A Spoonful of Honey
Studies, such as one conducted at Penn State College of Medicine, have found that honey can work more efficiently to calm a cough than over-the-counter drugs. It is a rich demulcent, with a high viscosity and stickiness that does an incredible job of coating and soothing those irritated mucous membranes. Thanks to an enzyme added by bees when they harvest honey, it also has antibacterial properties as well, which may help shorten how long you have the cough if it is due to bacterial illness.
Note: This is an excellent alternative remedy for both kids and adults, but should never be given to children under the age of 2 years due to the risk of botulism.
You will need…
-1 tablespoon of organic, raw, honey
Directions
Take 1 tablespoon of honey 1-3 times daily as needed to control coughing. Take immediately before bed if cough is disrupting your sleep.
For children, you can adjust the dosing to 1 teaspoon up to one tablespoon.
Gargle Salt Water
Also a popular remedy for sore throats, salt water can ease the discomfort caused by a cough the same way it helps a sore throat-through osmosis. When the concentration of salt is higher outside of the cells in your mucous membranes, water flows out of the cells to balance everything out. When water leaves the cells, swelling goes down, and discomfort is decreased. If you have a cough that happens to come along with inflamed tissue, this is a good route to take. It can also help dislodge any phlegm that’s hanging out and allow you to expel it easily.
You will need…
-1 teaspoon of salt
-8 ounces of warm water
Directions
Stir salt into water until it is thoroughly dissolved. Gargle for 15 seconds, spit, and repeat with the remaining water. Rinse with plain water afterwards.
Steam!
I can’t say how underrated steam is when it comes to anything dealing with a cough, cold, or congestion. Not only does the steam quite literally loosen mucous and phlegm, almost immediately, but you can add numerous essential oils that will impart wonderful healing benefits. These benefits (anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory etc.) do become airborne, so you inhale them while you breathe in the steam. For this particular blend I’ve included both tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil, which can help soothe and open your airways as well as help fight off bacteria or a virus.
You will need…
-3 drops of tea tree oil
-1-2 drops of eucalyptus oil
-A bowl of water
-A soft, clean, towel
Directions
Bring enough water to a boil to halfway fill a medium size-heat proof bowl. Pour the water into it, let it cool slightly for 30-60 seconds, and add the essential oils, giving it a quick stir to release the vapors.
Lean over the bowl and get as close as you can while still being comfortable. Remember that steam can seriously burn! Use the towel to cover your head like a tent, trapping the steam, and breathe deeply. Ideally, do this for 5-10 minutes 2-3 times a day.
Tea Thyme
Thyme has been used for centuries, and was even used during one of the most devastating pandemics to take place in human history. The Black Death was a plague that peaked in Europe from 1346-1353. During that time, and in other incidents of the plague thereafter, townspeople would gather to burn large bundles of thyme to ward off the disease, or carry pockets of thyme on them. Indeed, thyme does have anti-microbial properties, but we’re not warding off any plague here-just your cough. Thyme relaxes the muscles of the trachea and bronchi, and also opens up airways. The result is less coughing, and increased comfort.
You will need…
-a handful of fresh thyme sprigs OR 2 tablespoons dried thyme
-8 ounces of fresh water
-Honey or lemon (optional)
Directions
Lightly bruise the thyme, e.g. with a mortar and pestle, and then place in a mug. Cover with 8 ounces of boiling water, cover, and let it steep for 10-15 minutes.
Add some lemon or honey to taste, and drink the whole thing. Repeat 2-3 times daily as needed. It’s absolutely delightful just before bedtime (unless you aren’t a fan of thyme. But drink some anyways.)
Pepper & Honey
Black pepper is the world’s most traded spice, but most of its use is limited to the culinary world. What people don’t know is that it can make a great remedy for coughs that are accompanied by a lot of mucous or chest congestion. If you’ve accidently leaned too close to black pepper while it’s being grinded, you know it can make you cough or tickle your nose. This may not be fun on a regular basis, but it’s a plus if you need to expel all the nasty stuff that’s gunking up your lungs. The honey adds its antibacterial properties, and it makes it so the pepper isn’t too irritating. You can make black pepper “syrup” with honey, or a tea, as below. If possible, use freshly ground black pepper, as the pre-ground pepper simply seems to lose some of its punch.
