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Does Putting Garlic in Your Nose Clear Congestion?
Does Putting Garlic in Your Nose Clear Congestion?
Author(s): Wybee A. Baker, Kelly A. Patterson, Atar M. MacCurtin, Amisha Kalakheti
Author(s): Wybee A. Baker, Kelly A. Patterson, Atar M. MacCurtin, Amisha Kalakheti
11/24/2025
11/24/2025
Claim: Our big question attempts to debunk or validate the popular Tik Tok trend that shoving garlic cloves in your nose can be used to relieve congestion. Recent studies have proven this to be myth, and it is advised not to use garlic as a solution to congenital symptoms.
Claim: Our big question attempts to debunk or validate the popular Tik Tok trend that shoving garlic cloves in your nose can be used to relieve congestion. Recent studies have proven this to be myth, and it is advised not to use garlic as a solution to congenital symptoms.
Introduction
Introduction
Tik Tok is one of the most successful and yet controversial social media platforms in the world, used to connect and share content all across the globe, breaching formal limits on communication over continents. But as some wise man said, with great power comes great responsibility, and the overwhelming creativity and influencer culture presented through Tik Tok proves to be harmful. One would think it's obvious not to insert foreign items into your nose, and yet the trend was born. Its popularity spread quickly, videos of promising results piqued the interest of many and sparked an inspiration for experimentation. However, could it be possible these results were not as promising as they seemed?
Tik Tok is one of the most successful and yet controversial social media platforms in the world, used to connect and share content all across the globe, breaching formal limits on communication over continents. But as some wise man said, with great power comes great responsibility, and the overwhelming creativity and influencer culture presented through Tik Tok proves to be harmful. One would think it's obvious not to insert foreign items into your nose, and yet the trend was born. Its popularity spread quickly, videos of promising results piqued the interest of many and sparked an inspiration for experimentation. However, could it be possible these results were not as promising as they seemed?
Quick Questions
Quick Questions
Q: Can strong smells sometimes trigger a runny nose?
A: Yes
Q: Is garlic medically proven to treat nasal congestion?
A: No
Q: Is it safe to put garlic cloves inside your nostrils?
A: No
Where is the Truth?
Where is the Truth?
Trending videos circulating Tik Tok show multiple cases of people putting garlic cloves into their nostrils, followed up by a cut to large amounts of mucus being expelled from their nose. One would think of this as a success right? Wrong. Multiple sources, researchers, and doctors have debunked this belief, insisting that the large amounts of mucus are actually signs of irritation rather than results of relief.
Trending videos circulating Tik Tok show multiple cases of people putting garlic cloves into their nostrils, followed up by a cut to large amounts of mucus being expelled from their nose. One would think of this as a success right? Wrong. Multiple sources, researchers, and doctors have debunked this belief, insisting that the large amounts of mucus are actually signs of irritation rather than results of relief.
Thoughts of a Professional
Thoughts of a Professional
Expert Jacinto García Lorenzo, head of the Otorhinolaryngology unit at Barcelona's Hospital del Mar describes the reaction of the mucus to the garlic cloves. He states that the incursion of the garlic cloves into your nostrils is already dangerous and further explains the irritation by the blockage and smell of the garlic cloves caused an increase in mucus production, resulting in the reaction shown on Tik Tok. However, unlike the hype of the trend and its benefits, Dr. Jacinto Garcia Lorenzo determines that this actually causes congestion to be worse, and increased mucus produced by the nose was an attack rather than a sign of nose clearage. Additional source from Otolaryngologist Raj Sindwani expresses his own concerns from his studies, listing follow-up symptoms such as damage to the inner lining of your nose, infection resulting in more severe symptoms like broken skin, rash, and bleeding, and lastly trauma to the nasal septum area (the area of skin/cartilage separating your nostril airways).
Expert Jacinto García Lorenzo, head of the Otorhinolaryngology unit at Barcelona's Hospital del Mar describes the reaction of the mucus to the garlic cloves. He states that the incursion of the garlic cloves into your nostrils is already dangerous and further explains the irritation by the blockage and smell of the garlic cloves caused an increase in mucus production, resulting in the reaction shown on Tik Tok. However, unlike the hype of the trend and its benefits, Dr. Jacinto Garcia Lorenzo determines that this actually causes congestion to be worse, and increased mucus produced by the nose was an attack rather than a sign of nose clearage. Additional source from Otolaryngologist Raj Sindwani expresses his own concerns from his studies, listing follow-up symptoms such as damage to the inner lining of your nose, infection resulting in more severe symptoms like broken skin, rash, and bleeding, and lastly trauma to the nasal septum area (the area of skin/cartilage separating your nostril airways).
Context and Background
Context and Background
The Tik Tok trend is claimed to have been started by a user by the name of Rozaline Catherine. In her video she shows herself with the garlic in her nose, followed up by the excessive release of mucus. Research has proven that she is in no way a medical professional, and her primary job is making content as a influencer on Tik Tok. It is unclear where she got her "natural remedies"" from, but it is clear that the impact of trends has proven to be harmful and potentially detrimental. We saw this similarly with the tide pod challenge, which sources claim to have begun circulating in 2018. The trend required people to eat as many tide pods as they could without getting sick, and many people took on the task. Unfortunately, many participants got severely sick, some teens even passed away. Other than the clear dangers of this trend and the objections of medical professionals to the use of garlic in your nose, other sources have proven there is no scientific evidence proving a correlation between garlic and improved congenital symptoms, raising more questions of how the trend gained so much traction and overnight
The Tik Tok trend is claimed to have been started by a user by the name of Rozaline Catherine. In her video she shows herself with the garlic in her nose, followed up by the excessive release of mucus. Research has proven that she is in no way a medical professional, and her primary job is making content as a influencer on Tik Tok. It is unclear where she got her "natural remedies"" from, but it is clear that the impact of trends has proven to be harmful and potentially detrimental. We saw this similarly with the tide pod challenge, which sources claim to have begun circulating in 2018. The trend required people to eat as many tide pods as they could without getting sick, and many people took on the task. Unfortunately, many participants got severely sick, some teens even passed away. Other than the clear dangers of this trend and the objections of medical professionals to the use of garlic in your nose, other sources have proven there is no scientific evidence proving a correlation between garlic and improved congenital symptoms, raising more questions of how the trend gained so much traction and overnight
Analysis
Analysis
Both studies conducted by Dr. Jacinto Garcia Lorenzo and Dr. Raj Sindwani provide evidence as to why garlic cloves are not good to use as a remedy to nasal congestion. Though no official studies were conducted, both doctors used their medical expertise to examine the videos and basis of the trend, and determined that its best to skip the garlic and suggest the use of drug store available medications like saline or other nasal sprays, or even a hot shower that prove to relieve symptoms of nasal congestion without the irritation and health risk.
Both studies conducted by Dr. Jacinto Garcia Lorenzo and Dr. Raj Sindwani provide evidence as to why garlic cloves are not good to use as a remedy to nasal congestion. Though no official studies were conducted, both doctors used their medical expertise to examine the videos and basis of the trend, and determined that its best to skip the garlic and suggest the use of drug store available medications like saline or other nasal sprays, or even a hot shower that prove to relieve symptoms of nasal congestion without the irritation and health risk.
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