How to Restore Your Sense of Taste

The ability to experience delicious flavors is one of life’s greatest pleasures. However, sometimes due to health issues or age, you may lose your sense of taste, making eating less enjoyable. Don’t worry, as in many cases, the loss of taste is temporary and can be fixed. With a few simple remedies, you’ll soon be able to enjoy tasty meals again!

Massage castor oil to reduce sinus inflammation. To alleviate sinus inflammation and restore both your sense of smell and taste, apply half a teaspoon (2.5 ml) of a mixture of castor oil and a few drops of essential oils like eucalyptus oil. Gently massage the mixture onto your face, starting between your eyes and moving along your eyebrows toward your ears, then onto the sides of your nose.

• Topical castor oil can improve blood circulation and help drain the sinuses.
• Your sense of taste and smell are closely linked, so when one is affected, the other may be too. This explains why you often lose your sense of taste when you have a cold, flu, or a stuffy nose due to allergies.

Drink Hot Tea When You're Sick. Boil water in a kettle or pot and pour it into a teapot. Add loose leaf tea or your preferred herbal tea bags and let it steep for the appropriate time, usually around 3-5 minutes, depending on the tea variety. Drink the tea while it's still hot.

• You can enjoy herbal tea throughout the day, but aim to have at least one cup each day while you're fighting an illness.
• Hot herbal tea is an effective way to thin mucus when you have a cold. This can help restore both your sense of taste and smell. A warm, flavorful drink will also stimulate your taste buds.
• You can try various herbal teas. Chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties; peppermint is antibacterial and aids digestion. Both are highly effective in treating colds and alleviating cold symptoms.

Mix Garlic with Water to Fight Colds. Garlic is a natural antibiotic that helps combat colds. The most effective way to use garlic is by crushing 1-2 cloves and adding them to a small glass of water, then drinking immediately.

• Pregnant women should not consume more than one clove of garlic per day.
• You can also add garlic to meals to enhance your taste buds with its strong flavor.

Inhale Steam to Unclog Your Nose. Boil 1-2 cups (240-480 ml) of water in a pot and remove it from the heat. Cover it with a lid for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and lean your face over the pot, covering your head with a towel to trap the heat and steam. Inhale the steam for as long as possible, aiming for up to 15 minutes.

• If desired, you can add 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of thyme, spicy oregano, and rosemary to the water.
• You can also add half a cup (120 ml) of vinegar to the water to help combat illness.

Oil Pulling to Maintain Oral Health. Swish 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 ml) of coconut oil, olive oil, or sesame oil in your mouth for 20 minutes. As you swish, the oil will thicken and turn white when you spit it out. Be sure to spit it into a trash can instead of the sink to prevent clogging the drain.

• Follow up with warm water and brush your teeth afterward.
• Oil pulling can help eliminate harmful bacteria in your mouth that can affect your sense of taste and cleanse unpleasant tastes. It’s recommended to practice oil pulling every morning before eating or drinking anything.

Use Cinnamon Daily to Improve Oral Health. You can add cinnamon to a variety of dishes and drinks. When you have a cold or the flu, mix half a teaspoon (2.5 ml) of cinnamon into a cup of tea with a drop of honey for sweetness and drink it while it's still hot.

• Cinnamon offers many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It can help reduce swelling caused by a cold or flu that impacts your appetite, while also preventing tooth decay and gum diseases that affect your sense of taste.
• As with any food, excessive amounts of cinnamon can be harmful to your health. It’s best to limit cinnamon intake to 1-2 teaspoons per day. This amount is safe if you don’t have underlying health conditions. Always consult your doctor if you're unsure.

Consume Zinc-Rich Foods. A lack of taste and smell can sometimes be caused by zinc deficiency. Zinc plays a crucial role in the normal functioning of the body, but it isn't stored for long periods. Therefore, it’s important to have a continuous supply of zinc through your diet.

• Foods such as oysters, beef, pumpkin seeds, sesame butter, dark chocolate, crab, lobster, pork, and beans are all high in zinc.
• Sometimes zinc supplements are necessary, but you should consult with a doctor before taking them. Consuming more than 100mg-200mg of zinc daily can lead to a reduction in iron and copper levels, causing nausea and gastrointestinal issues.