You will need…
-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1 tablespoon of honey
-8 ounces of fresh water
Directions
Place the pepper and honey in a mug and then cover with boiling water.
Give it stir to disperse the pepper flakes and melt in the honey. Steep for 10 minutes, stir once more, and drink in its entirety.
Repeat 1-2 times a day as needed to loosen mucous.
Ginger Peppermint Syrup
Here you get the soothing qualities of warming ginger, all wrapped up in a delicious easy to swallow cough syrup. Spicy ginger works as an expectorant, helping loosen and expel mucous from the lungs. It can also stop the painful tickle at the back of throat that can trigger a cough if the first place, if you are experiencing a dry cough. The peppermint will also help relieve the irritating tickle of a cough.
You will need…
-3 tablespoons of chopped ginger
-1 tablespoon of dried peppermint
-4 cups of water
-1 cup of honey
Directions
Chop the ginger and add it along with the peppermint to 4 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat so that the liquid simmer. Simmer until the liquid has been reduced by half, than strain.
Let it cool slightly, and then stir in 1 cup of honey until it has been dissolved completely.
Bottle and take 1 tablespoon every few hours as needed to ease your cough. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
Turmeric
The herb turmeric has a therapeutic effect on coughs, particularly a dry cough.
Heat half a cup of water in a boiling pot. Add one teaspoon turmeric powder, and one teaspoon black pepper. You may also add cinnamon sticks. Boil this for about two to three minutes. Add one tablespoon of honey. Drink this daily until the condition improves.
Alternatively, make an herbal tea by adding one teaspoon of turmeric powder and one teaspoon of carom seeds to a cup of water, and boil it until water reduces to one-half cup. Add some honey and drink this herbal solution two to three times a day.
Another way to use turmeric is to roast turmeric root and grind it into a smooth powder. Mix it with water and honey, and drink it twice a day.
Ginger
Ginger is one of the most popular natural cures for a cough.
Cut fresh ginger into small slices and crush them slightly. Put them in a cup of water and bring to a boil. Drink this herbal solution three to four times a day for relief from sore throat, non-stop coughing and even congestion. You can also some lemon juice and honey to it.
Another option is to chew fresh raw ginger on and off throughout the day to reduce your cough.
Lemon
Lemons can be used in a variety of ways for curing coughs. Lemons have properties that reduce inflammation and also provide a dose of infection-fighting vitamin C.
A simple cough syrup can be made by combining two tablespoons of lemon juice and one tablespoon of honey. Drink this healthy syrup several times a day.
Another way to use lemons is to blend lemon juice with a little honey and a pinch of cayenne pepper and then drink it.
Garlic
Garlic has both antibacterial and antimicrobial components that help treat coughs.
Boil two to three cloves of garlic in a cup of water and add a teaspoon of oregano. Allow it to cool to room temperature, add some honey and drink it. This will help your breathing and alleviate other cough symptoms.
Eat a clove of crushed garlic mixed with a few drops of clove oil and some honey for sore throat relief. You can also use garlic in your cooking.
Onion
One of the simplest home remedies for a cough is to cut onions. Breathing in the strong vapors can help stop coughing.
You can also make a cough syrup from baked onion juice, comfrey tea and honey. Drink it daily to get relief from a dry cough.
Another option is to combine one-half teaspoon of onion juice with one teaspoon of pure honey. Swallow this solution at least twice a day to alleviate a cough and soothe your throat.
Hot Milk with Honey
Hot milk with honey can relieve a dry cough and reduce chest pain you may be experiencing from continuous coughing. For best results, drink it before going to sleep. For added benefits from the analgesic properties of honey, swallow a teaspoon of plain honey on empty stomach. This will help clear the mucus and soothe your throat.
