A doctor has issued a warning against a new TikTok trend that sees people put garlic up their noses to ease congestion.
In the viral videos, some of which have garnered millions of views, people put garlic cloves up their nostrils for 20 to 30 seconds and then take them out, many with a stream of mucus quickly following.
It is believed that by removing the mucus, people will be easing symptoms of congestion, but it's now been revealed that this could have dangerous consequences.
Watch the bizarre trend in action below:The video above was captioned: "Since tik tok [sic] took it down the first time. THIS IS NOT DANGEROUS. The garlic cleans out your sinuses."
Thankfully, people in the comments section were quick to disagree.
One wrote: "It only creates mucous in [the] nose."
A second added: "i'm going to let everyone know that this is not safe. it is [in fact] dangerous [sic]."
But, unfortunately, some people did watch the video and think it was a good idea.
One TikTok user wrote: "well now that my allergies decided [to] pop up i will be trying this in the morning [sic]."
A second agreed, writing: "As someone who gets constant sinus infections, I feel like I should try this."
Dr. Richard Wender, the chair of Family Medicine and Community Health at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, however, said that there is no evidence that garlic saves your sinuses.
"Evidence is important, and it would be wrong to say that we've done extensive research about garlic in noses," Wender told Insider. "But in general, garlic itself and the chemicals of garlic don't interact much with human tissue."
Wender said that when you put garlic up your nose, it can cause irritation to your nostrils and damage their effectiveness.
"I don't think that putting garlic up your nose one time is likely to do any harm to the mucous membranes of your nose," he said. "But if you made a habit out of it, there is at least worry that putting garlic repeatedly against the inner part of your nostril could cause inflammation, [which] can cause bleeding and thin your mucus."
So there you have it, as is the case with most viral medical solutions, please steer clear!
However, don't worry, garlic is good for you if consumed in the right way, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports that the Allium in garlic can be good for your blood pressure and the heart.
