This Is Why So Much Mucus Comes Out When You Stick Garlic Up Your Nose

In yet more news from the peak internet era, a number of people have been sticking garlic up their noses in a bid to ‘clear congestion’. 

Newsflash: it’s not a great idea. 

If you’ve seen any of the videos of this so-called hack, you’ll notice that it at least appears to work – after 15-30 minutes of the cloves being up in someone’s nostrils, their nose starts to produce an ungodly amount of mucus. 

While it’s certainly effective in bringing in the views, Dr. Whitney Bowe, a New York-based dermatologist, has revealed that the only thing it’s good for is turning people into snot machines. 

Taking to TikTok, where Bowe’s amassed more than 300,000 followers, she stitches with a clip of a woman trying out the garlic nose trick, causing a massive snot bubble to cascade out of her nostrils. 

Offering a professional perspective on the trend, the doctor explains, "What you guys are about to witness is a hack that is trending all over TikTok right now and it entails sticking raw garlic cloves up your nose, waiting 10-15 minutes, removing the garlic and watching this outpouring of mucosal secretions. 

"Guys, this is actually not safe. What’s happening is that the garlic is actually triggering something called contact dermatitis, and the mucosa is trying to protect itself by secreting tons of mucus, and that’s what you’re seeing."

Rather than clearing out your nose, Bowe says that the garlic ‘creates swelling’ and is therefore going to make breathing worse. 

The doctor continues, "It’s not going to actually open up your airways. In fact, there are even case reports on PubMed of mucosal injuries and severe mucosal burns resulting from raw garlic. So guys, this is a trend I just can’t get behind."

You heard it from a doctor – the only thing garlic is good for is cooking up in your pasta sauce.

The video has received more than 1,000 comments from people sharing their thoughts on the revelation, with one writing, "Why'd you have to ruin this for us," to which Bowe responded, "Sorry! It really does look fun. Especially the bubble!"

"From tide pods to this wow," said another, referencing the 2017 trend that saw kids biting into laundry detergent pods – another challenge that doctors strongly advised against. 

However, not everyone was on board with Bowe’s insights, claiming that they’d been using garlic cloves as a blocked nose remedy for years – before it was cool. 

‘Yes, I’m going to argue against the doctor because this is what they did before there was any medication,’ commented one user, while another said, ‘False, garlic is a natural remedy.’

Well, you can’t knock her for trying.

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