Cayenne
Cayenne helps reduce chest pain due to continuous coughing. It is also warming and stimulating.
Make a healthy cough syrup by mixing one-fourth teaspoon cayenne pepper, one-fourth teaspoon ground ginger, one tablespoon honey, one tablespoon apple cider vinegar and two tablespoons of water.
Drink the syrup two to three times a day.
Carrot Juice
Carrots have many vitamins and nutrients that can help relieve various symptoms of a cough.
Make fresh juice from four to five carrots and add some water to dilute it. For taste and added benefits, add one teaspoon of honey.
Drink the juice three to four times a day until your symptoms improve.
Grapes
Grapes have properties that act as an expectorant, releasing the mucus from the affected parts of your respiratory system. The faster you get rid of the mucus, the faster your coughing will end. You can simply eat grapes or make some fresh grape juice. Grape juice with a spoonful of honey will be soothing as well as effective.
Almonds
Almonds have nutritional properties that play a proactive role in healing cough symptoms.
Soak five to six almonds in water for 8 to 10 hours.
Make a smooth paste out of the soaked almonds and add one teaspoon of butter.
Eat it three to four times a day until your symptoms go away.
Home Remedies for Dry Cough
Garlic
Why it helps: Garlic has anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties, and due to its active agent called "allicin," it can be one of the most effective home remedies for dry cough. It also boosts your immune system and helps you fight with infections that cause a dry cough.
How to apply: Boil a glass of water and add a few garlic cloves to it. While it's boiling, add a teaspoon of oregano to the mixture. Once cooled off, add some honey and consume this mixture twice a day. Mixing up garlic with clove oil and honey will also help relieve soreness.
Marshmallow Root
Why it helps: Thanks to its pain and inflammation relieving properties, marshmallow root can be an effective home remedy for dry cough. It also protects your mucous membrane tissue and saves it from further damage.
How to apply: Steep about 3 grams of dried marshmallow leaves in a cup of hot water for 10-12 minutes. Now strain out the herb and drink the solution for pain relief. Drinking 3 cups of marshmallow tea will help you find relief from the dry cough.
Warm Milk and Honey
Why it helps: Honey has anti-inflammatory properties, whereas hot milk will help bring the mucus up from your chest and respiratory tract. The combination of both will serve as one of the best home remedies for cough.
How to apply: Mix a teaspoon of honey in a glass of hot milk and drink it before going to bed. This will help you sleep better and make it easier to get relief from the coughing. Regular drinking will help treat throat irritation effectively.
Oregano
Why it helps: Oregano works as an expectorant and helps you get rid of mucus. To find relief from your dry cough, you may have to use a special type of oregano that belongs to perennial herb and is known as marjoram.
How to apply: Boil some oregano in a cup of water. Filter it and drink it regularly to help improve your condition.
Ginger Remedies
Known to be one of the best home remedies for cough, ginger has a number of amazing benefits .
Fresh ginger: For a dry cough, one of the easiest ways of finding relief is to cut a piece of fresh ginger, sprinkle some salt on it and chew on it for a few minutes. However, not everyone likes the strongly aromatic taste of ginger and in such cases, a tea made with ginger is equally good.
Ginger tea: Chop ginger into fine pieces, add into a vessel containing one cup of water. Keep boiling the liquid till the volume reduces to half the original quantity. Strain the liquid, add one teaspoon of honey and drink when warm to give a soothing effect against cough. How does it work? Dr Eccles, Director of Common Cold Centre at the Cardiff University, told netdoctor.co.uk that ginger seems to work by ‘promoting salivation and mucus secretion and will help relieve cough symptoms’.
Ginger and tulsi: Ginger in combination with tulsi is also an effective remedy for cough. Crush about 10 leaves of tulsi, mix with juice extracted from a small ginger piece. Add in an equal quantity of honey and mix; swallow about a single teaspoon of this about thrice a day to get relief from cough. Read more about the medicinal properties of tulsi or holy basil.
