Homeopathic Medicines for Smell and Taste Disorders

Smell and taste disorders are conditions that lead to decrease, absence or distortion in the sense of smell and taste. Smell and taste disorders can be frustrating because they affect a person’s ability to enjoy fragrances and enjoy food/drink. Both smell and taste disorders affect quality of life. Homeopathic medicines for smell and taste disorders that are suitable for a given case are selected on the basis of the prominent, characteristic symptoms of a person following a detailed case analysis.

Smell disorders may have serious consequences sometimes because they make a person unable to detect smell in case there is any gas leakage, fire or if the food is decayed. Loss of smell or taste can lead to decrease of interest in eating which can cause weight loss and malnutrition. 

Homeopathic Medicines for Smell and Taste Disorders

Natural homeopathic remedies for smell and taste disorders can prove to be highly effective. These medicines manage such disorders in a very effective manner. They aim at correcting the root cause behind it to bring excellent results. The extent to which these medicines help depends upon the duration and intensity of the complaint.   

For Decreased Power of Smell or Complete Loss of Smell

1. Natrum Mur – For Cases of Cold, Nasal Allergies

Natrum Mur is a leading medicine for managing cases with reduced smell or loss of smell from cold, nasal allergies. People needing it have a history of severe colds with clear white  copious nasal discharge. With this, violent and frequent sneezing is complained about. Sometimes they have alternate fluent nasal discharge with nasal stoppage. In most cases loss of taste is complained along with loss of smell where this medicine is indicated.

2. Pulsatilla – From Recurrent Cold

This is another suitable medicine to manage reduced / loss of smell. In persons needing it, a tendency of recurrent colds may be present.  Most times they have thick yellowish, greenish nasal discharges. These discharges can have an offensive odour. Their nose feels blocked in the evening. Most times they have loss of taste and appetite too along with smell loss.

3. Calcarea Carb – Due to Nasal Polyps and Frequent Cold

It is a well-indicated medicine for cases of loss of smell from nasal polyps. Along with polyps a tendency to have frequent colds is also present in persons needing this medicine. They may have alternate nasal dryness and blocked nose with yellow offensive mucus. They may also have ulceration or scabs in the nostrils. 

4. Teucrium – From Nasal Polyps 

This medicine like Calcarea Carb is well indicated for cases of decreased or loss of smell from nasal polyps. The symptoms that are present along with smell loss are stoppage of nostrils, crawling sensation in nostrils, discharge of green scabs from the nostrils.

5. Silicea – For Cases of Chronic Cold and Sinusitis

It is the next beneficial medicine for cases of diminished or loss of smell. Persons needing it usually have a tendency of chronic cold and also sinus inflammation / infection. The symptoms that they frequently have along with smell loss includes complete stoppage of nose, sore scabs in nostrils,  fetid offensive green or yellow pus like nasal discharge and pain in forehead. They also have loss of taste along with smell loss.

For Foul Smell from the Nose

1. Kali Bichrome – In Cases of Inflamed Mucus Membrane of Nose and Sinus

Kali Bichrome is a very useful medicine for cases having putrid smell from the nose. In such cases chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane of nose and sinus is usually present. For using it the symptoms other than putrid smell are dryness of nose, blockage of nose, pressure in root of nose and tough ropy discharges dripping from back of nostrils into the throat.

2. Lemna Minor – For Cases with Nasal Polyps 

This medicine is most helpful for foul smell in the nose, in the presence of nasal polyps. There may be presence of nasal polyps in cases requiring it. Other than foul smell the symptoms to look for using it are stopped nose, discharge of a crust / pus like discharge from nose and frequent sneezing attacks.

3. Graphites – For Foul Smell like Burnt Hair 

Graphites is an excellent medicine to treat cases in which a person experiences a bad smell from the nose, as from burnt hair. They also have discharge of thick, yellowish, offensive mucus from nose  and stoppage of nose. They may also have hard masses, dry scabs or crusts in the nostrils.

For Increased Sensitivity to Smell

1. Phosphorus – For Increased Sensitivity to Smell (Especially Flowers)

It is a top grade medicine for cases where the sensitivity to smell is increased. Persons needing it may particularly have a very heightened sense for the smell of flowers which can even cause fainting in them. In them there may be long standing inflammation of the nasal membrane. Along with this sneezing may also be present. There can be fluent nasal discharges alternating with nasal blockage. Apart from above it is an excellent medicine where nasal polyps are present especially the ones that bleed easily.

