6 Home Remedies for a Cough

Sick and tired of all that winter coughing? While it's important to remember that a productive cough is your body's way of ridding itself of viruses, you can get relief from the aches and pains with these home remedies for a cough.

When the days of cold weather roll in, many times a cough also shows up uninvited. Although annoying and seemingly impossible to get rid of, there are several home remedies for a cough.

The most common causes of coughs are the flu and colds. These nasty viruses irritate the upper respiratory tract and produce mucus, however, it needs to leave our body somehow. Unfortunately, its way out is with a cough.

We’d like to introduce some home remedies for a cough. Read on if you’re interested in helping care for those first symptoms of winter.

Coughing is our body’s defense system

Even when we’re tired of coughing, we should be thankful for it. Why? Because it’s one of the ways our body cleans itself. If your cough is productive you shouldn’t try to stop it. After all, a cough is your body’s way of getting rid of mucus.

In the case of a dry cough, you’re probably feeling irritation and a tickle in your throat. However, you should still remember that this is your body’s natural cleaning mechanism.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to reduce coughing or tame it, so feel free to use some home remedies for a cough.

First, it’s important to know the cause:

• Determine if it’s bronchitis, a cold, asthma, or pneumonia. You should see a doctor if you think it could be anything more than a simple cold and never try to self-medicate. These homeopathic remedies should be used as a supplement, not as a replacement for professional medical advice.
• It could also be your immune system working to expel dust, chemicals, irritants, or microbes.
• You could also be coughing to eject something blocking your throat: food, liquids, a piece of food or something else, etc.

If your cough persists for more than two weeks or you cough up blood, see a doctor immediately. 

The best home remedies for a cough

The following recipes can help you when your cough is persistent and caused by the flu, a cold, or irritation in the throat.

1. Honey

First, honey softens your throat and also helps your body fight viruses and bacteria. Thus, when you’re sick, the first thing we recommend is tea with honey.

Here’s how to make a great tea for cough relief:

Ingredients

• The juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of honey (25 g)
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (15 g)

Preparation

• First, squeeze the lemon and put the juice in a container.
• Then, add the honey and coconut oil.
• Mix well and drink two times a day.

2. Garlic sugar soup

Garlic is an excellent antiseptic that will help you on days when your cough is unbearable. In addition, this recipe is especially well-suited for the common flu.
Ingredients

• 1 cup of water (250 ml)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons of sugar (30 g)

Preparation

• First, peel the cloves of garlic and mince finely.
• Second, heat the water, garlic, and sugar in a pot.
• Next, let boil for 15 minutes and then remove from heat.
• When it cools to a drinkable temperature, enjoy.
• Repeat several times a day.

3. Anise tea

With its distinctive flavor, anise is one of the best remedies for a cough or sore throat.
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of anise seed (20 g) (important: use anise seeds and NOT star anise; star anise can be toxic and should not be consumed)
• 1 cup of water (250 ml)
• Drink this tea three times a day, as hot as possible.

Preparation

• First, grind the anise seeds a little bit and put in a pot.
• Then, add the water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes.
• Next, remove from heat and let sit for another 5 minutes.
• Strain before drinking (sweeten with honey to taste).

4. Fig tea

This delicious fruit has infinite benefits and is very nutritious. Hot figs is a recipe often passed down through generations along with other remedies for a cough.

Ingredients

• 3 figs
• 1 cup of water (250 ml)

Preparation

• First, peel the figs and take out the pulp.
• Then, place in a pot with the water and cook for 10 minutes.
• Finally, remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes.
• Strain and drink as hot as possible. We recommend drinking this tea in the morning and at night.

5. Onion soup

Just like with garlic, onion is a wonderful antiseptic. It works on colds, the flu, and coughs.

Besides consuming raw in salads, you can enjoy it in a delicious soup.

Ingredients

• 2 liters of water
• 1 kg of onion
• 8 tablespoons of honey (200 g)
• 2 cups of sugar (400 g)

Preparation

• First, put the water in a pot and bring to a boil.
• Then, peel and julienne the onions.
• Next, add the onion, honey, and sugar to the already boiling water.
• Then, boil for 15 minutes and remove from heat.
• Let cool, strain, and keep in a glass jar or bottle with a top.
• Have up to 3 tablespoons a day.

6. Cinnamon ginger tea

Both ingredients are known for their distinctive flavor and fragrance. Here, we combine them with cloves to create the perfect tea to relieve your cough.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of water (250 ml)
• 1 tablespoon of grated ginger (10 g)
• Powdered cinnamon (1 tablespoon/10 g)
• 1 tablespoon of cloves (10 g)
• 1 tablespoon of honey (25 g)

Preparation

• First, put the water on to boil.
• When it reaches a full boil, add the ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
• Then, let cook for 15 minutes and remove from heat.
• Finally, strain and sweeten with the honey.
• Drink in the morning and at night (up to two cups a day)

Try these great remedies for a cough and have fun this winter!