When cold and flu season begins, it’s good to have several home remedies for coughs on hand. Every family has its own favorite cough medicine that is passed down to each generation. These home cough remedies work just as well, if not better, than their commercial counterparts, without the side effects.
There are two types of cough: productive cough and unproductive cough.
Basically, a productive cough is a cough that produces mucus that needs to be eliminated from the body. In this case, using expectorant herbs is our choice.
Over time, a productive cough can develop into an unproductive cough, which turns into a dry cough. Unproductive or irritating coughs are itchy, annoying, and hoarse. Sometimes it can even be painful and cause great discomfort and difficult times for the affected person. In this case, using cough suppressant plants is our choice.
Dry or unproductive cough is not a disease in itself. It is simply a symptom of an underlying disease. Therefore, in order to properly eliminate dry cough from your body, you need to clearly identify the causes of dry cough. It is good to treat unproductive coughs as quickly as possible to prevent them from developing into more serious respiratory illnesses.
Expectorants and antitussives
There are two main categories of plants used in home cough remedies: expectorants and antitussives.
A productive cough requires expectorant herbs that help us clear the lungs of congestion.
Dry cough requires cough suppressant herbs that calm the cough reflex and act as mild sedatives.
There are medicinal plants that have a dual function: cough suppressant and expectorant.
5 home remedies for coughs
Below we will introduce you to 5 medicinal plants that work as home remedies for coughs.
These five medicinal herbs are excellent. They not only relieve and heal coughs, but are also ideal for sore throats, colds or inflamed or strained lungs. A variety of cough medicines such as tinctures, infusions, decoctions, syrups, cough drops and others can be made from this.
I also sometimes add peppermint to some herbal cough medicines because it gives them a mild flavor and helps mask some of the other, less pleasant flavors of some other plants.
Cough medicine with primrose
Both Commission E and ESCOP accept the use of primrose root as an expectorant and expectorant for respiratory diseases (flu, colds, bronchitis, asthma, sinusitis). Primrose flowers are accepted by Commission E for use as an expectorant and expectorant for respiratory diseases (flu, colds, bronchitis, asthma, sinusitis).
There are clinical studies using combinations of thyme, ivy and primrose as expectorants.
Cough medicine with mallow
ESCOP recommends mallow to treat dry coughs and irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat or stomach.
The indications approved by Commission E (for both leaves and flowers) are inflammation of the oropharyngeal mucosa, dry cough or dry cough.
Cough medicine with thyme
The indications for thyme approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) include use as an expectorant for coughs during colds.
The indications approved by ESCOP recommend it for catarrhal processes of the respiratory tract, bronchitis and dry cough.
Cough medicine with eucalyptus
Commission E approves the use of eucalyptus leaves for respiratory colds. Both ESCOP and Commission E consider that eucalyptus essential oil is indicated both internally and externally for the symptomatic treatment of upper respiratory tract colds. In a clinical study, the decongestant effect of the essential oil on the nose was demonstrated in the first hour after inhalation.
The infusion of eucalyptus leaves is often used to treat respiratory diseases and externally as an antiseptic.
Ivy cough medicine
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepts the established use of ivy (Hedera helix L.) as an expectorant for productive coughs, as well as its traditional use as an expectorant for cold-related coughs.
According to ESCOP, ivy leaf extracts administered orally or rectally are indicated in the treatment of various types of cough, especially when accompanied by hypersecretion of viscous mucus, and as an adjuvant in the treatment of bronchial diseases. Sometimes the effectiveness of Ivy has been compared to that of other expectorant medications such as ambroxol or acetylcysteine.
Stop coughing, choose from these home remedies for cough and restore your health.