When a cough appears, everyone rushes to the pharmacy to buy the necessary medicines. At the same time, few people think about the fact that each drug has its own side effect and often, while trying to recover from a common cold, while taking medications, serious problems with the cardiovascular system or digestive tract appear. Is it possible to cure a cough at home with the help of folk remedies? This is what we will try to find out in the framework of our article.
Nature of cough and its types
When an irritant enters the respiratory tract - a foreign body, mucus, bacteria or dust, the body tries to get rid of it with the help of a cough. The causes of irritation of the bronchial mucosa can be acute respiratory infections, in such cases, doctors diagnose diseases such as bronchitis, laryngitis or tracheitis in the patient.
There are two types of cough:
- wet, in which sputum is released;
- dry, sore throat and paroxysmal.
Wet cough is considered the most productive, as it helps to get rid of phlegm. As a result, microbes leave the body faster, and the person recovers faster. Dry cough rarely goes away without complications, so it is important to start treatment right away. Its danger is that the mucosa is damaged, but sputum is not excreted, which can cause complications. Thinking about how to treat a cough, first of all, you should turn to traditional medicine, since its recipes will not harm the body with a competent approach to the issue and the absence of contraindications.
Methods for treating dry cough with honey
This type of cough is the most debilitating and can even lead to vomiting. In the treatment of dry cough, two goals must be achieved - to calm the mucous membrane and achieve sputum discharge. This is important because if the cough is soothed by relieving irritation and the phlegm does not go away, it can pass into the lungs and cause pneumonia. How to treat dry cough? You can use traditional medicine recipes.
One of the best ways to treat a cough is to use radish with honey. The very next day, a dry cough transforms into a wet one, sputum begins to go away, and the patient feels a significant relief from the condition. Preparing the medicine is very simple. Wash the radish and cut off its top. After removing all the pulp, honey is poured into the resulting “container”. Leave the radish for six hours. The released juice should be poured into a glass container and drink it before meals in the amount of 1 tbsp. spoon three times a day.
The ideal treatment for dry cough is the use of honey and onions. To prepare the product, grind 0.5 kg of onion, add 50 g of honey to it, 2-3 tbsp. l. sugar and pour the resulting mixtureboiling water. The remedy is infused for about an hour. It is recommended to take it 5 times a day, one tablespoon.
Treatment of dry cough with milk
How to treat a dry cough? To soften it, you can use folk remedies based on milk. They relieve pain and sore throat. One of the most common recipes is warm milk with butter. After heating a glass of milk, a piece of butter (50 g) is added to it and drunk before going to bed. You can also add a little honey to the solution, it will enhance its beneficial properties.
Cocoa butter is used to prepare the next product. Its benefit is that it contributes to the restoration of immunity and fights viruses. When choosing how to treat a runny nose and cough in children, it is best to drink hot milk with 0.5 tsp. cocoa butter. It is harmless and strengthens the body's defenses.
Dry cough is also treated with milk and mineral water (1:1). Both ingredients are slightly heated and mixed. The tool warms the bronchi and throat, which contributes to the discharge of sputum.
Ginger with milk is another effective remedy that relieves inflammation and neutralizes the action of bacteria. In addition to ginger, green tea is added to milk. For 1.5 liters of milk, you need a piece of plant root (3-4 cm) and 2 tbsp. l. tea. After the mixture boils, it is insisted for half an hour. You need to take the remedy 4 times a day for ½ cup.
Milk and figs are proven effective in treating dry cough. 2-3washed dried fruits are placed in a saucepan with a pre-poured glass of milk. The mixture is brought to a boil and allowed to simmer over a fire for about 20-30 minutes. After cooling, the milk with figs is ready to drink. You need to take the remedy in a warm form, several times a day, 1-2 tablespoons, depending on the intensity of the cough.
Treating dry cough with herbs
How to treat a cough quickly? Only your doctor can tell you this. With his permission, you can combine traditional medicines with various traditional medicines. Some types of herbs have expectorant properties, which is why they are recommended for use in the treatment of coughs.
To prepare a herbal collection, take a tablespoon of chamomile, plantain and elecampane. Pour a glass of boiling water over the grass and let it brew. After that, the product is filtered and as soon as it cools down, it can be consumed, but not more than 4 times a day for ¼ cup.
