How do eucalyptus/mint scents clear up a stuffy nose?
In: Biology
They don’t.
We have different types of receptors in our noses, including receptors that are activated by cooling. I believe these receptors are used by the body to sense airflow within our noses. Mint contains menthol which stimulates those receptors in particular, giving us the sensation of airflow.
TL;DR mint stimulates receptors in our noses to give us the sensation of airflow, but it’s just a sensation and doesn’t actually clear anything up.
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