Making a bracha on scented menthol

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  • #1798501
    Dovidgldmn
    Participant

    My son who just started yeshiva and he came down with a pretty nasty cold that completely stuffed his nose. A freind of mine I was talking to sent me this new thing he bought online called vapor soothers. Its hard to explain what it is without seeing it but maybe if you imagine this really small nose clip like the shape of the letter ” u ” or a horse shoe. You put it on the tip of your nose and 2 sides of the ” u ” goes into both nostrils and release this minty vapory scent. Kitzur davar, when my son put it in his nose the shayla didn’t really enter my mind because he couldn’t smell a thing anyway, but after a few minutes his nose started clearing up and he told me he smells this peppermint scent. Bottom line (I apologize for the arichus) does he have to make a בורא מיני בשמים when he uses it? On the one hand he isn’t using it to smell bidavka, on the other hand, he is mamish having hana’a from it.
    Also even if you wanna tayna that peppermint isn’t besamim but the problem is they also have a cinnamon scented clip and nobody argues its not a besamim! People use it for havdala all the time…

    So bracha or no bracha?

    #1798565
    Burnt Steak
    Participant

    You don’t make a bracha on medicine. The purpose of the spray is not to get pleasure. You should still consult your local Rabbi.

    #1798572
    Dovidgldmn
    Participant

    But it’s not necessarily medicine. Its actually drug free. It says on the box that its made from essential oils and is organic. Now I agree you may be using it to releive congestion but its not healing you per se. But lets say your right. What if I just wanna wear one because it smells nice?

    #1798588
    yehudayona
    Participant

    I hope you’re not planning to go outside with this thing on your nose. Especially on Shabbos if there’s no eruv.

    #1798598
    Dovidgldmn
    Participant

    Also, its not a spray if that makes any difference. Its just a clip (shaped like a horse shoe) that has these miniscule vapor pellets inside the tips that are inserted in the nostrils. So its kind of a new thing. A spray is clearly for medicinal purposes. This one can use to make the air around you smell good. Trust me, I thought of wearing it on the subway just to make the commute less smelly…
    So in a case where I use this vapor soother clip not davka for medicine would there be a safek bracha?

    #1798601
    rational
    Participant

    It’s medicine, it heals congestion, and a brachah would be l’vatalah.
    The fact that it’s organic is irrelevant. So are “natural” belladonna alkaloids.

    #1798607
    Dovidgldmn
    Participant

    I beg to differ. How do you define refua? Just because I make an uncomfortable situation more comfortable does not mean I’m healing anything. Why is it acceptable to use shmeck in shul (that brown powder that people snort toward the end of davening) is it a refua?
    Not sure if you read the previous replies but I refined the question as one using this vapor soothers nasal clip in order to enjoy the scent. So do you make a bracha? Its made from essential oils could be there taka is real cinnamon in there?

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