Relieve spasm with a dry cough and soften the throat will help herbal collection of coltsfoot and St. John's wort. The components must be brought to a boil, and then left to infuse. It is necessary to drink the remedy about 2 times a day, preferably after meals in the amount of ¼ cup.
The herbal cough remedy has a specific unpleasant taste. To make it softer and sweeter, you can add sugar, jam or honey.
Ways to treat wet cough
Wet cough is productive, as mucus is actively moving away from the bronchi and the body is freed from microbes. To the treatmentpassed faster, it is important to drink more. How to treat a wet cough? Effective herbal preparations that stimulate the passage of sputum through the respiratory tract. You can prepare decoctions and infusions from herbal plants such as:
- Marshmallow;
- licorice root;
- thermopsis;
- sage;
- oregano.
Preparing a decoction is quite simple - 1 tbsp. l. herbal collection is poured with a glass of boiling water and boiled in a water bath for half an hour, and then filtered. If you need to prepare an infusion, the grass is poured with boiling water and insisted in a thermos. For greater effectiveness, infusions and decoctions are taken warm, 4 times a day. The last dose of a folk remedy should take place no later than an hour before bedtime. Usually the amount of infusion or decoction drunk is a glass per day, divided into 3-4 doses. Sage is more effective when taken with milk. After the infusion is ready (for 0.5 l of water 10 g of sage greens), it must be mixed with a glass of warm milk.
Wet cough can also be treated with a mixture of birch buds, lime blossom and flax seeds. A liter of boiling water is poured into ½ tbsp. birch buds and Art. lime color. After the broth boils, it is simmered on fire for 10 minutes, and then insisted and filtered. Before use, a little honey and aloe juice are added to the broth. A decoction of flax seeds is also prepared very simply - 250 ml of water is poured over a tablespoon of seeds and boiled for 10 minutes. After straining, the decoction is infused. The resulting amount is mixed with honey and drunk insame day.
Cough treatment with ointments and compresses
Another way to treat a cough at home? For adults, special ointments and compresses are more effective. Propolis ointment is made from pure propolis (10 g) and olive oil (2 tablespoons). In order for the propolis to completely dissolve, it is necessary to put the mixture in a water bath. After the ointment becomes homogeneous, it will need to be filtered. For solidification, the product is placed in the refrigerator. The ointment is good because it helps not only to warm up the bronchi, but also to cure a runny nose, and significantly ease breathing.
How to treat a cough in adults? Effective potato compress and honey. If you do them regularly for several days, the disease disappears in 3-5 days. Honey is applied to the chest, avoiding the area where the heart is located. On top you need to put a napkin dipped in vodka. From above, the compress is covered with a plastic bag and a scarf or towel. On the chest, he must be the whole night.
When making a potato compress, you also need to use vodka. The vegetable is boiled and mashed in a saucepan (not until mashed!), Then add one tablespoon of vegetable oil, turpentine and vodka. The resulting mixture is placed in gauze and placed on the chest for the whole night, wrapping the patient in a warm blanket.
If an adult has a strong cough, how to treat? Fat-based warming agents are often used. Badger, bear, mutton and goat fat is preheated before use. Then it is rubbed on the chest and back, a film is applied on top so as not to stain clothes andprovide better warming of the bronchi and lungs. After the patient is well wrapped. Remove the remaining fat in the morning. All types of animal fat can be used inside. So, from the age of 12, you can add one teaspoon of heated fat to tea or milk. The drink is drunk immediately, it is advisable to take the remedy at night to provide the patient with a sound sleep.
Cough treatment for children
Because children are more susceptible to the side effects of many medications, not all cough treatments, even if traditional, can be used for them. Inhalation with alkaline mineral water should be highlighted. It moisturizes the nasal mucosa and helps to cough up phlegm. Inhalations are carried out using a special nebulizer three times a day in the amount of 3 ml per dose. With bronchitis and a strong cough, such a procedure will not help, it is effective for acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections that occur without complications.
Effective and safe compresses with onions and honey. Penetrating inside, the agent warms the bronchi and promotes sputum discharge. The essential oils contained in onions pierce the nose and help to breathe freely. A compress of honey and vodka, like any other on alcohol, is strictly prohibited, especially if the child has a fever. It is also impossible to do steam inhalations at a temperature in a child.
Cough in children is also treated with a cabbage leaf with honey, which is applied for an hour. After the compress, the honey is wiped off with a damp towel and the child is given a glass of herbal tea to drink.
