Coughing is a straining and a painful exercise, not to forget a disturbing one too. Not only does it disrupt your sleep and health, it also becomes a bother for people around us. No one wants a coughing barrage while enjoying a movie or while concentrating on a presentation. It also aids in spreading contagious infections like cold and influenza, hence if you are coughing, your presence is not appreciated in restaurants or any public places.
Coughs are of two types, dry and wet. While the dry coughs leave us with a parched and scratched throat, wet coughs are the ones that bring up mucus. Mucus is also known as phlegm or sputum.
Common causes of cough are:
- Allergies involving nose and sinuses
- Asthma
- Common cold and flu
- Post nasal drip due to sinusitis
- Smoking and passive smoking
Other serious causes of cough are:
- Lung infections like pneumonia
- Bronchitis (acute and or chronic)
- Gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Lung cancer
- Lung disease such as bronchiectasis or interstitial lung disease
- ACE inhibitors (medication used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, or kidney diseases)
Serious ailments that cause dry cough need to be treated by specialists and a proper course of medicines and prescribed treatment.
But cough triggered by common causes, both dry and wet can be treated by effective and simple home remedies.
We present to you some of the most highly effective home remedies for cough /treatments.
17. Black pepper And Honey
We often use black pepper for culinary purposes. What most of us are not aware, are of its medicinal properties. It is highly beneficial to treat mucous cough or chest congestion coughs. Honey has excellent antibacterial properties. Combine these two together, and you will shun your store bought cough syrup. Use these cough remedies whenever you are faced with intermittent cough attacks.
There are two ways to use pepper and honey-
- Pepper and honey tea
- Honey and pepper spoon
To make pepper and honey tea, simply place 1 tsp. of honey and 1 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper in a cup, pour over boiling hot water to fill the cup, stir, cover and let it seep for 10 minutes. Uncover the cup and stir again to disperse the pepper properly. Drink the entire cup, repeat 1-2 times to loosen up the mucous and relieve you of the cough.
Pepper & honey spoon, is perhaps the quickest fix to suppress the dry cough, simply take a teaspoon full of honey and sprinkle over a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Have this whenever you are faced with intermittent cough attacks.
16. Ginger Peppermint Syrup
Who knew our kitchen staple would come in handy to treat us too. Ginger has expectorant qualities; it helps loosen up the mucous and helps to push out mucous from the lungs. Pepper mint soothes the throat, by relieving the irritating tickle of a cough. It would be no wrong to say that it is one of the effective home remedies for cough. Learn how to stop coughing using this amazing ginger peppermint remedy.
Quick link = Benefits of ginger
Brew a warm delicious and soothing cup of ginger peppermint syrup to rid away the cough.
For the ginger peppermint syrup, you will need-
- 4 cups of water
- 3 tablespoons of chopped ginger
- 8-10 peppermint leaves
- Half teaspoon of honey
Pour 4 cups of water in a sauce pan, add the ginger and mint leaves, place it on stove, and let it simmer till the water is reduced by half. Strain and pour in to a cup, add half teaspoon honey, stir until honey gets dissolved properly. Store this syrup in to a thermos, sip throughout the day.
15. Salt Gargle Water
The best quick fix for sore throat and dry cough is undoubtedly salt gargle water. All you need is a mug of warm water with 1 teaspoon salt dissolved in it-start gargling! Gargle at least 15-20 times, till the salted warm water is completely used. And let the magic work! Repeat whenever necessary. It is really one of the simplest but also the most effective home remedies for cough you can use at home.
14. Honey
Honey has been around for thousands of years as a conventional choice for medicinal purposes. Because of its antibacterial properties, it has been used for centuries by Egyptians, Greeks and different civilizations as natural home remedy for cough. Aristotle (384-322 BC) mentioned honey as “good as a salve for sore eyes and wounds”. Honey was also prescribed by Dioscorides (c.50 AD) for ulcers. It is also very beneficial for beauty treatments. Apart from having such attributes it is extremely useful for treating coughs. There are many cough remedies using honey but the simplest one is taking honey alone.
All you need is a spoon full of honey thrice a day. Take one teaspoon full of honey before going to bed, if your cough is the reason for a disturbed sleep.
Caution- avoids giving honey to children under 2 years of age due to the risk of botulism.
13. Turmeric
The everyday ingredient for our food is loaded with curcumin. Turmeric has three different curcuminoids. They are bisdemethoxycurcumin, diferuloylmethane and desmethoxycurcumin. These curcuminoids serve as an excellent source of antibacterial agents, anti-inflammatory agents and anti-viral action. The anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties aid in treating viral infections such as cough and cold, while the anti-inflammatory action of curcumin helps in relieving chest congestion. Here you’ll learn how to stop coughing with the help of turmeric.
Quick link = Turmeric benefits
Here are few ways to remedy cough with turmeric:
- Take a glass of warm milk, mixed with 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, before going to sleep for a blissful sleep.
- Take boiling hot water and dissolve 1 teaspoon of turmeric, take steam from the vapors of this turmeric infused water
- A teaspoon of honey mixed with two big pinches of turmeric powder can be taken 3-4 times a day.
- Keep a piece of turmeric in your mouth all night to cure chronic cold and dry cough.
- Burn the dried turmeric root and inhale the smoke for a quick relief from cough
12. Lemon
Lemons are the best source of vitamin C that helps in warding off infections and inflammations. Vitamin C is the best way to prevent and cure yourself of cold, flu and cough. Lemon juice is one of the best home remedies for cough you can use to prevent it.
Quick link = Benefits of lemon water
A simple lemon can be used as an effective home remedy for dry cough.