2. Hepar Sulph – When Vertigo Appears with Increased Smell Sensitivity

It is the next well indicated medicine to treat cases with high sensitivity to smell. Along with this vertigo may be present. Few other attending symptoms are nasal stoppage in morning and thick pus like discharge from the nose that can be sometimes blood tinged.

3. Colchicum – For High Sensitivity to Smell mainly of Cooking Food

This medicine is also of much help when a person has increased sense of smelling. He is mostly highly sensitive to the smell of cooking. Additionally he may have sneezing and crawling in the nose. With this he can complain of long lasting nasal discharges that are thin. 

For Reduced Sense of Taste and Loss of Taste

1. Antimonium Crudum – For Reduced Sense of Taste

This medicine is significant to treat cases having lowered sense of taste. A peculiar symptom that attends is thick, milky white coating on the tongue. With this the  borders of the tongue may be red and the mouth can be dry.

2. Borax – For Complete Loss of Taste 

Borax is the next important medicine to manage this condition. It is indicated when  a person doesn’t get any taste of food. Additionally he may have oral thrush (fungal growth in mouth). The main  symptoms that he has are white fungal patches in mouth, heat in mouth, tenderness in mouth and dry cracked tongue.

3. Bryonia – For Loss of Taste with Dry Mouth

This medicine is helpful for persons who have loss of taste for food. But when they are not eating their mouth feels bitter. A characteristic symptom with this is great dryness of tongue, mouth and lips. The tongue may also be cracked.

Loss of Sense of Smell and Taste Occurring Together

1. Natrum Mur – In Case of Cold or Nasal Allergies

This medicine is highly valuable for persons who have loss of smell as well as taste. Both food and drink feels tasteless to them. They usually suffer from cold or nasal allergies. The symptoms they suffer from in this condition are sneezing and fluent nasal discharges.

2. Pulsatilla – From Long Standing Cold

This medicine works well when there is reduction / loss of taste and smell with loss of appetite. In cases where it is indicated, sense of taste is diminished for every kind of food. Prominently long term cold is present with this. Here thick, yellow or greenish nasal discharge with offensive smell is the key symptom.

For Bad Taste in Mouth

1. Nux Vomica – For Bad Taste, Especially in Morning

Nux Vomica offers great help in cases presenting with bad taste in mouth. Most people needing it feel that it is most prominent in the morning.  They may also feel a sour taste in their mouths after eating or drinking. Another symptom they have is altered taste especially for coffee, milk and water. Their tongue may be inflamed. They can have needle-like piercing pain on the edges of the tongue.

2. Carbo Veg – For Bad Taste and Offensive Smell from Mouth

This medicine is beneficial for cases having foul taste and offensive odour from mouth. With this the appetite is lost. In many cases requiring it, gum inflammation can be present. Here the gums are swollen, painful, sensitive and bleed often.

3. Belladonna – For Offensive Taste when Eating or Drinking

This medicine is useful for someone having offensive taste in mouth when eating or drinking though food and drink have proper taste. The tongue is clean with this. Heat or burning sensation in the mouth can accompany this.

For Unusual Taste in Mouth

1. Merc Sol – For Metallic Taste in Mouth

It is a leading medicine to manage cases presenting with metallic taste in the mouth. Tongue can be inflamed, with intense redness, severe pain and burning sensation. The salivation mostly is increased with these symptoms. Bad smell from the mouth can appear. In some cases needing it, fungal infection in the mouth or inflammation of the gums may be present.

2. Cuprum Met – For Coppery Taste in Mouth

This medicine is indicated when there is specific coppery taste in the mouth. Along with this all food tastes like clear water. Tongues can be inflamed from a long time and be accompanied by profuse saliva.

3. Arsenic Album – For Bitter Taste in Mouth

It is given when there is bitter taste in the mouth. This appears usually after eating or drinking. A burning sensation in the mouth frequently attends these symptoms.

4. Calcarea Carb – For Sour Taste in Mouth

This medicine is used when there is sour taste in the mouth. Great dryness and heat in the mouth can arise with this.

5. Lycopodium – For heightened Sense of Taste

For managing cases with increase sense of taste, the most prominent medicine is Lycopodium. White coating on tongue, dryness of mouth and tongue with putrid smell are the main symptoms.

 For Heightened Sense of Taste

For managing cases with an increased sense of taste, the most prominent medicine is Lycopodium. In cases needing it white coating on the tongue can be present. Dryness of mouth and tongue with putrid smell are other attending symptoms to this.

