Cough

General Cough Symptoms

Yup... Chicken Soup

Instead of a few spoonfuls of cough medicine, how about a cup of hot chicken soup? Yes, your mother was right: Chicken soup will cure what ails you. The protein in chicken contains cystine, an amino acid similar to acetylcysteine, a drug that thins mucus and clears lungs. A bowl of steaming hot chicken soup helps release fluids within the body that will drain your chest of fluid and make mucus less likely to settle in lungs and become infected.

A Sweet but Smelly Cough Syrup

Finely chop one onion, place it in a pot and cover it with honey. Put the lid on the pot and warm the mixture on low heat for 40 minutes. Take as needed, one spoonful at a time, until the cough feels better. Onions are high in resins that have expectorant and antimicrobial properties. When taken warm, they increase blood flow to the chest and throat.

Get to the Root of Your Illness

Osha root stimulates the circulatory system, causing perspiration, chasing away chills and breaking up mucus in sinuses and lungs. Plus, this herb soothes sore tissues. Take a teaspoon of osha root tincture two to three times a day to remedy coughs, sore throats, congestion and other cold symptoms.

Tea Thyme Treatment

More than a mere spice or entree seasoning, thyme has antiseptic properties that often are overlooked. (Next time you're in a pharmacy, check the ingredients label on a Listerine bottle for thyme.) Thyme may help prevent infection and worsening of nagging coughs. Although you probably have dried thyme in your spice rack, herbalists suggest brewing fresh or dried leaves into a tea, and sipping it throughout the day until the cough is tamed.

Homemade Expectorant

If you're looking for a cough remedy that is powerful enough to work quickly and yet is gentle enough for children, herbalists recommend anise, or aniseed. Taken in tea form, it adds a little anesthetic quality to the remedy. Simply heat the seeds or leaves in water, let steep for several minutes, then strain the leaves and sip.

Although the herb is safe when taken in tea medicinally for up to a week, chronic use of anise can be toxic. (In stronger, essential oil form, two or three drops taken orally are safe, but 30 or 40 drops are not.) Check with your doctor if you have a persistent cough, as it may be a sign of a more serious problem.

Family-Sized Portion of a Potion

Fancy yourself a chef? Cook up your own herbal cough-and-cold syrup. Follow this recipe:

1. Combine equal parts of honey and wild cherry bark syrup to form the base.
2. Next, mix in two grams of ground apricot seed, an ounce of garlic tincture and an ounce of osha root tincture.
3. Store in a tightly closed container.

Take two teaspoons every few hours during a coughing spell.

Sage Advice

Used by Native Americans during purification rituals, white sage is also one of the best natural antibiotics to rub out infection. Make an all-purpose white sage solution using 30 to 60 drops of tincture mixed in a cup of warm water. Either drink the brew as a tea or gargle with it.

The Daily Rind

Tangerine rinds-and other citrus fruits like oranges and lemons-contain essential oils, bioflavonoids and vitamin C that naturally dear out stuffy sinuses and respiratory tracts. Grind or grate each of the peels (they can be combined if you wish), then add a teaspoonful of the zest to a cup of herbal tea. Or combine with wild cherry bark syrup for a fruity cough formula.

Oregano Quiets a Cough

The herb oregano can be a powerful cough soother. Make a tea with a teaspoon of dried oregano steeped in a cup of hot water. Strain before sipping. You may drink up to three cups a day during a cold or coughing spell.

Powerful Kitchen Poultice

To help break up congestion in the lungs, thinly slice an onion and cook it in a little bit of water until very soft. Wrap the cooked onion in thin dishtowels, then apply to the chest for 20 minutes. Sometimes aromatherapy is anything but lavender-like!

Apricot Punch

Are you ready to try a centuries-old Chinese herbal remedy for coughs and colds? Ground apricot seeds contain potent chemicals that can help suppress dry, hacking coughs. You need only a little a third of a gram-mixed into a cup of boiled water to make a therapeutic tea. Visit a Chinese herbalist to find ground apricot seeds if you are unable to find them in a general health food store. Otherwise, buy some apricots, break open the pit and grind the seeds on your own in a sturdy blender.

Bronchitis

Take It from a Skunk

How do herbalists spell relief for the spasms caused by a serious bronchial infection? Skunk cabbage-it's one of the best remedies for relaxing the muscles in the airways and the bronchial tree. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find. Contact an herbal pharmacy for assistance in tracking down a tincture of skunk cabbage. And truth be told, the aroma isn't all that bad.

