Fast and Effective Natural Remedies for Cough

Have a hiatial hernia thanks to coughing really badly from a bacterial infection last year (clean your humidifiers regularly people.) It flares up off and on and I treat that by going to the chiropractor who's treatment makes an immediate difference.

This time around, I got a bad cold. Though I seemed to be remaining functional by gargling cayenne pepper water, and a few other things, my coughing was starting to scare me because I didn't want my hiatial hernia to worsen (it's a near constant pressure on your diaphragm, either making you feel falsely hungry, or nauseated like you don't want to eat.)

A few of the things I tried here helped (cayenne pepper for sore throat) but the vicks, for example, worked only for a couple of nights. I tried the thyme tea and that worked out very well. Brewed up a bunch and drank it over two days and nights. My cough is now very rare and seems to just be about expelling phlegm, rather than an irritated throat that feels itchy but not sore.

As a side note, something that may or may not be related is that I think the thyme tea made my period show up 4 days early, similar to how parsley tea does the same thing. It might not be related but it is something that I will keep in mind.

Oil of Oregano : I mix 6 drops to 1/4cup of olive oil and apply like lotion to the soles of my feet, and legs and lower back. It is the best pain killer I have found. It works almost instantly and for hours also. We take it internally, one drop under the tongue and yes it will burn somewhat, but I chase it with water, , , get over it, it works.

For coughs, Oil of Oregano is an amazing secret. You can buy it in liquid form or in pill form. It tastse terrible and it burns going down so I recommend the capsules. It stops wheezing and has natural antibiotic action and you never build up immunity to it.

Dosage: 3 drops in a 8 ounce glass of water or 1 capsule. I take it one a day during the inter months and I'm 63 and going strong. I take no rx meds at all.

My daughter and I both had a bad cold/cough and were driving to the store to buy some remedies to help stop our constant cough. I always keep raw almonds in the car and noticed that once I started snacking on them my coughing immediately stopped. After 10 min I pointed this out to my daughter (who was still coughing) wondering if the almonds were having some affect on my throat or lungs (maybe the fat soothes or coats the throat? not sure). I gave her a handful to eat and her cough also stopped immediately. This is after a few hours of constant coughing. I'd would say it worked faster than a cough drop and the lasting affects were about the same length of time as cough drops...but without all the chemicals, dyes, sugars...

Last night I got up and was having a pretty bad coughing spell and fortunately had taken note last week of a boiled flaxseed remedy I thought may be helpful for these spells. Even though I could have taken a 1/2 tsp dose of black seed oil (nigella sativa) to quiet me down, at 1 a.m. in the morning, I wanted to try this flaxseed remedy. Here is what I did.

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds

- 8 ounces of water

- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons of honey

Procedure:

In a small sauce pan, boil the water with the flaxseeds. This rolling boil eventually will help the flaxseeds go into a gelatinous state. Once thickened (it happens pretty quick), take off the burner and strain the best you can. This mixture was so thick, it reminded me of a jelly fish. Ultimately, I had to manually take out most of the leftover flaxseeds with a spoon. Anyway, you should have several spoonful doses of thick, hot flaxseed gelatin stuff. Mix in the lemon juice and honey. Stir. While still warmed, drink a couple sips of this mixture. You should have at least a couple doses in the cup. Save the rest for later as needed. This remedy was effective within 10 minutes. The tickle in my throat went away, and I slept for 5 solid hours after that. WoW! In the spirit of keeping remedies simple, I hope this remedy finds it's way to the masses of people searching for relief.

I have had a cough for the past few weeks. Magnesium has really helped my lungs. I take it at night before going to sleep and haven't been waking up with coughing fits all night. Cough is slowly getting better.

I've been reading the posts for some time now regarding cough and excess mucous and tried everything that was suggested. Nothing worked until I came upon one who suggested chewing on fresh ginger.

I've been plagued with coughing spasms 3 to 4 times a day with expectorating clear mucous and throat clearing. I've tried allegra, sudafed, claritin etc., that is supposed to dry up excessive secretions which it does, but the dried up material languishes in the sinuses and I then get a severe infection. When I mentioned this to the doctor and several doctors that I've sought for this problem, they agreed that ‘yes that does cause that'. This has bothered me for at least 6 years and it got so bad that March of this year I lost my voice as a result of severe coughing, developing callouses on my vocal chords, and only recently has it started to come back but with hoarseness and occasional crackles. So when I saw the suggestion of chewing fresh ginger I figured to give that a try as nothing else has worked... ACV, ginger tea, grapefruit etc.Well it has now been one full week and I've not had one coughing spell and it appears the mucous is disappearing. Whenever I begin to get this little tickle that usually is the hint that I'm about to have a coughing fit, I immediately knife off a 1/8 slice of fresh ginger and begin chewing it swallowing the juices and then spitting out the roughage. And my problem is immediately resolved. I have to say I do not like the taste of this ginger, it is very hot and burning, but it is short lived and worth not having to exhaust myself with a 10 minute coughing spasm that has me running around with a box of tissue and in the end collapsing with exhaustion.

