A cough is the body’s way of getting rid of foreign materials or mucus from the lungs and the upper airway passages or reacting to an irritated airway. A cough occurs when cells along the air passages get irritated and trigger a chain of events.
A person can choose to cough (a voluntary process), or the body may cough on its own (an involuntary process). A cough can be very embarrassing and disturbing at times as they tend to distrupt our daily activities.
Though it may be necessary to take some cough suppressing medicines, simple substances at home or medications might help deal with this cough.
Here are some home remedies to deal with cough:
Ginger:
Due to its antihistamine and decongestant capabilities, ginger has been prescribed as a home remedy for treating cough and other flus. Ginger can be eaten raw or used as tea while treating cough. Though ready-made ginger teas are available at pharmaceutical and grocery stores, you can make ginger tea by adding 12 slices of fresh ginger in a pot with three cups water. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat. Strain, add 1 tablespoon of honey and a squeeze of lemon, and taste.
Honey Intake:
Honey goes a long way in soothing throat irritations. There are different ways to use honey while dealing with coughs. You can take it directly, or mix it with coconut oil and lemon juice. A dry cough responds to a mixture of honey with juice from grapes. Also, a glass of hot milk with some honey added just before going to bed is effective at relieving night-time cough.
Thyme Tea:
Thyme is an official treatment for cough approved in Germany, The herb’s little leaves pack a potent punch of cough-calming compounds that work to relax tracheal and ileal muscles, and reduce inflammation. Thyme tea can be made by steeping two teaspoons of crushing thyme leaves in a cup and boil for 10minutes.
Black Pepper and Honey Tea
Black pepper is said to work as a remedy for wet coughs because the pepper stimulates circulation and mucus flow and the honey is a natural cough reliever. In preparing this mixture, use a teaspoon of freshly ground pepper and two tablespoons of honey in a mug, and fill with boiling water. Cover and allow to steep for 15 minutes, strain and sip.
Gargles
Once that soreness in your throat is being felt, make it a point to gargle salt dissolved in warm water. The salt in the water can help drain excess fluid from inflamed areas in the throat, thus reducing the symptoms.
Hot Shower
Steam can be a cough’s nightmare, and thus, a friend indeed as it works to soothe the airways and loosen sinus congestion and phlegm in your throat and lungs. It heats up the inner body also.
Consuming lot of liquids
Drinking a lot of liquids (mostly warm), can be helpful for a cough. Fluids help thin out the mucus in postnasal drip and keep the membranes moist, which can help to reduce the need to cough. Avoid intake of cold liquid substance or exposure to cold when trying to get rid of cough.