Smell Disorders

A person is able to smell due to smell receptors present in the nose. The microscopic odor molecules released from substances like from cooking food, flowers stimulate these receptors. From here messages go to the brain, which helps us recognize smell. If these receptors are blocked or damaged then it will lead to smell disorders.

Symptoms

The symptoms depend on the different types of smell disorders described as follows:

1. Hyposmia – A decreased ability to detect odours or partial loss of sense of smell.
2. Anosmia – A complete inability to smell or total loss of sense of smell is there.
3. Parosmia -When there is a change in the normal perception of odours. In this, the odour of familiar substances is distorted and it smells different from what was previously remembered (like something pleasant starts smelling foul now.)
4. Phantosmia – This is when a person smells an odour (mainly foul, burnt, spoiled, putrid) that isn’t actually present. 
5. Hyperosmia – It refers to an increased sensitivity to smell.

Causes

The  common causes of smell disorders includes Common cold or flu, nasal Allergy / hay fever, nasal polyps, sinus inflammation / infection, nasal congestion / blockage and any sort of upper respiratory infection (whether bacterial or viral). Next to this tumours in nasal cavity, any injury or trauma to nose, head injury especially if it involves frontal lobes of the brain and radiation treatment to the head for cancer can lead to smell disorders. 

Other than this certain medications (like nasal decongestants if used for long time some common antibiotics and antihistamines, high blood pressure medication), smoking, hormonal disturbance, any circulatory illness that diminishes blood flow to nasal tissue, exposure to insecticides or other chemicals can cause this. 

Smell disorders can also be present in some medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease (a nervous system disorder characterised by rest tremor, slowed movement, rigidity of muscles, impaired posture and balance, speech changes. In this disorder sometime problems with smell can arise), epilepsy (a brain disorder  causing recurrent seizures characterised by unusual behaviour, movements and sometimes loss of consciousness) and schizophrenia (serious mental disorder in which reality is interpreted abnormally and the sufferer has hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking and behaviour). 

It can be congenital too, which means that some people may be born with it. Sense of smell may also become less sharp as you age.  Sometimes it is idiopathic where no cause is found.

Taste Disorders

The taste buds on the tongue and mouth carry taste receptors that help to identify taste. When we eat or drink something tiny molecules released from it stimulate taste receptors. These receptors then send messages to the brain which helps us to identify tastes. Smell and taste are closely interlinked with each other and the taste of the food is also influenced by the smell of the food. The aromas released on chewing food stimulate sensory cells of smell through a channel that connects the roof of the throat to the back of the nose which help us distinguish different flavours. If this channel is blocked, like from stuffy nose due to cold then it prevents odours from reaching sensory cells of the nose. Due to the lack of smell, the food tastes bland  and feels it has no flavour. This is why some people who think they have loss of taste have actually lost their sense of smell instead.

Symptoms

The symptoms of taste disorders are described as per the type given below:

1. Hypogeusia – It presents with reduced ability of sense of taste
2. Ageusia – In this, a person has complete  inability to detect any taste. It is rare and many times people having loss of taste actually have lost their smell.
3. Dysgeusia also called parageusia – In this an unusual unpleasant taste like a foul,  metallic, salty, rancid taste persists in the mouth. It can be accompanied by a painful burning sensation in the mouth. In this type a person can also perceive the wrong taste of food; like eating an ice cream may have a salty, bitter or metallic taste. It also includes change in taste in which foods taste differently than it previously used to be like something starts  to taste  bad which previously used to be pleasant to taste.
4. Phantom Taste Perception – In this type a bad unpleasant taste lingers in mouth even though there is nothing in the mouth.
5. Hypergeusia -It refers to heightened sense of taste.

Causes

It can arise from cold, nasal allergies, nasal blockage and upper respiratory tract infection. Secondly it can arise from poor oral hygiene, dental issues, gum inflammation (gingivitis), burns to the tongue, sjogren’s syndrome (autoimmune disorder characterised by dry mouth and dry eyes), salivary gland infection and oral thrush (fungal infection in mouth). 

Next, it can follow some surgeries on the ear, nose, and throat, a head injury, radiation treatment for treating cancer of head and neck. Other reasons for this include smoking, certain medicines (like some antihistamines and antibiotics), exposure to insecticides and some chemicals,  nutritional deficiencies (like vitamin B12 and Zinc). It can also be congenital means present since birth. It can appear in people with advancing age.