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The Best 4 Ways To Get Rid Of A Cough Naturally
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It’s cold season, and that means you’ll be seeing more and more people coughing up a storm as you go about your daily routine. Perhaps you’re experiencing a cough yourself after battling a cold. It’s totally normal, and for the most part, a cold is merely inconvenient, rather than something to be afraid of. Coughing is a natural physiological response by your body when it needs to clear out irritants from your throat or lungs. But all too often, a cough can linger for longer than necessary, resulting in the spread of germs, sore ribs, and more.
For many people the go-to solution is a bottle of cough syrup. But these medicines often include chemicals like dextromethorphan, which promotes feelings of drowsiness. If your goal in taking the medicine in the first place is to get back to your normal workday or social routine, this cure is just as bad as the disease.
Never fear—in this article, we’ve created a list of all-natural cough remedies which have stood the test of time and will get you feeling normal again very quickly.
1. Honey
This is probably one of the most obvious and well known home remedies for persistent coughing, but there is a reason for that—it WORKS. Some studies show that it can actually be more effective at relieving a cough than an over-the-counter drug.
You can simply take some honey directly with a spoon, or mix it with a hot beverage. The best choice is tea or water. To get rid of a cough, mix two teaspoons of honey with warm water or an herbal tea, then add some lemon juice (adjust to taste, but be conservative—remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take it out). The honey will soothe your throat and the hot tea or water, along with the lemon juice, will clear away congestion.
Note: For the best results, use raw honey. It has a darker, more translucent color and is usually more expensive, but it is well worth it. Cheap, mass produced honey has been pasteurized, which removes many of the health benefits. Raw honey has antioxidant and antifungal properties. It’s not a bad idea to make raw honey a regular part of your diet, rather than simply an occasional home remedy.
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2. Salt water gargle
No, do not use sea water for this. You can make this very cheap and effective cough remedy with the salt you have in your cupboard right now. Mix one quarter to one half of a teaspoon of regular table salt with 8 ounces of water (warm water works best, as it makes the taste a little more tolerable). Gargle it in your mouth for 30-60 seconds, then spit it out. The warm salt water will relieve the scratchy, uncomfortable sensations in your mouth and throat that lead to coughing. This solution is best for adults, as children under 6 years old typically have a hard time with gargling.
3. Cleansing peppermint fumes
For this solution, you don’t have to drink the liquid; just inhale the aroma. Add three to four drops of peppermint oil for every 150 milliliters of water to a pot. Bring to a boil, then drape a towel or cloth over your head and inhale the cleansing fumes from the pot (be careful not to burn or scald yourself, obviously).
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Photo credit: bigstock.com
4. Teas
You can probably see a common pattern with the solutions listed so far. When it comes to removing an irritating or annoying cough, warm liquids can get the job done. Of course, you can’t use just any hot beverage—a cup of coffee or ordinary tea won’t necessarily work.
Try making homemade tea using ingredients like thyme or ginger. For thyme tea, blend two teaspoons of crushed thyme leaves with hot water. For ginger tea, chop up a piece of ginger roughly the size of your little finger and drop it into boiling water. Let it boil for ten minutes, allow it to cool to a drinkable temperature, and enjoy. Be forewarned: Ginger tea is VERY strong. Try throwing in some orange rinds to make it a little less intense. Peppermint leaves also make a good tea, and can be prepared in a similar manner as above. Peppermint contains soothing chemicals that break down mucus and ease pain in your throat.
READ ALSO: Make Your Own Natural Cough Syrup: 5 Terrific Recipes! (#4 Is Our Fav!)
Next time you have a nasty, persistent cough, try one of these time-honored natural solutions before reaching for the cough syrup. You may save some money and develop a newfound appreciation for home remedies.
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