Cough Home Remedies

People get a mild cough from time to time, and that is normal. But coughing is troublesome only when an environmental substance or an illness makes you hack uncontrollably. Determining the type of cough you are dealing with will determine the type of treatment you need. Thankfully there are quite a few natural remedies that you can try to calm your cough.

What is Cough?

Cough is a defensive mechanism of clearing the airways of mucous, foreign body, irritants or some type of blockage. It is a reflex action, started by stimulation of sensory nerves in the lining of the respiratory tubes that we use to breathe. It can be acute cough or chronic cough depending on its duration.

What are the types of Cough?

There are 2 types of Cough are:

• Dry or Nonproductive:  It brings up no fluids or sputum.
• Wet or productive: It expels mucus and the germs or irritants it contains.

It can also be classified as:

• Acute: typically not lasting longer than 2 -3 weeks.
• Chronic: lasting longer than 4 weeks.

What Causes Cough?

Common causes of Cough are:

• Acute sinusitis
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Asthma
• Weather changes
• Inflammation of larynx or pharynx
• Smoking
• Allergies such as dust, smoke, pollen grains and chemical fumes.

What can I do about it?

Here are a few remedies to treat cough using the natural ways:

• The juice extracted from finely chopped onion helps in loosening the cough, and clears chest-congestion.
• Mix thick flaxseed tea with 1 to 2 drops of eucalyptus oil and drink it slowly so that the throat (pharynx and tonsils) feels soothed.
• Gargle with a solution of fenugreek (methi) seeds boiled in water for half an hour.
• A cup of grape juice mixed with a teaspoon of honey and taken 3 to 4 times in a day helps relieve dry cough. You can also take honey in hot water, tea or lemon juice. But remember not to give honey to children younger than 1 year of age.
• Gargling with warm spinach (palak) juice is very helpful in dealing with dry cough.
• Garlic and onion chicken soup are also an effective home treatment for cough.
• Fill one cut lemon with black pepper powder and salt and suck it to reduce the intensity of cough.
• A tea made from aniseed (saunf) and holy basil (tulsi) should be taken regularly for immediate relief from cough.
• Drink water as it will help you to release mucus by thinning it and soothe an irritated throat.
• Loose the mucus by eating chilly peppers and spicy food.
• Gargling with warm salty water two to three times a day is also beneficial.
• If the cough is severe, take hot black coffee without milk.
• To ease dry cough, elevate your head with extra pillows at night.

What can I do to prevent it?

Here are some of the simple tips to prevent cough:

• Avoid cold foods as these can aggravate the throat further.        
• Avoid any type of sugar, chocolates, meat and fried food to decrease mucus production.
• Stay away from secondhand cigarette smoke and airborne irritants (such as smoke, dust, or other pollutants) which may be present at your home or workplace.
• Mild walking every day in fresh air for twenty minutes can help shorten the duration of the cold by strengthening the body's resistance.

Overall, a cough is easy to deal with. Most coughs clear up on their own within a week to 10 days. But if yours lasts more than 2 weeks, or you cough up blood, make sure you consult with the doctor.