The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Pickle Juice
Posted by Shirley (VA) on 11/07/2006
★★★★★
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.
Pineapple
Posted by Tiberius (Oklahoma) on 07/30/2024
★★★★★
I've been eating canned sliced pineapple in 100% pineapple juice to control a cough.
Bromelain, something thats natural in pineapples, is commonly paired with Quercetin. Which is used for things like sinus infections, colds, etc. I had some on hand and had been taking it, but for whatever reason it didnt do me much good for my cough(perhaps a crap supplement.). Anyways, one day was on the way to work coughing up a storm and realized I didnt have anything to control it, decided to stop at the store and pick up some canned pineapple as it was better than nothing... Ended up finding that about half of a can that I ate in one sitting, kept my cough under control all day, all night, and all day the next day, the day after that I noticed my cough coming back again. Ate some more pineapple and the cough went away again.. I'm fairly confident that the pineapple is very effective at keeping it under control. As I've went through this process a few times now.
I either had a flu or bad chest cold, that left me with a nasty cough that had been persistent for a couple of weeks. I had been trying many things to get it under control with varying degrees of success. Most successful aside from the pineapple was raw garlic and honey.. which I dont believe is as effective at controlling the cough itself it for as long. And I dont love eating raw garlic as it upsets my stomach and makes me stink. Glad to have found something I actually love eating works even better. Been wondering if just pineapple juice would be enough. Might try it next time.
Riboflavin B2
Posted by Karen (Alpharetta, Georgia) on 03/25/2008
★★★★★
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!
Saline Nasal Rinse
Posted by Granny Laura (Waco, Tx, Usa) on 03/30/2011
★★★★★
The cough response is usually from sinus dripping down your throat and you need to clear your breathing passage.
One teaspoon of salt for canning and baking or pure sea salt in a quart of distilled water is the recipe for relief! You can sniff it up your nose over the sink, use a neti pot, or an eye dropper to get it to the targeted area, sinuses.
This usually stops a bad cough in its tracks, and can actually cure a sinus infection faster and better than antibiotics, without the nasty side effects of antibiotics.
This would be the number one remedy for coughs and colds in the world if it was fun to do! But, it has zero side effects and the only thing that could possibly go wrong is if you accidentally drowned yourself! Lol For you and the baby, give this a try.
When I tell a doctor that is what I use for my sinus and cough problems, they always get a smile on their faces and tell me how good it is for the problem, my lung specialist for my asthma was genuinely enthusiastic! They are always surprised at patients that don't want a quick fix antibiotic for the sniffles and hangnails, or worse yet (if possible), steroids. They don't take that stuff themselves but they didn't know they had a patient somewhere that was as smart as they are about safe cures for common problems!
Steam Inhalation
Posted by Annsmeal (Bailey, Colorado) on 09/21/2010
★★★★★
When anyone in my home, (including guests)have a cough, I get out my largest pot fill it with water Add 1 tablespoon of Oregano and 1 tablespoon of Thyme, turn to a simmer once it comes to a boil. Have a person stand over the steam and breath deep, this will make them cough up anything in the lungs. Breath in the steam until coughing is eased. Leaving the pot on simmer, adding water and more of the herbs if needed. I find that at least two days is the time frame to illuminate a bad cough. This combination takes care of both viral and bacterial causing coughs. Can be used with other remedies. I put this in a crock pot on low in sick rooms if the aroma doesn't reach from the kitchen.
Steam Inhalation
Posted by Corinna (London, Kent, England) on 02/05/2010
★★★★★
Sometimes I got rid of a bronchitis with raw garlic but a stubborn dry cough persists. I get rid of that by inhaling water with a simple steam inhaler 3 times a day for 5 - 10 minutes. The dry cough is gone within 4 - 5 days. God bless to all!
Thyme
Posted by Traveler (Detroit) on 12/18/2015
★★★★★
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.
Thyme
Posted by Brenda (San Antonio, Texas) on 03/15/2007
★★★★★
My 79 year old Mother had an upper respiratory infection. She could not shake the cough. I had recently read an article that said steep 1 teaspoon of your kitchen variety thyme in a cup of hot water, as you would a teabag, and sip. She tried it and it worked. Encouraged, I told my friend who has the start of COPD about it, she tried it and is amazed also. The article stated it relaxes the bronchials. Yet another alternative.
Turmeric
Posted by Joan (Mi) on 04/03/2014
★★★★★
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.
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.
Turmeric
Posted by Susan (Yuma, AZ) on 11/15/2007
★★★★★
I started taking turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon once a day in about 1/4 cup of water after my mother told me it quited her cough. I have a cronic cougn especially when my body temperature changes. It is amazing my cough has stopped. However, I have terrible knee pain and sciatic pain but am not sure if I am feeling much relief. I will continue and see what happens.
Turmeric
Posted by Anna (USA) on 05/11/2006
★★★★★
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!
Vicks on Feet
Posted by Emilyr (Portland, Or, United States) on 03/30/2011
★★★★★
I was really hoping ACV could be a simple cure for the horrible cough I've had for over 2 weeks following a sinus infection, but it has not helped. I am 36 and pregnant, saw my doctor last week, he thinks it is a random virus and not a flu, cold, or anything bacterial. I tried Robetussin at his suggestion but that did not help a bit. I alternate between mucousy coughs, and dry spasm-like coughs and feel like it is moving into my lungs...
For the last 2 days I have taken 2T raw organic ACV w/ 1T honey and a wedge of lemon in 8oz hot water, 2 doses during the day, with very little temporary relief.
The Vick's on my feet remedy DID, however, work to provide me with a blissful 8 hour break from coughing - enough relief to get a good night's rest finally. Still searching for a cure though. I have a sensitivity to Aspergillus Niger mold and suspect that might be the cause, it is prime mold season here in Portland, OR. Working up the courage to try inhaling hydrogen peroxide... Any advice is welcomed. Thanks, emily
Vicks on Feet
Posted by Domesticruby (Prague, Czech Republic) on 09/05/2009
★★★★★WORKED TEMPORARILY
I tried the apple cider vinegar and honey remedy for my 6 year old but it was only mildly successful. It stopped him from coughing for 1 hour.
Then I tried something else that REALLY worked - Vicks Vapor Rub on the soles of his feet, covered by socks gave him almost instant relief for 8 hours of night-time sleeping!
Vitamin A
Posted by John H (Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, Uk) on 01/18/2011
★★★★★
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.
