A Guide To Herbal Cough Remedies

Herbal cough remedies are considered the most potent of all remedies. They are at the most effective when taken as juice or as teas.

The remedies have stood the test of time and are scientifically proven to work. This article explores the types of herbs that work best, common questions about coughs and provides a guide on the herbal remedies that you can use to get yourself back to health.

Herbs That Relieve Coughs

Herbs that are used to remedy coughs include anise, hyssop, angelica, Echinacea tincture, lungwort, wintergreen salve, Mullen tea, horsetail, thyme oil, peppermint, oregano, onions, mint oil, plantain, eucalyptus oil, chamomile, slippery elm bark, horsetail leaves, linden flower among others.

Apart from the herbs above, there are also supplements, tissue salts and therapies that work to provide relief from a cough.

What is a Cough?

Coughs are the body’s natural but healthy reaction to irritations and infections that occur in the respiratory system.

The irritations occur in the bronchial tubes, the throat or the lungs themselves.

Why it’s Important to Understand Coughs

In order to effectively treat a cough, it is necessary to understand it first.

This is because there are different types of coughs and causes of coughs which in turn determine the best and most effective remedies to use.

Types of Coughs and Their Characteristics

Different herbal cough remedies and herbs are used to treat different types of coughs.  Here are three types of common coughs.

•  The Phlegm Cough – These coughs arise from an irritation or infection of the bronchial tubes. It is prevalent especially to those who suffer from bronchitis. However, it can also affect others. When you cough, phlegm is discharged (mucus)
• The Asthma Cough – These coughs are characterized by a dry cough accompanied by wheezing (a shortness of breath) when you breath. It is prevalent especially I asthma patients but can affect anyone momentarily.
• The Whooping Cough – This is a dry and short cough that is often prolonged.
• The shallow cough – A painful and shallow cough often signaling pneumonia

What Causes Coughs?

1. Virus and Bacterial infections in the respiratory system (That is in the throat, lungs or bronchial tubes)
2.  Blocked or partially blocked air passages
3.  Irritated air passages due to foreign entities such as smoke, pollution, and dust. Depending on the individual, perfumes can also be a cause.
4. Other infections and serious illnesses in the respiratory systems such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and cancer.

Herbal Cough Remedies You Can Use

The following are herbal cough remedies that can be ingested either as juices, teas or as inhalations for powerful results.

Juices

If you opt for herbal cough remedies made as juices, take a tablespoon of the juice thrice daily.

• For a dry hacking cough, use the Lobelia herb in your juice
• For a wheezing cough 2 teaspoons of horehound leaves in fresh juice.
• At the onset of a cough, 10 to 20 drops of Echinacea tincture between three and five times a day can eliminate the cough
• Coltsfoot Juice is powerful in loosening of the mucus in the air passages
•  For any cough relief, horsetail and plantain juice are effective.

Teas

If you opt for herbal cough remedies made as teas, put a tablespoon of the herb into 3 cups of boiling water for each.

•  If you can’t sleep as a result of a cough, linden flower tea is the herbal cough remedy to use
• For hacking and spasmodic coughs, drink Mullen tea.
• For a wheezing cough, use the horehound leaves in your drink
•  To loosen mucus and cough relief take onion teas, oregano tea, lungwort tea, peppermint tea, angelica tea

Baths

These are meant to be inhaled. Three effective remedies are:

• To clear up congested air passages, put in 3 to 4 drops of essential oils in water. Alternatively, you could also use thyme oils, mint oils or anise oils.
• For inflamed bronchial tubes, use 5 drops of thyme oils mixed in with elderflowers, eucalyptus, camomile and linden flower in your bath.
• 5 drops of thyme oil, sage oil and eucalyptus oil in your bath. The vapor it emits provides relief from an irritated throat.

Herbal Cough Supplements

• Vitamin A – They protect the mucus membrane from pollution, infections and allergies. If you choose this as a supplement, please ensure you seek the services of a doctor. It should be avoided if pregnant.
• L-Glutathione (reduced) and N-acetyl-cysteine are potent in reducing mucus particularly in the bronchial air passages. L-Glutathione (Reduced) is also powerful in detoxifying toxic entities in the passages.
• Vitamin C  - For maximum effect, it should be taken with bioflavonoids. It is super effective where infections have occurred. It protects the passages from toxic substances and boosts immunity as well.
•  Vitamin E – Improves the oxygen supply to affected (infected) cells in the body.
• Garlic –This is the one in its capsule form and is odorless (so don’t worry)It is effective in fighting infections in the passages.
•   A tablespoon of green food supplements are also helpful in cell rebuilding which is important especially if you have a chronic cough.

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Herbal cough remedies provide excellent results in preventing and fighting of coughs and colds, their symptoms and the infections that cause the condition.

In addition to the above, it is also extremely helpful and necessary both with children and adults to maintain the proper nutrition when ill.

There are also other herbal cough remedies such as tissue salts and therapies that you can use to provide relief from a cough in addition to the above.

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