- CHESTY COUGH
This brings up lots of phlegm — and there can be wheezing, chest tightness and some difficulty breathing. Chesty coughs are triggered by an excessive amount of mucus in the chest. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as mucous coughs.
It’s often worse in the mornings and the -winter, as it’s exacerbated by viruses that affect the lungs.
CAUSE:
Cold and flu viruses and these infections are the most common cause of chesty mucous coughs. Other lung infections – a wide variety of other infections, ranging from pneumonia to TB (tuberculosis), can give rise to a chesty cough. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) — the collective name for lung conditions, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD is commonly caused by smoking and usually produces chesty coughs.
The important thing is to notice symptoms that haven’t happened before, such as this chesty cough or breathlessness.
TREATMENT:
Avoid passive exposure to smoke and pollution. Exercise as much as you can. Steam inhalation and humidifying rooms can also help by loosening mucus. Expectorants work by thinning mucus making it easier for the body to expel it when coughing. Herbs such as ivy and thyme have a long history of use for coughs and many are now licensed as traditional herbal remedies.
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR COUGH
Honey For Cough
There are different ways of using honey besides the one mentioned in combination with turmeric. A dry cough responds to a mixture of honey with juice from grapes. A glass of hot nut milk with some honey added just before going to bed is effective at relieving night time cough. Mix in honey and lemon juice to a glass of warm water and drink this three times per day for relief from cough.
If you have a particularly nasty cough, try this remedy. Take about 3 tablespoons of flaxseeds in 1 cup of water and boil. When the water starts thickening, strain the liquid and mix in 3 tablespoons each of lemon juice and honey. Swallow about 1 tablespoon of this mixture when you experience a severe coughing fit. Honey also works well in combination with betel leaf (paan). Grind a few washed betel leaves and extract the juice; add 1 teaspoon of honey to 2 teaspoons of this juice, mix and consume about half an hour after meals. Repeat for about 5 days to find relief from cough.
Ginger For Cough
Ginger has a number of amazing benefits, it is also great to treat a cough. For a dry cough, one of the easiest ways of finding relief is to cut a piece of fresh ginger, sprinkle some salt on it and chew on it for a few minutes. However, not everyone likes the strongly aromatic taste of ginger and in such cases, a tea made with ginger is equally good. Chop ginger into fine pieces, add into a vessel containing one cup of water. Keep boiling the liquid till the volume reduces to half the original quantity. Strain the liquid, add one teaspoon of honey and drink when warm to give a soothing effect against cough. How does it work? Dr Eccles, Director of Common Cold Centre at the Cardiff University, told netdoctor.co.uk that ginger seems to work by ‘promoting salivation and mucus secretion and will help relieve cough symptoms’.
Ginger in combination with basilis also an effective remedy for cough. Crush about 10 leaves of basil, mix with juice extracted from a small ginger piece. Add in an equal quantity of honey and mix; swallow about a single teaspoon of this about thrice a day to get relief from cough.
People who don’t mind the strong spicy flavour of pepper can also add in some black pepper powder and turmeric into a mixture of ginger juice with honey. When this paste is slowly licked for 10 to 15 minutes thrice a day, it helps reduce congestion in the throat and reduces cough. A simple ginger tea is easy to prepare by boiling ginger with water; then add tea leaves or tea powder, drop in some basil leaves and pepper powder, strain and drink for relief from cough.
Turmeric Or Turmeric Milk For Cough
Heat a glass of nut milk, mix in half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and drink warm to find relief from cough. A turmeric gargle also gives good results. To one cup of hot water, add in half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and half a teaspoon table salt. Use this liquid as a throat gargle and you are sure to experience relief from cough.
For a dry cough, turmeric powder mixed with a teaspoon of honey taken three to four times a day is effective. You could also try preparing turmeric tea by adding one tablespoon of turmeric powder into 4 cups of boiling water. Keep for a few minutes, strain and mix in some lemon and honey to the liquid and drink.
Jaggery Remedies to Get Rid of Sputum
Sputum buildup can lead to a feeling of congestion in the chest and the entire respiratory tract; expelling this sputum therefore provides relief from cough and congestion. Dr. Soumya Bhat, Ayurvedic doctor, recommends the following remedies for such relief. Make a decoction by boiling a few corns of pepper with water for about 20 minutes; mix in a little cumin and jaggery and drink. Cut a quarter part of an onion, keep a small bit of jaggery in the middle of it and chew on this for expelling sputum.
John Summerly is nutritionist, herbologist, and homeopathic practitioner. He is a leader in the natural health community and consults athletes, executives and most of all parents of children on the benefits of complementary therapies for health and prevention.
