A cough is caused by irritation of the upper respiratory tract. To treat a cough with home remedies, it is important to first identify the cause of your cough. A productive cough produces mucous, or phlegm. Allergies, colds, or respiratory infections typically cause this type of cough. A productive cough is your body’s natural way of healing itself. It isn’t beneficial to suppress a productive cough, unless it is causing you discomfort or interfering with your ability to work or sleep. An unproductive, or dry cough, is usually caused by poor indoor air quality.
Unproductive Cough
If you have a recurring, unproductive cough, or have a diagnosis of bronchitis or asthma, you will want to consider your indoor air quality first.
- It is important to keep the humidity between 30 and 50%. At home, run a humidifier, or dehumidifier, to help regulate this. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers with built in hygrometers are the best option. It is important to watch the humidity in the bedroom, as a great deal of time is spent in this room of the home.
- Avoid smoking, burning candles, or lighting fires inside. The smoke can contribute to poor indoor air quality.
- Avoid the use of commercial cleaning products, synthetic fragrances, and aerosol sprays. Consider natural cleaning products such as baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar. Whenever possible, open a window and breathe fresh air, as outdoor air quality is considerably better than indoor air quality.
- Slippery elm lozenges, available at any health food store, also work well to remedy dry coughs.
Productive Cough
If you have a productive cough brought on by cold, allergies, or respiratory infection, you may want to treat the cough with traditional home remedies.
- Honey mixed with lemon juice is a very effective home remedy. Both ingredient fight infection. The honey also coats and hydrates your throat to sooth irritation. Lemon juice is a natural antihistamine and will reduce congestion. Mix two teaspoons lemon juice with each teaspoon of honey.
- Another traditional remedy is to “sweat an onion,” in honey. Cover several slices of an onion with honey. Cover and leave at room temperature for a few hours. Take a teaspoon as needed for throat irritation and cough. It may be stored for up to three days in a covered jar at room temperature.
- Thyme is an herb that helps to clear the respiratory tract. A cup of warm tea, made by steeping 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dried herb in 1 cup of hot water, will help sooth and loosen a cough.
Heather Schulte - Heather Schulte is a freelance writer based in the Midwest. She writes web content for a variety of publications such as Suite101, eHow, ...
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