Effective Natural Remedies for Cough Relief

Carbon Monoxide Connection

Posted by Tamara (Fort Collins, Colorado) on 01/05/2010
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WARNING!

Dangerous Cough Cause:

Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? Is it working? About a month ago a friend of mine had a 3 week cough that was getting worse and started sounding like it could've been pneumonia. Then, one day her landlord came over to check the furnace and found it was breaking down. They measured the carbon monoxide levels and found they were nearly fatal. After replacing the furnace with a new one and installing a CO2 level detector she was immediately better! No coughing and her roommate felt better after suffering from persistant cold and flu-like symptoms. Please check your CO2 and radon levels, since radon causes lung disorders as well.

EC: Great point, Tamara. About five years ago my next door neighbor in Los Angeles got carbon monoxide poisoning from an old furnace in her unitthat had not been checked in years. Shestarting feeling deathly ill andcoughing up some nasty black soot before realizing itmight becarbon monoxide poisoning.The landlord ignored her calls, but the gas company came immediately and discovered a bad leak. A few more nights of that and she would have died.

Deirdre

Oregano

Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 12/08/2023
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Yvette, a woman from Mexico City stopped by my house to talk about her health problems with me to see if I could help her. We got to talking about all the children getting sick. She told me that when she was a little girl in Mexico, her mom would make her and her siblings drink “Te de oregano tea” whenever they got sick.

Back a few years ago, I was studying “Greek Folk Remedies for Excess Phlegm”. Oregano brewed into a tea was used to eliminate excess phlegm responsible for a congested respiratory tract. Thyme tea is always recommended by Hippocrates for coughing, but it always makes me feel wonky after I drink it. Oregano does not.

Yvette told me that when her kiddos get sick, she always makes them this oregano tea.

It's simple to make with 3 ingredients:

1 TBSP Oregano leaf – I buy mine at Dollartree in the spice aisle.
Honey – It helps with the taste and has health benefits for cough.
Water – 3 cups

In making a herbal tea used for medical purposes. You will need a pot with a lid. This will keep the steam in the pot so the medical properties won't wick out with the steam.

Also, don't boil the water on high heat. Make the tea on low simmer for about 10 minutes after the water starts simmering.

Allow the water in the pot to cool. Again, so the medical properties don't wick up in the steam once the lid is lifted.

If you don't believe this procedure makes a difference, try making your home tea using the above heating process and the taste of your tea will be like night and day. Learned this from the cook at Sonny Bar-B-Que. That's why their tea taste so good.

How does it taste? Like I put a handful of weeds from the field into a pot and made a tea out of it and added honey. The good part is you will get use to it.

Is Oregano tea safe for toddlers? I cannot get a clear answer from any of the website gurus. It really comes down to the child, possible allergies, current medications, etc… when in doubt, consult your pediatrician. However, Yvette growup on drinking oregano tea, her kids also drink it so it is really your choice.

Ginger

Posted by Patrice ( Nashua, New Hampshire, Usa) on 08/08/2014
★★★★★

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

Vitamin A

Posted by John H (Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, Uk) on 01/18/2011
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For years I had a cough without apparent reason (no infection). I then noticed if I ate liver the cough completely disappeared within 24 hours. Further investigation showed that I just has a Vitamin A deficiency and the problem was resolved eating liver once a week or taking a Vitamin A supplement. I have found that Vitamin A retinol works much better the carrots (carotin) but be aware not to have too much retinol. I have tested this by stopping the Vitamin A and the cough returns. This is worth a try for anyone having a chronic cough or any mucus membrane problems.

Almonds

Posted by Carly (Duluth, Mn, Usa) on 12/27/2011

The almonds are high in magnesium which helps lung function. :)

Baking Soda Steam

Posted by Rana (Abu Dhabi, Uae) on 12/25/2009
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Baking Soda inhalation for dry cough

This is the most quick relief remedy for dry cough.

Boil a cup of water then take it on the side and keep your face far and add a teaspoon of baking soda, cover your head with a towel and place it over the B.s and water and open largly your mouth and inhale as long as you can. Directly you will cough out phlegms.

Chocolate

Posted by KTY (Virginia, USA) on 09/08/2008
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Ailment: non-productive cough, especially disturbing when trying to sleep

Cure: Dark chocolate. Buy chocolate with the highest percentage of chocolate you can find. I got 85% from a local drug store. Eat about 1/3 of the standard, rectangular-shaped sizes they sell in Europe and USA. Works for me, works for my kids.

Riboflavin B2

Posted by Karen (Alpharetta, Georgia) on 03/25/2008
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Riboflavin B2 100mg right before bedtime will take care of sinus drainage.It will work in about 20 minutes. If not,try up to 250mg. I had severe sinus drainage for years.I found it hard to sit through meetings,church etc, without coughing my head off. I would eat and have a reaction to food and start coughing uncontrollably.Sometimes medications worked,sometimes not. Sometimes I would double up on medication. Now I take NOTHING!

