Sometimes I wonder how much I’m missing by not being on Snapchat and Instagram. The celebrity IG stories, which expire after 24 hours, are usually preserved by someone. However I’m relying on People’s report of Busy Phillips recent video as I can’t find it again. Busy, like a lot of us this season, has congestion. Instead of taking some sudafed or using saline water in a neti pot to irrigate her nose she used some distilled water and infused garlic in there for good measure. If it sounds weird and painful that’s because it was, according to the experts People consulted who phrased it gently. They say people put worse things up their nose though and that garlic can be effective.

Busy Philipps… filled a small syringe with distilled garlic water and shot the thing up her nose. Yes, really.

After telling followers that she strained the mixture through cheesecloth, we see her hang her head over the side of a bed and go to work. The immediate change in her facial expression says it all, but in case you didn’t catch it, here are a few snippets of her reaction: “Oh, that’s terrible… oh no… oh my god it really burns…my eyes are immediately watering.” Like many of her followers, we were left wondering… couldn’t you just use a Neti pot?!

Turns out, experts aren’t quite as surprised by this one as we were. “People put just about anything in a nasal rinse,” says Richard Lebowitz, MD, chief of rhinology at NYU Langone Health. “It’s not even really a shocking one to be honest with you…”

Doctors often add prescription meds to a rinse for delivery right to the source of the issue, but he tells us they’re well aware patients often use home remedies too. (Manuka honey is a popular one for its antibacterial properties, he says.)

So why garlic? The bulb is known for its immune-boosting properties. “Garlic is an all-natural remedy that is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and has anti-fungal properties,” says Neeta Ogden, MD, a board-certified asthma and allergy specialist and spokesperson for Blueair. “Garlic has compounds…that can decrease swelling and may help reduce bacteria in the nasal cavity,” she says.

But just because someone is deemed healthy to eat doesn’t necessarily mean you should put it up your nose. “Garlic is a pretty strong food—to smell, taste, and touch,” Dr. Ogden says. “I think people should first try a small amount to make sure they don’t have a strong irritant reaction.” Definitely stay away from solid pieces of the bulb, Dr. Lebowitz says, which could make things really uncomfortable.

Despite her smart moves to use distilled water—which is filtered or treated to get rid of lurking bacteria or other organisms that could actually cause worse problems for your health, according to the FDA—and strain her solution through cheesecloth, we think it’s pretty safe to say Philipps was more than a little uncomfortable…

Still, after the garlic administering ended, she admitted: “I literally can breathe for the first time in weeks,” before adding, “I’m not recommending it to you, but it’s working.”

[From People]

I love how People’s allergy expert is all “it’s not even that shocking.” After two years of nagging by my mom (I’m not exaggerating) I now occasionally clean my nose with a squirt bottle and saline solution made from distilled water. It’s called NeilMed Sinus Rinse, it comes with little premeasured salt packets, and I got it at CVS. I only do it when I’m desperate though as it’s uncomfortable. I used to use a neti pot and although the water does come out the other side like that it’s not as painful and dramatic. It’s bad enough shooting water through your nose, although some people get used to it. Why would Busy put garlic up there if not for the views? She must have been miserable and she does document so much on IG. I guess it worked for her because she claims her nose is clear and People ran a story about it. Victory on both fronts.

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These candids of Busy are all from this month. She has the cutest sneakers! Credit: Backgrid and WENN