Cough : Causes, Prevention and Home Remedies

A cough is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes.Frequent coughing usually indicates the presence of a disease. Many viruses and bacteria benefit evolutionarily by causing the host to cough, which helps to spread the disease to new hosts.

A cough is not usually a threatening condition and will resolve naturally, but it can be troublesome, particularly when coughing at night keeps you up and prevents you from recuperating. A productive cough is more likely to indicate an acute disease such as a virus or infection.If you have a productive cough in conjunction with fever, wheezing, or any such malaise, you should immediately visit a doctor, even if these symptoms only present when lying down.

A non-productive cough, however, is more likely a symptom of something chronic, such as asthma, bronchitis, or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder). Environmental factors can also cause either a productive or non-productive cough. Things such as allergies, dust, and certain molds can cause coughs in anyone who is exposed to them for long periods, very often not even being aware of the cause’s existence, in the case of molds and some allergies.

There are many synthetic medicines that cure cough instantly. However, natural remedies for cough could be advantageous.

. The extract of tulsi leaves in fresh water should be given every 2 to 3 hours. It helps to mobilize mucus in bronchitis and asthma.

. Fill a cut lemon with black pepper powder and salt and suck on the lemon. This is said to reduce coughing.

. Eating garlic or rubbing garlic on your throat and chest are techniques used by some people to combat cough.

. Grapes tone up the lungs and act as an expectorant, relieving a simple cold and cough in a couple of days. A cup of grape juice mixed with a teaspoon of honey is advised for cough relief.

. Aniseed is another effective remedy for a hard dry cough with difficult expectoration. It breaks up the mucus. A tea made from this spice should be taken regularly for treating this condition.

. Mixing honey and hot water, or honey and tea to sooth the dryness in the throat are wide spread and masses of people swear this is the best of the home relief options for coughing.

. Combine honey and grape juice and drink this mixture warm. This really helps for that nagging wet cough.

. Boil mint leaves and eucalyptus in water, and then inhale the vapors. This helps to clear the lungs and break up “gunk” in the sinuses.

. Drink hot carrot juice. Nutrients in carrot juice can suppress the body’s natural cough reflex.

. Prepare a natural cough syrup by mixing 2 tbsp lemon juice in a cup of water. Add a tbsp of honey and ginger juice in equal proportions. Drink this syrup several times a day to ease cough.

. Increase the intake of fluids in the day time when you are at work. A nice chicken broth/soup or vegetable soup with garlic in it would also help.

. Mix three drops of cedar oil with olive, sweet almond or jojoba oil, and message onto your chest a few times daily. Another way to use this is to add about 12 drops of these to boiling water and inhale the steam.

. Mix a few drops of eucalyptus to oil to jojoba, sweet almond oil and rub it onto your chest. You can also add 12 to 15 drops of eucalyptus oil to steaming water and inhale the vapor.


~Source:coughtreatment.org~