Does using menthol as a medication for nasal congestion via inhalation during daylight hours in Ramadan break the fast?
Using a menthol inhaler or Vicks to treat nasal congestion does not break the fast, because nothing from it reaches the throat, and the arrival of a smell does not have an effect. The basic rule for a fasting person is not to introduce anything into their internal cavity through the nose, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "And be thorough in sniffing water into the nose, unless you are fasting." However, the aforementioned inhaler introduces only a smell, and a mere smell does not break the fast, because it does not carry a substance that enters the internal cavity, unlike inhaling incense, whose substance might penetrate to the internal cavity. Scholars have issued fatwas that a mere smell does not break the fast, and that what the fasting person finds in their throat from the effect of the medicine does not affect the validity of the fast.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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