Anise Seed

Posted by Brigitte (Houston, Texas) on 01/11/2008
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Re: Anise seed tincture for treatment of nonproductive coughs.

A nonproductive cough is another name for a dry cough which does nothing to move phlegm from the throat and lungs. This is often a precursor to a more serious ailment like pneumonia. It is of the utmost importance that you remove the excessive phlem from your system.

I have found that the best expectorant that I can find is made by placing five tablespoons anise seeds into 1 cup of rum. (Allow seeds to soak in rum for 2 weeks and then strain out the seeds. The anise infused rum will last for a long time.)

I take no more than 2 teaspoons of this as needed to induce a cough which allows for the mucus to be removed from the body. A note to nursing mothers who have problems with milk production; a good side affect of anise is that it increases milk production in lactating mothers. I know this for a fact as my last child was born when I was 40 and I had problems producing milk sufficient to meet my child's needs. Be cognisant of the fact that you do not want to over do it with alcohol if you are nursing as this would be counter productive to the health and well being of the child who depends on you for nourishment. I used an anise tea when I was nursing it works well for increasing milk production.

Cayenne

Posted by Samantha (Portland, Oregon) on 10/17/2007
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I found cayenne a great cure for pretty much everything some time ago. It wasnt long ago that I came down with a bad sinus infection, cough, and fatigue. I decided to boil water on the stove, and add cayenne (open 3 capsules and pour them in), crushed garlic (4 cloves), half an onion, and grated ginger. THIS COMBINATION IS AMAZING. It is SO powerful. The most vital ingredients are the cayenne and garlic, but the onion and ginger are also very helpful. Make sure and boil everything until the onion is mushy and the garlic is too. Keep a lid on, but every so often inhale the steam from the boiling remedy.. very soothing! Pour it into a glass and drink the whole thing. It is very potent, so what I do is add honey to it and it really tastes like liquid food- like a soup base or something.

Another remedy that I use is cayenne tea- just put a tea bag of your favorite tea in boiling water, and add a capsule of cayenne & some honey. Since I have been using cayenne in tea, and orally, and drinking the onion ginger garlic tincture, I rarely get sick.. When I do, I can kick it within 3 days maximum. Cayenne is also extremely helpful for menstrual cramps.

Turmeric

Posted by Anna (USA) on 05/11/2006
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1 tsp of turmeric cured my cough. 1 tsp of turmeric, 1 tbsp of honey mixed into a glass of warm milk. drink warm or hot. I am reliving all that I learnt as a child in India after reading material on your site .Thanks!

Chocolate

Posted by Anonymous (USA) on 04/10/2006
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Many researches pay attention on chocolate for curing coughs. An ingredient in chocolate could be used to stop persistent coughs and lead to more effective medicines. theobromine, found in cocoa, was nearly a third more effective in stopping persistent coughs than codeine, currently considered the best cough medicine. good try!

Peanut Butter

Posted by B (Arkansas ) on 05/22/2017
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So I've been having a very bad cough for about a week now, and tonight I just happened to have an apple with crunchy peanut butter as a snack. The peanut butter made my throat feel so much better and really soothed it to where I wasn't coughing!! I would definitely give it a try!

Turmeric

Posted by Shireen (Khartoum, Sudan) on 12/13/2007
★★★★★

I am a true believer that every illness has a cure in nature without being tampered with, but I have never heard of turmeric to cure coughs and sinuses.Since I found your website by sheer coincidence, while searching for a natural remedy for my wheezing cough and river-running nose, I thought I'd give turmeric a try( 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp honey with 1 cup of warm milk) VOILA! I could breathe again. Thank You So Much EC, you're a life saver.

Pickle Juice

Posted by Shirley (VA) on 11/07/2006
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I tried Claussen Kosher Dill Pickle Juice. After reading your other post .. I tried to find something with vinegar.. I could not stop coughing badly..found pickle juice, the kind that is found in chiller section at the store.. this also has garlic in it..Work within seconds have been taking little sips. That is all as it is high in salt.. but that seems to be clearing congestion as well.

Cayenne

Posted by Nicole (Chantilly, Va) on 01/04/2017
★★★★★

Feeling persistent cough and tickle in my throat, my hot tea was no longer cutting it. So I added several dashes of cayenne pepper to my tea and instantly my cough stopped. My throat felt mild heat at first and then quickly became very soothed after just a few sips. And the taste wasn't that bad actually. After a couple minutes I barely noticed the cayenne in my tea....my taste buds seem to adjust.