is to breathe over potatoes. Despite doctors' warnings about the weak effect of the procedure and even some danger, many continue to treat cough this way and involve children in it. In this case, it is better to know the effect of potato fumes on the body in order to correctly assess the risks.

Benefits and harms of folk remedies

Potato inhalation involves the effect on the respiratory system of warm steam that comes out of the pan from potatoes boiled in their jackets. The peel and pulp of this root vegetable contain various chemicals, including alkaline salts. By inhalation they penetrate directly into the place (respiratory organs) where they will exert their therapeutic effect.

When coughing, you can expect the following beneficial effects from inhaling potato vapor:

Moisturizing the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and eliminating pain, sore throat, which provokes attacks of dry cough.
Reducing swelling of the respiratory system.
Liquefaction of stagnant mucus.
Improving the functioning of cilia in the trachea and bronchi.
More effective cleansing of the respiratory tract from mucus, which is formed in excess during inflammatory processes, thereby causing a wet cough.

Important! There is no scientific evidence of the effectiveness of potato inhalations for coughs. Accordingly, this home method of alleviating the course of acute respiratory diseases and their complications can be considered solely as an auxiliary one.

If the patient has no contraindications for inhalation, and he strictly follows the rules for conducting such thermal procedures, there should be no harm from such treatment.

If any of these conditions are violated, the following may occur:

Burn of the respiratory tract.
Burn of face, hands.
Headache.
Dizziness.
Increased blood pressure.
Bronchial obstruction.
Severe hyperthermia.
Nose bleed.

Beneficial properties of potato steam inhalation

Inhalation is a procedure for inhaling water vapor with various additives that have a certain effect on human mucous membranes. By entering the body naturally, beneficial substances contribute to recovery and health promotion. A useful activity is carried out not only for rhinitis, but also for bronchial asthma, runny nose, sinusitis, tonsillitis and pharyngitis. If the patient does not have a fever, the technique allows you to cope with the disease without medications.

Potato inhalations differ in the content of ethyl alcohol, tetradecane and dipropylene glycol in vapor. By inhaling potato vapors, you can achieve:

Relieving the inflammatory process.
Normalization of blood flow.
Relieving swelling of the mucous membrane.
Elimination of hoarseness and sore throat.
Increases metabolism.

Enveloping potato inhalations have a pronounced therapeutic effect:

Liquefies mucus.
Eliminate microbes and congestion of the maxillary sinuses.
Increase blood flow to the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract.

IMPORTANT! The procedure is not effective in all cases. Sometimes a positive result from inhalation is visible after the first two procedures, and sometimes it is completely absent.

When you can and cannot do procedures

Indications for potato steam inhalation:

Dry cough with laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, asthma.
Sore throat.
Coughing with pharyngitis.
Night cough caused by thick mucus from the nasal passages draining into the throat.
Wet cough with complications of ARVI.

It is advisable to breathe over potatoes not immediately after eating, and not immediately before eating. When planning the time of the procedure, you must also take into account that after it you cannot go outside, at least for several hours. Therefore, the best option is to do potato inhalations 1-1.5 hours after dinner before bed. If the disease is severe, one procedure of inhaling potato steam will not be enough, therefore, it is advisable to do another one in the first half of the day.

In addition, you should not breathe over potatoes when coughing if there are health contraindications and elevated body temperature. In case of fever, the thermal procedure can be replaced with dry inhalation (inhalation of vapors of medicinal essential oils).

Is it possible to do inhalations with potatoes for children and during pregnancy?

Inhalations are contraindicated for children under one year of age. This is due to the anatomical features of the child’s respiratory system, the baby’s inability to effectively cough up phlegm, and the possibility of worsening the symptoms of the disease. After one year, any inhalation procedures for children should be carried out as prescribed by a doctor.

It is also worth considering the following points:

In young children, inhaling hot steam from potatoes can provoke obstruction of the bronchi due to swelling of dried mucus and reflex spasm of the muscular layer of the organ.
The child may get scared, twitch, catch the pot of potatoes and get burned.
Parents may not calculate the temperature of the steam and expose the baby to the risk of burning the respiratory tract.

Thus, the benefits of inhaling potato vapor in childhood are not always commensurate with the possible harm to health. Therefore, why take the risk? It is much safer and easier to treat cough in children before reaching school age not to use home methods and devices, but to use special inhalers that do not heat, but moisturize.

It is not contraindicated for expectant mothers to breathe over potatoes when they cough. Such procedures help limit the use of medications during pregnancy. However, to prevent inhalation of potato steam from causing harm to health, a woman must follow the following rules:

Do not lean too much over the pan.
Do not cover yourself with a towel.
Do not perform the procedure if you are feeling unwell (high blood pressure, headache, nausea, etc.).
Do not add additional ingredients to potatoes.