If a child (2 years old) has a cough, how to treat it? Very effective and milk with a banana. This isa sweet treat that will not only improve the condition of the baby, but will also appeal to him. Banana is crushed in a blender to the state of gruel and mixed with warm milk. Such a delicious cocktail should be taken at night. You can also add cocoa to a banana with milk, which is known for its anti-inflammatory properties.
When treating cough with herbs, you should also be careful, most of them are applicable only from the age of three, as they can cause allergies. The use of alcohol tinctures for children when coughing is prohibited, it is better to give preference to decoctions and infusions.
During the treatment of cough, you need to ensure regular wet cleaning and try to ventilate the room in which the child spends most of the time.
How to treat a barking cough
A barking cough differs from the usual one in that it is accompanied by wheezing and whistling. Often, at this stage of the disease, the voice disappears, and due to swelling of the mucous membrane, breathing may be difficult.
Barking cough without fever than to treat? There are several effective methods in folk medicine. Relieve spasm and help cough up steam inhalations - soda, herbal, with mineral water. Among the variety of herbs, chamomile and sage are best suited. They are poured with boiling water, boiled for a couple of minutes, then a couple of drops of vegetable oil are added and they breathe, covered with a towel. Mineral water can be breathed with an inhaler.
In order for sputum to come out well, it is necessarymake sure that the humidity in the room is at least 60%. This is easy enough to achieve if you buy a humidifier or mop the floor more often and ventilate the room.
To calm a barking cough, you can make a soda drink. To do this, add ¼ tbsp to a glass of hot milk. l. soda. You need to drink the solution in small sips. Radish with sugar has also proven its effectiveness. As with honey, the top of the vegetable is removed and the flesh is cut out. A couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar are added inside the radish and left for a day so that it starts up the juice. This syrup can be taken several times a day. Useful for barking cough decoctions of cranberries and wild rose.
A warm heating pad placed on the chest at night will also warm the bronchi and help cough up mucus, soothing a barking cough.
Cough with fever and without fever - what is the difference in treatment
Cough with fever is a bad sign, as inflammation begins in the bronchi or lungs, and therefore urgent measures must be taken. How to treat a cough without fever? You can use almost all the methods of treatment described in the article. If the cough is frequent and lasts for several days, you should approach the treatment comprehensively and be sure to consult a doctor.
Among the folk methods of treating cough without fever, they also distinguish:
- Rubbing with honey and badger fat.
- Inhalations with lavender and cedar oil.
- Hot milk with honey, butter and black pepper or hot milk with mineral water.
- Onion broth. In order to cook it, milkpour the cut onion, boil for 10 minutes. After five hours, you need to drink a glass of broth. Take twice a day.
With regard to cough with fever, some treatments are prohibited. Among them:
- Hot inhalations and baths, because they further raise the body temperature and can worsen the patient's condition. The air that a person with a fever breathes should be cool, so cold inhalations with a nebulizer should be used.
- Compresses with herbal remedies and animal fat (goat, badger), because during the heat the chest must breathe.
- Rubbing with alcohol, vodka or vinegar. Under the influence of high temperature, they enter the bloodstream and cause poisoning. Especially dangerous for young children.
Inhalation for cough treatment
If the cough does not go away, how to treat it? In addition to a variety of medications, folk remedies can be used with the same efficiency and with fewer side effects. Both children and adults can be inhaled with soda (25 g of soda for 1 liter of water). Add a little soda to the liquid and boil. You need to breathe deeply for 10 minutes. Inhalations with hot potatoes and s alt help well. Such types are indicated for allergy sufferers who should not use herbs for treatment.
It is important to remember that inhalations will only be effective if taken a few hours after or an hour before meals.
For inhalation, you can use decoctions of chamomile, oregano, coltsfoot and sage. Such procedures are validessential oils of eucalyptus, pine needles and pine. The benefit of these treatments is that all of the listed herbs and essential oils have anti-inflammatory, disinfecting and antimicrobial properties. Herbs can be mixed or inhaled with one of the types.
Colds and severe coughs are treated with propolis inhalations. To prepare them, you need to add 2 tablespoons of crushed bee products to a liter of water, boil for 5 minutes, and then breathe the resulting solution for 10 minutes.
Now you know how to treat cough in adults and children at home. Just remember that self-medication can only aggravate your condition. Be sure to get expert advice. Stay he althy!