How To Get Taste Back With Covid

Research shows that lost senses of smell and taste can be a lingering side effect for COVID-19 patients.
A viral social media hack suggests eating a burnt orange mixed with brown sugar can help people revive their senses.
Doctors aren't convinced this trick works, but say people can try scent training if they are struggling with loss of smell and taste.

Loss of smell and taste (medically known as anosmia and dysgeusia, respectively) wasn't one of the original COVID-19 symptoms referenced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last spring, but it was eventually added to the agency's official list after a growing body of research found that many people who contracted the coronavirus experienced the unusual symptom.

Now, a January 2021 study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine has found that nearly 86% of 2,581 COVID-19 patients studied experienced a loss of taste and smell from the novel coronavirus. The researchers also found that 15% hadn't recovered their sense of taste and smell 60 days after infection, while nearly 5% were in the same situation six months later.

Enter the burnt orange hack. Social media is filled with testimonials from people who swear eating a charred orange mixed with brown sugar helped them regain their sense of taste and smell after having COVID-19. In one video, a TikTok user called this a "Jamaican remedy" before she eats the mixture and then says, "I waited two weeks for this."

Another TikTok user said she was able to taste Dijon mustard after eating a burnt orange. She did point out, though, that it could have been a coincidence.

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Meanwhile, another TikTok user said it "didn't work" for her, and even former Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe mentioned trying it on her Instagram Stories. She didn't have good results, either.

So, what's the deal? Can this type of food challenge really help bring back a lost sense of smell and taste? We asked doctors for their opinion.

First, why do some people lose their senses of taste and smell after COVID-19?

This is a common side effect of viruses that replicate in your nose and throat, says Richard Watkins, M.D., infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. Viruses can cause inflammation and swelling in your nasal passages and that can cause congestion, tamping down your senses in the process.

But why this symptom lingers in some people is not totally clear. "The receptors for the virus have been found in the special lining of the nasal cavity that contains the olfactory—smell—nerves that are the first to detect odors in the air," explains anosmia researcher Eric Holbrook, M.D., director of rhinology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and associate professor in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School. "Although these receptors have not been found on the nerves themselves, the surrounding damage from the infection likely causes the smell loss."

Your sense of smell is closely connected with your ability to taste, he adds, hence the loss of smell and taste. (Important to note: COVID-19 does not make you physically lose taste buds!)

The good news: The epithelium, which lines your nasal cavity, have cells that can divide and regenerate those damaged nerves, Dr. Holbrook says. "But they have to travel back to the brain and make proper connections. That can take time," he says.

What is the burnt orange hack, and can it really help bring back your sense of taste or smell?

The recipe is pretty simple. You char an orange over an open flame (most people do it on their gas stovetop) and then peel or cut off the skin. You mash up the fruit, mix it with some brown sugar, and eat the concoction. People who swear it works seem to be able to taste the mixture immediately, while others say it does nothing—or maybe helps prompt their taste buds to react in a few hours.

But doctors aren't totally convinced. As of right now, the evidence is "obviously anecdotal," Dr. Watkins says. The trick hasn't been studied and positive results haven't been replicated by researchers, so "from a scientific standpoint, I doubt it works," he adds.

It's difficult to even theorize why this particular hack would work, says Iahn Gonsenhauser, M.D., chief quality and patient experience officer at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. "There is nothing we're aware of that would explain why this would be a successful, viable solution," he says, given that losing your sense of taste is typically linked to losing your sense of smell with COVID-19. As a result, eating strong flavors alone is unlikely to jumpstart your sense of taste if your sense of smell still isn't there yet.

Dr. Holbrook agrees. While eating this particular food mixture isn't necessarily harmful (as long as you're careful around open flames), there's really no evidence that it works and is "another lesson for the abundance of false claims that permeate social media regarding 'therapies' for all different types of health disorders, including COVID-19."

There's also this to consider, per Stanley H. Weiss, M.D., a professor of medicine at both the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Rutgers School of Public Health: People who believe the hack worked for them may have already been recovering their sense of smell.

Ok, so what else can you do to help revive your senses of taste and smell after COVID-19?

It's not a popular answer, but generally, you simply have to wait for the senses to return. There have been some experiments done with "higher dose steroid therapies," to try to reduce inflammation and swelling in the nasal passages in hopes of returning a person's sense of smell, but nothing meaningful has come from it yet, Dr. Gonsenhauser says.

However, Dr. Holbrook says you can try something called "scent training," which involves finding a strong smell and inhaling it while focusing on what the scent should be like. Some research has shown people have an improvement in the ability to smell compared to a control group after undergoing scent training. "Not everybody responds the same," Dr. Holbrook says, but "this is something non-invasive and easy to perform and is recommended."

Here's how to try it: Gather a few strong scents in your home (think: cinnamon, mint, and citrus) and inhale for 10 to 20 seconds while thinking about what the scent would be like. Essential oils are also helpful. Dr. Holbrook recommends using powerful scents, like rose, eucalyptus, lemon, and clove. Continue doing this on a daily basis.

If you're struggling with the loss of smell and taste, you should also check in with your primary care physician. "There's so much research being done in the field that something new may come along," Dr. Weiss says. Your doctor may be able to steer you toward a new treatment or, at the very least, refer you to a specialist who can evaluate you further.

And hey, if you simply want to eat an orange—go ahead. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and other good-for-you nutrients. Just don't get your hopes up for a quick fix.

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Korin Miller Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men's Health, Women's Health, Self, Glamour, and more.

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