- A simple lemon cayenne juice works instant wonders for the cough. Just blend juice of one lemon, half teaspoon of honey and a pinch of cayenne pepper with a glass of water. Have it immediately.
- Slice a lemon into half, sprinkle a pinch of salt and black pepper on the flesh side, and suck it throughout the day at intervals. Will keep the cough at bay.
- Brew a cup of honey lemon tea and sip it.
11. Hot Milk With Honey
Hot milk with honey works wonders to sooth a rough throat and to ease the wheezing cough.Here is how to stop coughing using honey and milk easily.
For an effective measure, take a cup full of hot milk with a teaspoon of honey, before retiring to bed. Not only does it relieve you of cough, it also helps to reduce the chest pain, one can have with continuous coughing.
10. Garlic
Who needs store bought cough syrups when nature’s cabinet is abundant with offerings that are pure, with no side effects and far more effective.
Garlic is one such nature’s gift to mankind. We often use it to make pasta and other favourite savouries, now we can use it as one of the home remedies for cough. Garlic is packed with antibiotic and antiviral properties, besides that it is an excellent expectorant. Need we say more?
- A soothing cup of garlic broth will do the trick. Add crushed 2-3 cloves of garlic to 2 quarts of water, and let it simmer on low heat for an hour. Strain and sip.
- Have one crushed raw garlic clove mixed with few drops of clove oil and a drop of honey.
9. Steam It Away!
Steaming is probably the most neglected solution to cure a cough. Not only does it loosens the mucous and phlegm immediately. It also helps to flush it out and sooths and moisturizes dry and irritated passageways.It is one of the best cough remedies you can use easily to cure it. See how beneficial it is?
All you need is a big pot of boiling water, and a spoon full of Vicks vaporub added to it. Place the pot carefully on the counter from the stove. Drape a towel over your head, lean in and inhale the vapours, breathe them in gently for at least 10-15 minutes.
8. Thyme
A beautiful herb used for enhancing flavours, is also beneficial for health. Thyme is loaded with anti-microbial properties. It relaxes the muscles of bronchi and trachea, thus opening up airways, and resulting in more comfort and less coughing. Learn how to stop coughing using this effective thyme remedy.
All you need is a cup of thyme tea 2-3 times a day to scare away the cough. Crush 2 tablespoons of dried thyme with the help of pestle and mortar, place it in a mug and pour in a cup of boiling water, cover and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon or half teaspoon of honey to it. Your natural home remedy for cough is ready. Have the entire cup.
7. Onion
Chop chop the onion, it makes you cry; slice slice the onion to kiss the cough good bye! There are many home remedies for cough using onion that you can use at home to get relief.
A simple handy trick is to slice the onion in half, and breathe in the vapours, it stops the coughing immediately. Additionally you can make syrup using baked onions, comfrey tea and honey. Have it daily to get rid of dry cough.
Another option is to have a mixture of one-half teaspoon of onion juice with one teaspoon of pure honey. Have it twice a day to remedy the cough and sooth your throat.
6. Almonds
Almonds can be your best bet to suppress cough, due to their moisturizing content and nutritional abilities. Grind presoaked almonds to a fine paste and have it every morning to start a no cough day. You can also have it night before going to bed.
5. Water
Coughing can rack up your chest and lungs dry. It is absolutely necessary to keep yourself hydrated with plenty of fluids. And what better liquid than water! Make sure to sip warm water throughout the day or have room temperature water. Do not even think about iced or chilled water. A dry irritated increases cough, adequate intake of water sooths the irritated throat hence less cough. It is probably one of the simplest cough remedies you can try at home.
4. Mustard Oil
Mustard oil is essentially loaded with attributes such as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-rheumatic, and stimulant amongst others. If you’re wondering how to stop coughing at home, just try this mustard remedy.
It is very helpful to drive away the cold and hence cough too. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of mustard oil with a pinch of carom seeds and a clove of garlic. Heat this oil till it starts to smoke. Turn off the stove, strain the oil and let it cool down, store in an air tight jar. Warm a teaspoon of this oil and rub it on your chest before retiring to bed.
3. Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper has several health benefits. It has capsaicin which is known for its natural healing qualities. It is a warming and stimulating agent which helps in melting the mucous.Because of these amazing benefits it is an important treatment in these cough remedies. Add ¼th teaspoon of cayenne powder to a glass of water, take this start of a runny nose and thereby to suppress cough. Alternatively make a healthy concoction of 1/4th teaspoon cayenne powder, 1/4th teaspoon of ground ginger and a tablespoon of honey, mix in 2-3 tablespoons of water to mix everything properly. Consume a teaspoon full 2-3 times day of this syrup.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
A natural cough suppressant in your cabinet is apple cider vinegar. Because it is a strong antibacterial agent, it helps to eliminate cough from the root. You can use different home remedies for cough using apple cider vinegar but we’ve selected some easier ones here.
A cup of warm water infused with one teaspoon full of apple cider vinegar will suppress and treat your cough and sooth your sore throat. Another great remedy is combining two or three teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with equal amounts of sugar and butter. Consume this mixture 2-3 times to heal your cough.
1. Grapes
A simple rule of eliminating cough is getting rid of mucous. The faster you get rid of mucous the quicker relief you get from cough.
Grapes are great as natural expectorant, they help release the mucous from affected parts of your respiratory system.
Grapes are also a rich source of vitamin C and are a natural immune booster and are full of antioxidants. Here you’ll learn how to stop coughing using delicious grapes.
To suppress cough and eradicate respiratory illnesses, take one tablespoon of grape juice mixed with two or three drops of honey, you can also dissolve this mixture in a glass of water.
And the best you can do with grapes is to have them on their own.