So thanks whoever offered that suggestion. You've made my life so much more livable. Patrice

Great Home Remedy for Chest Congestion

A sure cure is 1.5 cups of milk, 1 tspn or 1/2 tspn of organic turmeric powder, 1/4 tspn black pepper powder. 5 peeled cloves of garlic.Boiled until milk is 1 cup or so. Drink as hot as you can(honey is optional).

Once just before bedtime or if possible twice (once morn n once evening) if your tummy can tolerate it. this helps to remove phelgm in the body through the stools.

Have this for 5 days only or more if your body can handle the turmeric. 5 days should be more than enough.

• 3 -4 cups of water.
• 1 tbspn whole flax seeds
• 4 pepper corns or more
• 1 large onion sliced
• 2" pc of fresh ginger smashed
• 2" cinnamon stick

Boil it all until the mix is thick and slightly slimy (with cinnamon). Drink this twice a day. It helps loosen up phelgm in the chest.

I just tried this earlier tonight and I didn't have whole flax seeds on hand but do have ground that I use. So I used that and after it thickened which took about 10 minutes I used a fine strainer and funnel to separate the ground seeds from the syrupy tea. I strained it 2x since the strainer was small and I didn't have a container to hold it properly. The tea was pleasant in taste and I did add some honey and fresh lemon juice to it. It seemed to help my cough a lot as I have been dealing with it for over a week I had gotten it after I got the flu and I think its because of a sinus infection I am on antibiotics to rid. Though they are low dose since I am pregnant. The coughing is less severe but has come back a bit since eating dinner. I am going to try making another cup before bed and I hope this will allow me to actually sleep. The only other relief I have been getting at night is to bite into a lemon wedge and swallow the juice. It stops my cough for about 5 min so I can fall asleep.

Dear Aurora,

Thanks for sharing what Elderberry and Phytocillin have done for you!

Your allergy cough sounds miserable!

I noticed Ed shared some sound wisdom. One of my sons had a cough/throat clearing thing going a few years ago that turned out to be cause by dairy. (I agree with Ed, it wasn't necessarily milk, but the processing or additives that were a problem. This son does fine on raw goat's milk, by the way.)

Another of my sons gets a cough now and again that seems to be allergy related. There are two different things he tried and both seem to help his symptoms. One is vinegar tea. 1-2 Tablespoons of Raw Unpateurized Apple Cider Vinegar and 1-2 Tablespons honey in a mug. Add hot water. Sometimes he just takes 3 or 4 nettles capsules and that works too. Nettles are great for allergies.

However, if the cough comes upon you very quickly, these things might not be very helpful as they could take a little time to take effect. You could try a spoonful of the apple cider vinegar (not delicious, at least to me! ) ACV can stop many issues very quickly!

Nettles and vinegar tea can be taken daily to prevent allergy symptoms.

I hope you find relief soon. Do let us know what you try and what helps!

~Mama to Many~

Change the milk brand or percentage. Try skim milk. Preservatives in milk and milk products like butter, cheese can trigger cough.

To re emphasize, it is not the milk per se. It is the preservative that is causing the reaction.

In India, for mucus or chest congestion. We will boil glass of milk with quarter teaspoon black pepper and quarter teaspoon of Turmeric powder. Add Palm Sugar and drink it for couple of days. All the sore throat, congestion, mucis, cough are gone.

Good Health

Hi,

On the subject of cough, I got my yearly winter cough again, but was working so much I needed a remedy desperately, and happened to get elderberry concentrate (without alcohol) and phytocillin, took them together 3-4 times in one day, and slept for the first time in a couple of weeks! I kept taking them and cough didn't come back. Very happy!

Another problem;

Yesterday I got yet another episode of a cough, that I have learned is not a cold or flu, but possibly some kind of allergic reaction; something will start a tickle in my throat, and I start coughing. I cannot seems to pinpoint what is the trigger, because the episodes are so random, at all odd hours of the day, different places, no food commonality. Sometimes the episode unravels and goes haywire from there; the cough makes the tickle worse, my body seems to think I have an intruder in my throat, and is violently trying to "throw it out"-by coughing until gagging and throwing up, tears streaming down my face, and I'm desperately trying to get air in-between gagging and violently coughing. Horrible, especially when in public. I don't see any thread on this "allergic" kind of cough, that just comes once and then dissappears, sometimes for days or weeks, to trike again from out of no-where....

Any ideas appreciated! I see online I'm not alone with this. Doctor says "30% of coughs have no explanation" and wants to give anitbiotics. Sigh.

