How to Make an External Ointment from Centipeda minima (Ebushicao) for Treating Rhinitis, Nasal Polyps, and Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Yesterday I wrote an article introducing the effects of Centipeda minima (Ebushicao), "Centipeda minima: A Fine Herb for Treating Nasal Conditions and Allergies". Some readers asked me to further explain how to use Centipeda minima to make medicine at home for treating rhinitis and nasal polyps. So I spent four yuan at a pharmacy to buy 100 g (two liang) of Centipeda minima, and used various materials already available at home to prepare a Centipeda minima external ointment.

First, use a Chinese-medicine grinder (a household herbal grinder can be bought for about 100 yuan on any online shopping platform) to grind the Centipeda minima into powder.

Then, wash and clean a sealed glass jar at home that previously held chrysanthemum tea, pour the Centipeda minima powder into it, filling only half the jar. Do not fill it to the brim, because alcohol still needs to be added, and later the thickness of the ointment may need to be adjusted, possibly requiring more powder or alcohol.

Seal the remaining Centipeda minima powder in a bag and save it for next time.

Pour an appropriate amount of medical alcohol into the sealed bottle; I used 75% medical alcohol. To avoid any adverse effect of medical alcohol on the tumor, patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma may use white vinegar instead of alcohol. The finished ointment should ideally be a paste; if it is too thick, add a little alcohol; if it is too thin, add an appropriate amount of powder, until a paste is obtained.

After stirring and shaking well, it is ready for use. When applying, dip a medical cotton swab into a small amount and insert it together with the swab directly into the nasal cavity. Leave it in the nasal cavity for 3–10 minutes before removing; there is no limit to the number of times per day.

External use is safer than oral use, and this external method acting directly on the lesion is also more effective than oral administration. The course of treatment is not fixed; continue using it until recovery. Patients with nasal polyps should use it until the polyps disappear; patients with sinusitis should use it until the rhinitis resolves; patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma need long-term use.

The pharmacological effects of Centipeda minima were described in detail in yesterday’s article and will not be repeated here. Readers in need may click the link below to read my article "Centipeda minima: A Fine Herb for Treating Nasal Conditions and Allergies".

This article has an illustrated version: How to Make an External Ointment from Centipeda minima for Treating Rhinitis, Nasal Polyps, and Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma