Cough free faster: Grandma’s quick home remedy

Grandma’s home remedy for cough
Chamomile, thyme and co. help against coughs

Grandma’s home remedies for coughs have been around for a long time – and with good reason! Get rid of your cough with these gentle and natural helpers.

Coughing is always inconvenient – and we want to get rid of it as quickly as possible. A dry, irritating cough usually develops first, and a few days later the mucus in the airways dissolves and can be coughed up (cough with sputum). We often find this uncomfortable, but the urge to cough is a sensible protective reflex of the body: With the mucus we also cough up the pathogens.

Grandma’s home remedy for cough: what helps?

Of course, that doesn’t mean that we have to let the symptoms plague us for weeks – especially not when a strong cough prevents us from restful sleep. And it doesn’t have to be the expensive cough syrup from the pharmacy. Because even Grandma’s home remedies for coughs help to gently relieve the symptoms:

1. Inhalation

Inhalation is suitable for both to soothe dry coughs and to loosen phlegm with a productive cough. The easiest way to do this is with an inhaler – you only have to fill it with a little water, then breathe in and out calmly and deeply. If you don’t have an inhaler, simply use a bowl, drape a towel over your head, and then inhale the vapor. This should be repeated about every three hours.

Extra tip: In the case of a dry cough, an infusion of sage helps when inhaling. The plant soothes the mucous membranes and relieves the urge to cough. In the case of a persistent cough, for example bronchitis and a cold, we are against it a few drops of an essential oil (e.g. menthol) is recommendedto clear the airways. But beware – these oils are not suitable for children and asthmatics!

2. Potato wraps

Breast wraps are probably one of the oldest of grandma’s home remedies for coughs and colds. For this, the potatoes are boiled, wrapped in a linen cloth and mashed. As soon as the potato wrap has cooled down to a comfortable temperature, it can be placed on the breast and fixed with another cloth. The wrap provides soothing warmth. By the way, it is also a good home remedy for a sore throat and a home remedy for fever!

3. Tea

If you have a cough, the following applies: drink a lot! It should be 2.5 to 3 liters a day. Especially water, but also tea with herbs, especially these varieties:

The herbs gently soothe the urge to cough and act as a phlegm remover. And tea can do even more: It also helps as a home remedy for colds!

4. Onion Juice

Onion juice may sound a bit disgusting at first, but thanks to the addition of honey or sugar it doesn’t taste bad at all and works effectively against dry cough: Finely chop an onion, drizzle with honey or a little sugar and seal the mixture in an airtight jar. The juice from the onions should steep for several hours, preferably overnight. Then a spoonful of onion juice is taken against cough in the morning, at noon and in the evening.

By the way: Thanks to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, the onion is also suitable as a home remedy for many other ailments, for example as grandma’s home remedy for earache. And honey is also a real all-rounder! Natural antibiotics such as honey, onions and garlic can help against many ailments.

5. Cough drops

Cough drops can work in two ways: They either soothe the urge to cough or promote mucus loosening. To relieve a dry cough, the sweets usually contain essential oils that stimulate the flow of saliva. An acute coughing fit can be calmed down in this way. In order to be able to cough up better, herbal mixtures (e.g. made from thyme or sage) are often used in cough drops, which are supposed to make the mucus more liquid.

Even more home remedies for colds and Co.

Here we also explain how to treat chronic runny nose and what to do if your nose is blocked or you have chills. We explain here whether zinc helps with a cold.

Sources

Bridget