I can remember my Dad ‘inhaling’ Mentholated Crystal and other airway-clearing products with his towel-covered head over a bowl of hot water on the kitchen table.
I did try it once… and hated it. I just got hot and sweaty and uncomfortable. So, when I arrived for my massage and complained about my bunged up nose, I was not very receptive to Mike’s suggestion of inhaling.
However, on the basis that my nose started running within 30 seconds of going face down on the couch, I changed my mind.
Instead of a bowl of hot water, he set light to some charcoal in a bowl and set then added the waxy white Mentholated crystals before placing them on the floor underneath the hole in the bed.
It didn’t take more than a lungful of the pungent smoke to see me rearing up off the bed to try to get away as Mike instructed me to ‘breathe’.
Two more inhalations and I started to notice the benefits as the mucus in my sinuses began to clear.
According to Wikipedia, Menthol has local anesthetic and counterirritant qualities, and it is widely used to relieve minor throat irritations.
I shall certainly be using it again in the future.
The Ark carries a wide range of aromatherapy oils and incense sticks, as well as Shishas, charcoal and Shisha products, including frankincense.