Nosebleeds are a common incident that most people experience at least once in their lifetime. They can occur for various reasons, such as a strong impact on the cartilage between the nostrils, dry air causing the nasal lining to dry out, or even conditions like sinusitis or high blood pressure. It’s important not to panic when a nosebleed occurs and to administer first aid correctly. Consuming certain foods regularly can also help prevent nosebleeds. While it’s a common condition, it’s essential not to ignore nosebleeds. Here, we introduce first-aid tips for nosebleeds and foods that can help alleviate symptoms.
First Aid Tips
Staying calm is essential, especially when children experience a sudden nosebleed. Increased tension can raise blood pressure and lead to more bleeding. After rolling a soft cotton pad the size of your little finger and plugging the nostrils, press the front of the nose with your thumb and index finger. Press towards the facial bone for about 4-5 minutes. During this time, it’s best to keep your head higher than your heart, and if there’s any blood in your mouth, spit it out. Tilting your head back can cause blood clots to block your airway and induce vomiting. If the bleeding continues even after first aid, seek medical attention immediately.
Foods that Help with Nosebleeds: Eggplant
Eggplants are low in calories but rich in water and dietary fiber, helping to expel waste and toxins from the body. They also contain many anthocyanins, which have excellent antioxidant properties and can help alleviate pain. In traditional medicine, eggplants are often recommended to people who bleed easily or have weak gums because they are believed to reduce heat and stop bleeding. The stem of the eggplant, in particular, is excellent at relieving blood stasis and has a strong hemostatic effect, so drinking tea made from dried eggplant stems or using it as a mouthwash after brushing your teeth can be effective.
Lotus Root
Lotus root is rich in vitamin C, iron, and pyridoxine, a vitamin B complex, which helps blood flow smoothly. It is also mentioned in ancient Chinese medical texts as a blood thinner due to its high tannin content. The astringent action of tannin is excellent for hemostasis and dramatically helps reduce inflammation of the nasal mucosa. It’s a good idea to eat it regularly as a side dish, and it can also be fried or made into pancakes. Drinking its juice is beneficial, but mixing it with yogurt can neutralize the taste if it’s hard to consume.
Buckwheat
Nosebleeds often occur when the capillaries in the nasal mucosa are weak. The rutin contained in buckwheat is effective in strengthening these capillaries. It supports the walls of the blood vessels, which can help with high blood pressure, cerebral hemorrhage, and arteriosclerosis. It also contains various vitamins and essential amino acids, and it’s gluten-free, so it’s easy to consume. You can make multiple dishes with buckwheat, such as pancakes, tea, cookies, and cold noodles.
Jujube
Rhinitis is a complex condition to cure, so minimizing symptoms in daily life is crucial. This is because the chances of a nosebleed increase when rhinitis symptoms occur. To prevent this, it’s good to strengthen your immune system and keep the nasal mucosa healthy. Jujubes are an excellent food to help keep the nasal mucosa healthy, as they are rich in protein, fat, and minerals and are also used as medicine in traditional medicine. They can reduce inflammation in the capillaries of the mucosa and stimulate blood circulation to strengthen the mucosa. Therefore, drinking jujube juice or consistently drinking a mixture of jujube and licorice in a 7:1 ratio can help alleviate rhinitis symptoms.
Chives
Chives, referred to as the “vegetable of the liver” in the ancient Korean medical text Dong-ui-bo-gam, are good for strengthening liver function. Not only that, but chives also contain a lot of iron, which is a main ingredient in blood production, and various minerals such as vitamins A, B1, B2, and C. Chives, known to be one of the warmest vegetables, facilitate metabolism and blood circulation, helping those with weak immune systems who often experience nosebleeds. They also quickly normalize blood status when bleeding occurs and have excellent hemostatic effects. Chives can be eaten as a tangy salad or made into a crispy pancake with seafood.
Spinach
One of the main functions of vitamin K is to regulate blood clotting and to deliver the necessary calcium for this process. Green and yellow vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and carrots contain a lot of vitamin K, so eating them regularly can help quickly stop bleeding from the tiny blood vessels in the nasal mucosa and improve overall nasal health. In addition, spinach contains about three times more iron, which is crucial for making hemoglobin, than other vegetables like carrots or peppers. To maximize the absorption of nutrients in spinach, it’s best to blanch it in boiling water for about 30 seconds to a minute.
Mugwort
Mugwort, which blooms with a fragrant aroma in the spring, is a valuable medicinal herb in traditional medicine for its efficacy in purifying blood and warming the body. It shows quite an effect in preventing adult diseases such as high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis and also has excellent hemostatic effects. If you often have nosebleeds, it is recommended to consume mugwort regularly. In the past, when there was bleeding, mugwort was crushed and directly applied to the wound or crushed and inserted into the nostrils. Mugwort, which contains a lot of potassium and iron, is good for the health of blood vessels, including capillaries; it is recommended to drink mugwort tea or eat it consistently as a rice cake or pancake.
Cabbage
Cabbage, one of the representative foods of white food, is a vegetable with various beneficial effects on the human body with its high nutritional value. It was once called “a doctor for the poor.” It contains a flavonoid compound called anthocyanin, which boosts immunity against bacteria and viruses; Vitamin U, which is effective for gastritis and gastric ulcers; and Vitamin K, which has excellent hemostatic effects. Therefore, Vitamin K can help stop bleeding when inflammation occurs quickly. A perfect way to consume clean cabbage is to eat it as a salad or drink it as juice.
Tomato
Tomato, one of the superfoods, is a food that enhances our body’s immunity and is rich in rutin. Rutin strengthens the capillaries, including those in the nasal mucosa, and can reduce the incidence of nosebleeds. In addition, a substance called naringenin chalcone in tomatoes can alleviate chronic allergic rhinitis symptoms. It’s good to eat a fully ripe red tomato with its skin, and since lycopene in tomatoes is a fat-soluble ingredient, it’s good to eat it with oil to increase the efficiency of use in the body and the absorption rate of nutrients.
By. In Hye Gong
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