Patients turn to doctors and pharmacists for many reasons and cough seems to be one of the most frequent reasons for that. This is a common symptom of flu and colds, but there are few other factors that lead to cough too. No matter what is the cause of this occurrence one thing is for sure – cough has a negative impact on the quality of life and interferes with our daily life.
Cough is a defensive reaction of the body and represents rapid exhausting of air from the lungs, mostly in order to clean the airways of accumulation of particles and secretions. People can willingly cough, but in most cases, this occurrence is reflexive and appears as a response to stimulation of special cough receptors located in the airways. There are many ways in which we can categorize coughing, but one of the most frequent types of coughs is a dry cough.
What is Dry Cough?
Dry cough, also known as unproductive cough, is a direct consequence of the irritation of cough receptors located in the airways which lead to cough reflex without the occurrence of productive secretions that needs to be removed. Dry cough can be very unpleasant and it can lead to more serious consequences for our health if it is not treated in a timely manner.
How to Treat Dry Cough?
As we already said, this is a very frequent problem, so it is no surprise why pharmaceutical companies are constantly introducing new products that help people dealing with dry cough. However, just like other pharmaceutical products, these products can also lead to side effects. The only way to avoid these negative effects is to use natural dry cough remedies. They are equally efficient but don’t result in any side effects.
Now let’s check the 10 Natural Cough Remedies for Dry Coughs that have proven to be very efficient.
1. Ginger and Honey
Ginger and honey are an excellent combination regardless of what the dry cough causes are. This is a very old recipe that is used even today. All you need is to prepare ginger tea. This tea provides many health benefits including soothing dry cough. After that, you should pour some honey (or lemon juice) in order to boost the results. These are the more detailed instructions:
Take one mid-sized ginger root and clean it well. Next, cut the ginger root into thin rolls. Put these rolls in boiling water and leave them for about 15 minutes. After that, remove the tea from the heat, seal it, and leave it for another 15 minutes before straining it. Add two teaspoons of raw honey to one cup of tea. Stor the ingredients well and you can start your battle with dry cough. You can have this tea three times a day and drink it until the cough is gone.
2. Primrose Tea
Primrose has been used for treating dry cough and cough in general since ancient times. Primrose has the ability to open airways. In order to prepare this tea, you can use primrose leaves or flowers. Take one teaspoon of primrose leaves or flowers and pour one cup of boiling water over them. Leave the tea for 15 minutes before training it. Drink primrose tea at least three times a day.
3. Marshmallow
Marshmallow is another plant that is used for centuries because of the strong medicinal properties. The root of this plant stimulates the production and secretion of mucus and soothes cough. It is especially recommended to use marshmallows in cases of dry cough. Marshmallow tea creates a coat on the airways and dissolves mucus which eventually leads to the elimination of this problem. Take one spoon of grounded and dried marshmallow root and pour 2 dl of boiled water. Leave the tea for three hours, strain it, and drink it slowly.
4. Honey and Coffee
A group of scientists from Iran has determined that a combination of honey and coffee is very efficient in cases of dry cough. The recipe is very simple. Take one tablespoon of honey and mix it with one teaspoon of coffee. Mix them well until you get a fine creamy texture. Once the remedy is swallowed you can drink one glass of lukewarm water. Take this remedy three times a day.
5. Orange Syrup
Take one orange and wash it well. Cut the orange into small cubes (leave the bark too). Place the cubes in a bowl in which you should place one dl of water and two tablespoons of sugar. Boil the mixture slowly for 30 minutes until the mixture becomes denser. In cases of dry cough, drink one tablespoon of this syrup whenever you experience a cough attack.
6. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has a positive effect on all types of cough. Mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and about 30 ml of water. In order to get better results, warm up this mixture, and add one teaspoon of honey. Drink this mixture several times a day.
7. Peppercorn
Crush one peppercorn and add some salt and several cum seeds. Mix all the ingredients well and take this remedy to soothe the annoying dry cough. Keep in mind that this natural dry cough remedy is suitable only for adults.
8. Turmeric
There are several ways in which turmeric can help people with dry cough. For instance, you can create a mixture of warm milk and turmeric in order to get rid of dry cough because this mixture has strong antibacterial properties. Just dissolve two teaspoons of turmeric powder in one cup of hot milk and drink the mixture while it is still warm.
9. Garlic
Crush 5 cloves of garlic, add one teaspoon of butter, and fry the mixture. Eat this natural remedy while it still warm in order to ease a dry cough.
10. Aloe Vera Juice
A combination of Aloe Vera juice and honey will ease the symptoms of dry cough. Make sure that the mixture is warm before drinking it.