Five recipes with natural ingredients for cough relief |
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The cough is a frequent consequence of a viral or a bacterial infection of the airways.
Other symptoms may be a runny nose, sneezing, sore and swollen throat, fever, headache and muscular pain.
Coughing occurs when viruses, bacteria, dust, pollen or other irritants come into contact with the nerve endings in the airways between the throat and the lungs.
Through coughing, the body seeks to clear the passages. This involves significant effort, as the speed of the air ejected during coughing reaches 100 km/hour.
Chronic cough may be a sign of a severe illness like pneumonia or tuberculosis, but more often it is just a nuisance, causing chest pains and general exhaustion.
The good news is that you don't have to rush to a clinic or a pharmacy in order to treat your cough and other cold or flu symptoms.
If you don't have them already, buy ingredients like honey, lemon, ginger, garlic, onion and chili peppers.
Using them and a couple of other food items you can make your own syrups and teas against cough and sore throat.
Try these natural recipes and get rid of your cough today.
1. Simple syrup with honey and lemon
Honey is a time-tested home remedy against cough and other ailments related to cold and flu. Use it alone or in tea.
It is one of the healthiest natural foods in the world, containing powerful antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds.
A study involving 139 children with infections of respiratory tract discovered that honey alleviates cough better than pharmaceutical products.
Lemon on the other hand reduces inflammation and supplies the organism with a dose of immunity-boosting vitamin C.
Ingredients
- 150 ml honey
- 50 ml coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 50 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Mix the ingredients and heat just below boiling point. Pour into a sterilized bottle and store in a refrigerator. There it should stay good for at least three weeks.
Take one tablespoon three to four times per day until the symptoms subside.
2. Spicy cough syrup
Some spicy foods are beneficial against cough.
Gingerol, the active substance in ginger, is known to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
Onion contains chemical compounds such as phenols, flavonoids and quercetine, which boast anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antioxidant properties.
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons of quality honey (preferably manuka)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 fresh gingers, grated
Pour honey in a bowl and add chopped onion and grated ginger. Mix together and leave the mixture during several hours, preferably overnight.
In that time, the honey will absorb the active substances released by onion and ginger.
Then you can either remove the ingredients from the honey or keep them, as desired.
Eat one teaspoon of the syrup five or six times per day.
This spicy syrup is potent and will quickly alleviate your symptoms.
3. Syrup for severe cough
Ingredients
- 2 twigs of thyme
- 1 stick of Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 small onion, peeled and sliced into cubes
- 1 slice of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 chili pepper, lightly scored
- 150 ml honey
- 50 ml coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
-
50 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Place thyme, cinnamon, onion, garlic and chili pepper in a small pan and pour oils and honey over them.
Chili pepper enhances the blood flow to the inflamed area, in this case throat, which accelerates healing.
Mix and heat the mixture just below the boiling point. Remove from the fire, cover and let it cool completely.
Filter and use just the mixture of oils and honey.
Pour the filtered mixture into a pan and add the lemon juice. Pour it over into sterilized bottles and seal tightly.
Store in a refrigerator, where the syrup will stay good for at least three weeks. Take the syrup three to four times a day.
4. Ginger tea
The gnarled ginger rhizome has been used against cough for thousands of years.
Ginger has antihistaminic and decongestant properties, which promote expectoration and the opening of the airways.
Ingredients
- 12 slices fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Place ginger slices into a bowl filled with 6 dl of water.
Heat on a slow fire for 20 minutes and remove from fire before boiling (when making ginger tea, the water must not be brought to boil).
Filter, add a tablespoon of honey and two tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
If the tea is too spicy, add more water and honey.
Drink several cups through the day.
5. Thyme tea
In Germany thyme is an officially approved treatment for cough, whooping cough and bronchitis.
The leaves of this herb contain a powerful mixture of compounds, which relieve cough by relaxing the pharyngeal muscles and reducing inflammation.
Ingredients
- crushed thyme leaves
- honey
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
Add two teaspoons of crushed thyme leaves into 2 dl of boiling water.
If you wish a greater quantity of tea, add two more teaspoons of leaves for every 2 dl of water.
Steep the leaves for ten minutes and filter.
Add honey and lemon as desired, as they have antibacterial properties and exert a calming effect on the airways.
Other beneficial herbs
You may also try the following herbs against cough.
Marshmallow tea coats the throat with a protective layer and dilutes the mucus, whereby it facilitates expectoration. Use two teaspoons of dry marshmallow for each cup of tea. Drink three cups per day.
Horehound (lat. Marrubium vulgare) used to be a standard ingredient of expectorant lozenges. Make tea with two teaspoons of leaves or flowers of horehound for each cup.
Add 45 drops of licorice tincture into hot water and sip slowly. Licorice dilutes the mucus and alleviates bronchial spasms. Do not take this remedy for longer than two weeks.
If you're struggling with a cough, you may also try experimenting with sage, peppermint and cloves.
Some experts recommend therapy with lemon spiced with salt and pepper. Place a little salt and pepper on a slice of lemon and chew on it.
Be brave, as your efforts will pay off!
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