If you have a severe cough, dry cough, or wet cough, make Star Anise seed tea and drink once an hour. Maybe 3 or 4 times a day.

Before I was using Flax Seed Tea, but star anise seed tea works even faster and easy to make than Flax Seed Tea. Make sure you treat for your underlying cause as well bronchitis, allergies, mold, lung infection, copd.

To Make Star Anise Tea

• Boil 300 ml of water add 5 Star Anise Seeds.
• Boil for 10 mins in medium heat.
• Add 2 or 3 drops of Eucalyptus Oil.

When it is drinking hot, add honey or other sweetner.

Drink it once an hour till your cough subsides. Usually it works in 1 tea.

Honey and Eucalyptus Oil are optional.

Star Anise Seeds and Anise Seeds both are same.

You can get Star Anise Seeds in Desi Stores, but it is availabe in most of the stores.

The best part is it is very tasty and children will like it.

Please give feedback if it worked for you.

Good Health

I'm really happy to read that unsweetened chocolate is the best thing for coughs. No reason to stop at 85%. I've never had trouble finding baking chocolate with no sugar or other ingredients. The first time I tasted it, I hated it, but after that I thought it tasted great.

Whether you're coughing from allergies, flu, a cold, or horrible reflux, it gets old. Your stomach muscles ache and you're so tired! The technique is to look up while coughing. The stomach muscles don't get engaged, so you don't use them. There's no jerking backwards motion anymore, keeping your back or sciatica from hurting during the cough. Try it! Cover your mouth though. Lol!

I have been battling a bad cough/cold for about two weeks. I have taken grapefruit seed extract (in pill form) for it and slippery elm to relieve the throat irritation, and apple cider vinegar to help stop the cough. Also, I have taken lysine to help clear it. I did that faithfully for several days and thought I'd kicked it. So, I slacked off for most of a day. Big mistake. It came back.

After continuing the previous protocol, I finally dug out the oil of oregano. I am substituting the that for the GSE. I am much better, much faster too! As an added bonus, I finally slept through the night.

Another huge hint on taking the oil of oregano. Here is what I have learned to do. Fix a glass of water with two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon or so of honey, and probably a teaspoon or more of baking soda. Stir it up and put about 5 or six drops of the oil of oregano under your tongue. Then let it sit a minute or so and then drink the glass mixture. It will prevent the overwhelming icky taste from gagging you out and yet you will still get all the benefits! ( I believe the baking soda helps neutralize the acidity a bit.)

I hope this helps someone out there. This is working very well for me and has stopped my cough. It is breaking up and I feel sooo much better. What little cough there is, is finally productive and not that nagging dry stuff that rips you apart.

This does work... I have used it before when I had cough that won't go away.

I followed the directions but I used a paper towel instead of cloth. Don't skip the part about vasoline on your chest... This will burn otherwise. The strange thing is that it does not heat up until after its been on your chest for awhile. Another suggestion I have is if you are planning to do this take the egg out of the icebox and let it come to room tempature. Otherwise it will be cold against your skin.

My wife caught a "flight cough", after flying for business.

Her cough was really nasty. Lasted about a week... I did a search and found this site. I had some golden flax seed. Boiled it up (you were right, it sure did take long, to thicken up).

I used: 2 cups of water, 1-1/2 Tablespoons of golden flax seed. After it thickened, I strained the liquid out with a colander. Put a Tablespoon of brown sugar in it.... Her cough has been pretty much silenced. She is finally sleeping. :)

I registered for the site... I will find it useful.

Hi, If your cough keeps you awake at night then it could be asthma or maybe a residue infection. I developed ashma very badly when I was 30 after having a bad cold on returning from the far east at first the docs thought it was tb but it wasn't- inhalers eventually improved it as did removing irritants like carpets( hold dust) and aerosols, smoke from open fires. Sometimes it would flare up in the summer and I couldn't get my breath and would have to sit up in bed and put my head out of the window for air. But this summer has been fine- I was taking lugols iodine which could have killed any lingering infection and I have been bathing in Epsom salts which is magnesium which helps the lungs. I hope this helps. I would ask your doctor to rule out tb and lung cancer etc.

I have tried "ginger tea" many times successfully to heal my coughs. The coughs range from mild to severe. I cut a few slices of ginger and add to water. Then I bring it to boil and drink it when warm. Do remember to take it in the day time as there's a saying that ginger when taken in the morning is as good as ginseng but it's not good to take it during the night. I find the ginger tea especially good for coughs due to "exposure to wind".

Also, I just heard from my mum yesterday after she paid a visit to her best friend that she had used peppermint tea to cure her daughter, grandson and neighbour's long standing cough. Not even doctors' medicine could cure their cough and they have been coughing for months. After just 1 to 2 cups of peppermint tea, they are completely cured! She said to take 7 peppermint leaves and make into tea. Hope this helps.