Cough Remedy

When one becomes sick with the cold or flu, a persistent and painful cough is often a problem. For many people medications and cough syrups are undesirable because they can impair a person’s ability to function normally. When it is necessary to be completely clear headed one can look to an all natural cough remedy. The type of cough remedy chosen should be based on the type of cough one has.

There are two types of coughs, productive and unproductive. A productive cough is when one is able to cough mucus out of the lungs. In this case it is okay to use an expectorant. If the cough is unproductive then nothing is actually being expelled from the lungs with the cough. If this is the case then it is permissible to use a cough suppressant.

One all natural cough remedy to try when looking for an expectorant is eating hot or spicy foods to loosen the mucus and make it easier to expel. Drinking hot tea will also help break up the mucus and drinking enough water will help thin the mucus making it easier to cough up. Inhaling steam with aromatherapy oils can also help thin mucus and reduce irritation. Eucalyptus, peppermint, cedar and thyme can be added individually to boiling water to create a vapor that can be inhaled and used as a decongestant and expectorant.

For an unproductive cough one should look for an all natural cough remedy that suppresses the cough. Licorice root has been found to be almost as effective as codeine in suppressing coughs. To make a cough soothing tea one ads approximately one teaspoon of licorice root to one cup of boiling water.

As with any medication all natural cough remedies should be discussed with the patient’s primary physician before beginning treatment.