Home Remedies and Herbs for Mumps

Mumps is a type of viral disease that typically affects the salivary glands, although it can infect other glands like the testicles. The most common glands to become infected are the parotid glands, which sit between the jaw and ears.¹ Mumps was once a common disease in children, but since a vaccine was developed in 1967, it is no longer common.^1,2,3

What Causes Mumps?

Mumps is caused by a contagious virus and spread through saliva or other mucus present in the respiratory tract.⁴ This could happen when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or simply talks. Sharing infected items with others, such as water bottles, can also spread the disease, as can touching surfaces with unwashed hands. Mumps is contagious before gland swelling occurs and can remain contagious for five days after the symptom arises.⁴ 

Risk for contracting the mumps virus increases if you are around someone who has been infected and if you have not been vaccinated. Mumps most commonly affects children and teens.⁵ Although it’s seen most often in children between the ages of 5 and 9, it can affect people of all ages.^1,5

Mumps Symptoms

Mumps causes swelling and tenderness in infected glands along with flu-like symptoms.¹ Symptoms start with:3

• Headache
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Loss of appetite

As mumps symptoms worsen, the salivary glands below the jaw or ears swell and become tender.¹ Patients may also experience pain when chewing or swallowing.⁵ In cases where the mumps virus infects the testicles in men who have reached puberty, these glands could become inflamed as well.⁵ Symptoms appear within 14 to 24 days of infection and typically last for about a week to a week and a half.^3,5 In some cases, individuals may not experience any symptoms or symptoms will be mild, and they may not know they have the disease.⁶

Mumps symptoms and complications are usually worse in adults than in children.¹ Complications are rare but can include inflammation of the testicles, pancreas, ovaries, breasts, and brain. In severe cases, hearing loss can occur in one or both ears, and mumps could lead to miscarriage in expecting mothers.⁷

The mumps vaccine is effective in preventing the disease.⁵ It’s usually given to children at 15 months and lasts for about 20 years. Mumps can’t be cured through medication, but symptoms can be treated through rest, home care, herbal remedies, and hospitalization.^1,3,5 

References

1. http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/stm159632
2. http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/nord790
3. https://medlineplus.gov/mumps.html
4. https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/about/transmission.html
5. http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/mumps
6. https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/about/signs-symptoms.html
7. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mumps/basics/complications/con-20019914