Potato inhalation for various diseases

Potato inhalation is indicated for almost all respiratory diseases accompanied by cough. Using different breathing techniques during the procedure, you can influence one or another part of the respiratory system:

Inhaling steam through your nose if you have a runny nose, adenoids and cough are provoked by these very problems. After inhalation of potatoes, it will become easier to breathe, mucus will not linger in the throat, causing coughing.
Inhale steam through the mouth if the cause of cough is inflammation of the larynx, trachea and bronchi. This technique will help relieve cough attacks and transition from a dry cough to a wet one.
Alternately inhale steam through your mouth and nose if you need to relieve nasopharyngeal congestion during ARVI.

Important! Homemade methods for relieving cough using potato vapor will only help if there is an integrated approach to the treatment of bronchitis, tracheitis or other diseases of the respiratory system. An integrated approach means the use of rational drug therapy, drainage massage, diet and drinking large amounts of warm liquid.

Boiled potatoes as a means of therapy

Using potatoes for coughs, they are not only boiled for children as an inhalation remedy. Warming up with potatoes is very effective if you knead them and put a warm cake on your chest. Preparing this product is quite simple.

You will need:

Boil potatoes in their skins.
Mash with a fork.
Place on parchment paper.
Cover with plastic wrap and put a flannelette diaper on top.
Wrap the baby's body in a warm scarf and leave the compress for 30-40 minutes.

This wrap will help the baby clear his throat and will perfectly replace mustard plasters. However, correctly performed inhalation is more effective if all the rules of the procedure are followed:

The cooked potatoes are placed on the table so that the patient can freely bend over the container, remaining at a distance of at least 30 cm from the hot component.
Leaning over the container, cover your head and shoulders with a terry towel, protecting yourself from the penetration of cold air.
In an effort to get rid of a cough, you need to breathe deeply, inhaling through your mouth and exhaling slowly through your nose.
If the cough is accompanied by a runny nose and nasal congestion, then inhale alternately through one or the other nostril.

The result of the procedure will be noticeable after two to three sessions.

The frequency of inhalations should not exceed 3 procedures per day lasting 5-10 minutes. During this time, the potatoes cool down and their healing effect ceases.

How to breathe over potatoes when coughing

If you simply breathe over cough potatoes with your mouth or nose, the procedure will not provide much benefit.

You need to breathe correctly:

You should inhale the potato steam through your nose calmly, without straining or holding your breath. Breathing too deeply can make you feel dizzy. You can exhale air through your mouth.
If the purpose of the procedure is to warm the throat and larynx, it is necessary to slowly inhale the steam through the mouth and exhale through the nose.
For bronchitis and tracheitis, you should calmly inhale the steam through your mouth, hold your breath for a few seconds and exhale through your nose.
When coughing due to inflammation of the nasopharynx, it is necessary to alternate two breaths through the mouth (exhale through the nose) with two breaths through the nose (exhale through the mouth).

Thus, when doing an inhalation procedure, it is very important to focus on your breathing and not be distracted. It is also necessary to explain to a sick child in an accessible form how to breathe properly over potatoes when coughing.

Video about how to properly do inhalations with potatoes

There are several other important points that increase the effectiveness of the procedure in question:

Before inhaling potato steam, you should clear your nose and cough well.
After inhalation, you need to wash with warm water, wipe your face dry and lie down for 20-30 minutes.
It is not advisable to eat, drink, or talk after the procedure for at least half an hour.

Recommendations for the procedure

To obtain the best effect, it is necessary to properly prepare all equipment, components and choose the right technique. The basis for inhalation can be:

Boiled, unpeeled potatoes, mashed into a puree.
Boiled potatoes without skins are mixed with salt, 2-3 drops of essential oil and soda. Soda and salt are added before cooking. The composition allows you to increase the effectiveness of the procedure.
Peeling boiled potatoes.

How to breathe over potatoes?

The stages of the procedure consist of a number of sequential actions:

The container with potatoes is moved from the stove to the table.
The ponytail is pinned or tied, the hair should not get in the way.
They sit in front of the pan and cover their heads with a blanket.
Measured steam breathing for 5–10 minutes.

The potatoes should cool slightly and not burn the patient. The face should not be tilted too close, otherwise there is a risk of burns to the mucous membranes and respiratory tract. The breathing process is calm, without sharp inhalations or exhalations. Particular attention should be paid to breathing technique - inhale deeply through your nose and exhale smoothly through your mouth. After ten approaches, the patient begins to inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose. The technique promotes complete warming of the throat, sinuses and nasal passages.

For sinusitis, experts advise closing one nostril and inhaling beneficial steam 5-7 times through each nostril.

After completing the procedure, the remaining vegetables are used as a warming compress. The root vegetable is ground into a puree and one tablespoon of alcohol is added. The contents are placed in dense fabric bags and applied to the bronchi area for 7–10 minutes.

When and how long does inhalation last?

It is recommended to start inhaling potato vapors at least an hour before meals. The duration depends on the patient's age. For older age categories of patients, it is permissible to spend up to 15 minutes of inhalation. With increasing duration, a negative effect on cardiac activity is possible.

The younger age category, children under seven years old, should not breathe potato steam for more than four minutes. For children over seven years old, the time is increased to seven minutes, provided the steam temperature is no more than 45 degrees.

IMPORTANT! Children should carry out the procedure strictly under adult supervision. If complaints arise, the process must be stopped immediately.