People who don’t mind the strong spicy flavour of pepper can also add some black pepper powder and turmeric into a mixture of ginger juice with honey. When this paste is slowly licked for 10 to 15 minutes thrice a day, it helps reduce congestion in the throat and reduces cough. A simple ginger tea is easy to prepare by boiling ginger with water; then add tea leaves or tea powder, drop in some tulsi leaves and pepper powder, strain and drink for relief from cough.
Jaggery Remedies to Get Rid of Sputum
It buildup can lead to a feeling of congestion in the chest and the entire respiratory tract; expelling this sputum therefore provides relief from cough and congestion. Dr. Soumya Bhat, Ayurvedic doctor, recommends the following remedies for such relief. Make a decoction by boiling a few corns of pepper with water for about 20 minutes; mix in a little cumin and jaggery and drink. Cut a quarter part of an onion, keep a small bit of jaggery in the middle of it and chew on this for expelling sputum.
Black pepper and honey tea
For a wet cough, you can try a black pepper and honey remedy that is said to work because the pepper stimulates circulation and mucus flow and the honey is a natural cough reliever. Use one teaspoon of freshly ground pepper and two tablespoon of honey in a mug, and fill with boiling water. Cover and allow to steep for 15 minutes, strain and sip.
Flaxseeds:
Flax has natural properties to soothe sore throats. Use them by boiling them in water. Add a little honey or sugar for taste and sip the mixture to find that much needed relief.
Sesame Oil:
Mix a little quantity of sesame oil in a tablespoon of honey. Your cough will never even see this sneaky little trick coming its way.
Lemongrass:
This pretty little fragrant herb has a natural summery aroma. If used as an infusion by boiling in water for some time, it will relieve even the toughest of coughs for at least a few hours. The vapor from the water will also soothe the aching throat muscles
Vinegar:
Red or white, vinegar can be used to soothe that adamant cough. This is another best home remedy for cough. Use 2 teaspoons of vinegar in a glass of warm water to gargle, taking care not to ingest it. It can be quite unpleasant if you do. If the taste puts you off, you can add some lime juice or salt to make it bearable.
Cinnamon:
In combination with honey, cinnamon is a magic potion for coughs that won’t go away. Heat some honey till it becomes slightly runny and add cinnamon powder (in a ratio of 1:10) and mix it well. Let the honey cool down and use this yummy cough syrup any number of times you wish. This mixture is absolutely safe for children and they love the flavour too!
Onion Syrup:
it is made easily at home by grating an onion. Next, add some sugar to the grated pulp and allow it to dissolve in the onion overnight. By morning, your home made cough syrup is ready! Take one teaspoon of it whenever you need it during the day and feel that hankering cough go away. (Psst… take my word and do this before you brush your teeth!)
Eucalyptus Oil:
Okay, this one has been my salvage for all my life. It is easily available in the market. Simply put a drop on a tissue or handkerchief and keep it on your nose; or put two drops on your pillow and have a restful cough-free sleep; or use it in the water you use for taking steam; or rub eucalyptus oil rich balms or ointments on your throat and back. Its expectorant and antibacterial action will relieve cough, headache, body ache and a blocked nose in no time.
Basil:
There is a reason why this plant is worshipped by the Hindus. Its leaves have marvellous healing qualities. For a cough, you may simply chew the leaves after washing them. If the taste is too strong, you may add a pinch of salt and/or some black pepper. Another way is to boil it with tea leaves and have that wonderfully scented basil tea.
Common Salt:
Sodium Chloride or common salt used for gargling works very effectively against cough and throat pain. It gives humidity to the throat, acts as an anti-bacterial and soothes pain. Try it any number of times in the day and get instant relief. Use half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water. Don’t ingest it though, as salty water can induce vomiting.
Milk Cream:
A spoonful of cream taken at bedtime will keep your night’s sleep peaceful and undisrupted. Though it sounds contradictory that cream can help a cough, it really works. For weight watchers – it’s just a spoonful, no harm done! Take care not to ingest anything after you take cream as it will negate its effect. That’s why bedtime is the perfect time to do this.