Drink Approximately 8 Cups of Water (240 ml each) Every Day. A dry mouth can result in a loss of taste and smell. Staying hydrated is an excellent way to maintain overall health and may help prevent the loss of taste caused by colds.

• You’re likely drinking enough water if you rarely feel thirsty, and your urine is clear or light yellow in color.
• Some people may need more than 8 cups of water a day to stay adequately hydrated. On average, women need about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters), and men need about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters).

Brush Your Teeth and floss regularly. Maintaining good oral hygiene is an essential step in preventing gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease caused by plaque buildup. Plaque on the gums and dental issues can impair your sense of taste, so it’s important to take care of your oral health by flossing and brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste for at least 2 minutes, twice a day.

Quit Smoking if You’re a Smoker. Try various methods until you find what works best for you, such as quitting abruptly, using nicotine replacement therapies like gum or patches to gradually reduce nicotine intake, or taking prescription medications like Chantix or Zyban, which help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms by altering brain chemistry.

• Smoking is harmful not only to your overall health but also reduces your ability to taste food. When you quit smoking, you can regain your sense of taste within just two days.
• It can be tough, but don’t give up, as there are many smoking cessation methods, and one of them will work for you. Some people successfully quit smoking through hypnosis, acupuncture, or medication to break the physical and mental habits related to smoking.

Add More Spices and Flavors to Your Meals as You Age. Our sense of taste naturally diminishes as we grow older. To compensate for the loss of taste buds, consider adding spices and fresh herbs to your meals, such as basil, spicy oregano, coriander, and black pepper.

• If your diet allows, you can also enhance the flavor of your meals with ingredients like cheese, bacon, butter, olive oil, and roasted nuts.
• Avoid excessive salt and sugar, as these can harm your health.
• Avoid dishes like stews that combine too many ingredients and overpower the distinct flavors of individual components.
• Remember not to use old spices, as they lose their flavor over time.

Take Decongestants and Antihistamines to Relieve Nasal Congestion. If you’ve lost your sense of taste due to a cold, flu, or seasonal allergies, over-the-counter decongestants may help clear your stuffy nose. This will allow your sense of smell and taste to return more quickly.

• Decongestants come in pill, liquid, and spray forms. Some over-the-counter decongestants contain pseudoephedrine, which can be purchased without a prescription, but it is advised to consult a pharmacist first.

Take Antibiotics Prescribed by Your Doctor if You Have a Bacterial Infection. Certain conditions, like bacterial sinus infections or throat and salivary gland infections, can cause a loss of taste. Once diagnosed, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics to treat these infections and restore your sense of taste.

• There is some debate in the medical community about whether patients should finish the entire course of antibiotics or stop once symptoms improve. Since there is no consensus, you should ask your doctor about the duration of the medication and whether you should continue taking it after symptoms subside.

See an ENT Specialist if You Experience Prolonged Loss of Taste. An Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist is an expert in conditions related to the ears, nose, throat, mouth, and larynx. If your loss of taste is not caused by a cold or aging, consider asking your family doctor for a referral to an ENT specialist. An ENT doctor can diagnose prolonged loss of taste and help treat any underlying health conditions.

• The ENT specialist will examine your ears, nose, throat, and mouth, and perform tests to determine the lowest concentration of taste you can detect. You may be asked to compare different concentrations of chemicals by tasting and spitting them out, or the chemicals may be directly applied to your tongue.
• Some conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and peripheral seventh nerve palsy, can lead to taste loss. Therefore, it is important to seek medical help if your loss of taste persists for an extended period.

Switch Medications if Advised by Your Doctor. Sometimes, a loss of taste may occur as a side effect of medications used to treat other conditions. For example, chemotherapy for cancer can alter or diminish your sense of taste. Ask your doctor if it’s possible to switch medications or adjust the dosage.

Treat Nasal Polyps. A loss of taste can sometimes be caused by nasal polyps, which are soft, non-cancerous, painless growths found in the sinuses or nose. Nasal polyps can be treated with medication and, in severe cases, surgery.

• Your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids to shrink the polyps and reduce inflammation.
• If medication does not reduce or remove the polyps, your doctor might recommend endoscopic surgery. During this procedure, a small camera is inserted into your nose, and a tiny instrument is used to remove the polyps and may also widen the sinus openings. This surgery is typically an outpatient procedure, with a recovery time of about two weeks.