After the event, you should not immediately leave the apartment.

Algorithm for cough

Before inhaling potatoes for a cough, you should prepare everything you need in advance:

Thoroughly washed potatoes (5-6 small tubers).
A low, wide saucepan (if you plan to inhale the steam from the potatoes over the saucepan).
Enameled teapot.
Funnel (plastic or made yourself from cardboard).
Rubber tube. If inhalation is to be performed on a child, the distance from his face to the steam source should be as wide as possible to prevent burns, so it is advisable to install an adapter tube between the kettle spout and the funnel.
Large towel or blanket.

The next stage is preparing the potatoes. It must be boiled in its skin until tender. Then drain the water from it, cool slightly - the steam should not burn the skin (for children, the recommended steam temperature is 30-40°C, for adults - 40-50°C). Next, mash the potatoes a little and place them in an enamel kettle, inserting a funnel into the spout of the kettle. Removing liquid from the container is a prerequisite - it is the potato steam that must be inhaled. In addition, this can reduce the risk of burns that may occur during the procedure due to hot water spilling on the body.

After completing the preparatory activities, you must perform everything step by step according to the following algorithm:

Place the container with boiled potatoes on the table. It is advisable to wrap a kitchen towel around the sides of the pot or kettle so as not to burn your hands during the procedure.
Sit comfortably near the table (take the child in your arms if you need to inhale him).
Bend over a saucepan or funnel inserted into the spout of the kettle.
Cover yourself with a towel.
Inhale steam according to the rules described above for 3-4 minutes (for children, the duration of the procedure should be reduced to 1-2 minutes).

The recipe for preparing potatoes for inhalation can be changed. For example, instead of whole potato tubers, use peelings or add a tablespoon of soda to the potatoes during the cooking process, drop a few drops of eucalyptus oil into the mashed hot potato mass, or throw in a validol tablet.

Potato inhalation options

There are quite a few options for potato inhalations. For bronchitis, other ingredients are often added to potatoes. In particular, the addition of essential oils can significantly increase the effectiveness of the procedure. But not all oils can be inhaled along with hot vapors. For these purposes, eucalyptus oil, calendula oil, pine needle oil, clove oil, lemon oil, sandalwood oil are most suitable, but mint essential oil, on the contrary, should not be added.

Potato inhalations for coughs can be done with the addition of essential oils

Jacket potatoes

You need to select small potatoes, wash them thoroughly and, without peeling them, boil them in a small amount of water (there should be just enough to cover the tubers). Potatoes should be cooked over very low heat until the smell of cooked vegetables appears. There is no need to drain hot water with this preparation method.

Boiled potatoes

To prepare the raw material, take 3-4 medium tubers, peel them and boil them. Typically the cooking time is 20 – 25 minutes. When the water has cooled slightly, it is poured into another container. This decoction can already be used for inhalation; before use, it is advisable to add a couple more drops of eucalyptus essential oil to the solution. A decoction without potatoes gives a slightly less noticeable effect, but the likelihood of getting burned by steam increases. Therefore, you should be especially careful when carrying out this version of potato inhalation.

Potato peelings

In this case, not only fresh, but also pre-prepared peel is suitable. To prepare the cleaning material, it is collected and dried. To prepare the inhalation solution, the peel must be washed, filled with water and boiled for no more than 10 minutes. It is important to remember that quite a lot of peeling will be required, and they cool much faster than potato decoctions.

Potatoes with oat husks

Here you need to add oat husks to the potatoes boiled in their jackets. This method will not only relieve cough, but also relieve sore throat and strengthen the immune system.

Potatoes with soda

To prepare the mixture, sprinkle the boiled tubers with a pinch of soda and mash a little. The inhalation time over such a composition should be from three to five minutes.

To prepare potatoes with soda, sprinkle the tubers with a pinch of soda

Another version of the composition of potatoes with soda

For cooking, you need to select 8-10 vegetables of approximately the same size. They should be washed, boiled and mashed a little. Then two tablespoons of baking soda and 4 drops of any suitable essential oil are added to the mixture. Before starting the procedure, you should wrap the pan in a warm towel, and then wrap your head in a blanket so that the pan is also wrapped. After all the preparatory steps have been completed, you can breathe over the pan. The duration of the procedure, as a rule, is from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the general condition of the body. For children, the duration should not exceed five minutes.

Potatoes with soda and salt

In this case, salt and soda are placed in water and potatoes, then peeled tubers are added and boiled. When the vegetable is cooked, drain the water, lightly mash the potatoes and begin the procedure.

Contraindications to treatment with potato inhalations

Contraindications for cough inhalations with potatoes are:

Increased body temperature.
Suspicion of a purulent process in the paranasal sinuses and palatine tonsils.
Tendency to arterial hypertension, nosebleeds.
Severe heart and respiratory diseases.
Allergy to potatoes or other members of the nightshade family (for example, tomatoes).

For pneumonia and laryngeal edema, treating cough with steam inhalation is not recommended. All actions for these diseases must be coordinated with your doctor. When dilating facial vessels (rosacea), the most correct way to carry out potato inhalation is with a kettle.