Cloves:
This little spice has wonderful relieving properties. Keep 1-2 pieces of clove in your mouth and ingest only the juice. Keep it there as long as you can. It will give you instant relief from coughing fits and that scratchy throat pain that gets so annoying when you are trying to work.
So, do some of these tips look like they are a recipe for an evil witch’s evil potion? Fair enough.
But all of them DO work. All of them are time tested. It is up to you to find out what works best for your kind of cough. Hopefully, you will find the one that clicks. When you do, remember to spread the word.
Saffron
Take some saffron strands and 1 betel leaf and makes its paste. Apply it on your infant’s forehead and also on the soles of his/her feet.
Sugar Candy and Pepper Powder
Mix 50 gm pepper powder and 50 gm sugar candy (mishri). Add some pure ghee and prepare small pellets. Consume these pellets 3-4 times each day.
Aloe Vera Juice
Take a glass of aloe vera juice and add 2 spoons of honey to it. Stir well and drink it. This is an effective herbal remedy for dry cough.
1) Mix equal parts of ginger juice and honey and have it 2-3 times in a day which is fine for cough
2) Cinnamon is a well recognized herb which is used in cooking, and as addition to tea, apple cider and more. Make a cup of tea and put some cinnamon to it to relief the cough. This is simple and effective Home Remedy for Cough.
3) To decrease the cough, boil oregano in water, filter and drink up.
4) Gargle sage leaves and elder blossom tea with a little almond oil, oil of clove, and honey to reduce the cough and soothe the throat.
5) One good Home Remedy for Cough is the root of the turmeric plant which is helpful in a dry cough. The root should be baked and crushed. This powder should be taken in three gram dosage two times daily, in the morning and evening.
6) Another effective Home Remedy for Cough is a sauce made from raisins. This sauce is made by crushing 100 gm of raisins with water. 100 gm of sugar should be mixed with it and allow the mixture to heat. When the mixture obtains a sauce-like constancy, it should be conserved. Twenty grams should be taken at bedtime every day.
7) Aniseed is another useful remedy for a hard dry cough with complex expectoration. It shatters up the mucus. A tea made from this spice should be taken habitually for treating this state.
8) Put 2 cups of cherries in a pan and add just enough water to it. Add some lemon slices and 2 cups of honey. Boil the mixture until cherries are soft. Eradicate from heat. Take away the lemon slices and the cherry pits from the mixture. Store at a low temperature and take some tablespoons as needed for coughing.
9) A syrup of 1 teaspoon raw onion juice with 1 teaspoonful of honey kept over 3 to 4 hours serves as an excellent cough syrup. This is another superior Home Remedy for Cough.
10) Chewing betel leaf with 3-4 black Tulsi (Krishna Tulsi) leaves, a clove and a small quantity of menthol thrice a day provides relief from severe cough.
11) For dry coughs, start eating apples each day for 2-3 weeks until your cough is cured.
12) For severe cough, mix tulsi juice with garlic juice and honey. A teaspoonful of this mixture taken once in every three hours will treat excessive cough.
13) A teaspoon of honey, a pinch of turmeric powder, chewing cardamom for a while, a stick of clove, all these have proven very beneficial in treating dry cough.
14) A cup of grape juice mixed with a teaspoon of honey is recommended for cough relief.
Home Remedies for Bronchitis Cough
Bronchitis is a condition of chronic cough, which occurs due to the inflammation of the air passages. Bronchitis results in excessive coughing of phlegm along with a bad chest-pain. Some of the home remedies to treat bronchial cough are as follows:
Hot Toddy
Steep a tea bag in hot water for 3-5 minutes. Then, add 1 tsp of rum/whiskey, a pinch of cinnamon and some honey to it. Sip it slowly. This remedy will reduce throat ache while curing bronchitis cough.
Oregano Oil
Oregano oil is an excellent natural cure for treating bronchial cough. Place few drops of oregano oil under your tongue, once every day.
Orange Juice
Orange juice is rich in Vitamin C, which helps in strengthening your immunity. Drink plenty of orange juice to alleviate bronchitis cough.