Herbal Bronchial Remedy

Isatis root boasts natural antibacterial and antiviral properties for knocking out respiratory rattles caused by an infection. Take 35 drops of the tincture every few hours for a severe bronchial infection. Helpful hint: Since the isatis root tincture tastes very bitter, drop a little on your tongue and quickly chase the herbal remedy with a glass of juice to make the medicine go down easier.

Soothing Mustard Wrap

The best condiment for bronchitis is mustard. Whip up the following recipe for a deepheat, decongesting treatment.

1. Add a teaspoon of mustard powder to a cup of flour.
2. Add enough hot water to the mixture to make a paste.
3. Put on an old T-shirt, then apply the paste onto the shirt in the chest area.
4. Cover the area with plastic wrap, and put a hot-water bottle on top. Then sit quietly for 15 minutes-maximum.

A few warnings: Do not put the mixture directly on your skin, as it can burn. Avoid applying the mixture near nipples, because it's too harsh for the sensitive area. And finally, if this treatment doesn't give relief after two applications, it's not going to do it.

Common Herbs, Uncommon Potency

A few drops of essential oils like eucalyptus or thyme in a bowl of hot water produce medicinal vapors that clear congestion and help calm bronchial coughs. Plus, herbalists and naturopaths say that both eucalyptus and thyme (which are widely available) have antimicrobial qualities that will help fight an infection. Even 5 to 10 minutes of breathing the vapors will bring results.

Dry, Hacking Cough

An Acupressure Suppressant

If you've got a hacking cough, and the drugstore or herbal aids are letting you down, perhaps taming your muscles can help out. Try this two-thumb acupressure treatment, with a partner's help.

First, find the bump in the spine where the neck and shoulders meet. Apply pressure to points directly on either side of the bump, with the amount of time dependent upon the severity of the cough. This treatment can be repeated throughout the day.

A Homeopathic "Lesson"

Like standard drug therapy, homeopathic drugs often won't work if taken incorrectly-or inconsistently. For instance, when you have a dry cough that seems to take your breath away when you move too fast, make sure you stay with the medication for more than a day or two.

For this type of cough, homeopaths suggest Bryonia (6C) , twice a day for four days.

The Oil Hanky Trick

When you have a hacking cough that robs you of breath several times a day, try this suggestion from a sage herbalist-simply place a few drops of essential oil of frankincense on a handkerchief (or tissue) and inhale every hour or so, or as needed.

Note: Shortness of breath associated with coughing could be a sign of asthma or other serious illnesses. See your doctor to be sure that you're okay.

A Very Cherry Cure

Wild cherry bark provides sweet relief for a scratchy throat and nagging cough. The syrup can be purchased at health food stores. Or look for herbal cough remedies containing wild cherry bark syrup. Naturopaths and others say taking a teaspoonful every few hours may help persistent coughs. They add, though, that simply flavoring a cough drop with the essence of cherry and sugar won't do the trick.

Weed Out Dry Coughs

Is a severe cough rattling your bones? Gumweed will work to get rid of the choking and painful spasms of a dry cough-and acts as an expectorant. The prescription: 10 drops of the tincture, or one to three capsules, three times a day until symptoms improve.

Look for gumweed tincture at a local health food store, or contact an herbalist for assistance in finding the uncommon remedy. Gumweed can be sipped in water or taken as an elixir blended with honey.

Horehound for Hoarse Throats

Hoarse? Hacking? It's horehound to the rescue. This herbal expectorant thins mucus in the lungs. Make a tea from 10 to 15 drops of horehound tincture in a cup of hot water. Drink up to three cups a day during an illness. Horehound lozenges are also available in health food stores.

"Tickle" in Your Throat

Take It Lying Down

Not all coughs are alike-you knew that. So why do most people take the same medication for relief, when the symptoms are so varied? One of the more frustrating kinds of coughs occurs when you're going to bed, sliding into the sheets. Something about going horizontal kick-starts the cough-and you think you'll never get to sleep.

Homeopathic medicine offers a specific remedy for the "horizontal hack": Drosera (6C). Take it once an hour for up to five hours, when your symptoms have just started. Then, stay with it twice a day for four days.

A Slippery Lozenge

Slippery elm bark is the herbal prescription for taking a tickle out of your throat. Known for its soothing qualities, the herb, taken as a tea or lozenge, coats the throat and quiets coughing. Look for the lozenges at your local health food store. Or stir one teaspoon of powdered bark into hot water for cough relief.