Dry Cough Home Remedies

Dry Cough Home Remedies

by Sam Malone



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Coughing is a natural response of the body to get rid of foreign bodies in the respiratory passage. The reflex action of the body to clear the breathing passages from irritants such as dust, foreign particles, and secretions result in a cough. Even though, cough is not a disease, frequent coughing may indicate the presence of a disease. Based on the duration, cough can be classified into three categories, acute, subacute, and chronic. An acute cough lasts for less than three weeks. If the cough lasts between three and eight weeks, it is known as subacute cough. A prolonged cough with phlegm that lasts longer than eight weeks is a chronic cough.

Based on its character, coughing can be classified into two types, productive and non-productive. The productive or chesty cough produces phlegm and usually occurs after a cold or flu. This kind of cough helps to clear phlegm from the lungs. A dry cough is non-productive and does not produce mucus. It is felt as a tickle in the throat and occurs due to the inflammation of the throat and upper respiratory airways. Although, a dry cough is annoying and persistent, there are several home remedies for dry cough

Home Remedies

Some of the effective home remedies for dry cough include the following:

·         Wetting the throat repeatedly with warm water helps to dilate the air passage and soothes the throat.

·         A warm salt gargle acts as an antiseptic to combat the micro-organisms that cause dry cough.

·         Dry air has the tendency to exacerbate a dry cough, so using a humidifier can also help soothe a dry cough.

·         Juice of aloe vera mixed with honey works as an expectorant and helps to combat dry cough with phlegm as it clears the mucus in the chest.

·         Herbal tea prepared from lemon and a tablespoon of honey is another effective home remedy.

·         Apple cider vinegar and water mixture helps to control dry cough.

·         Add a pinch of turmeric powder to a cup of hot milk. This helps to combat dry cough without phlegm. A stubborn cough can be managed by drinking hot milk and honey.

·         Ginger is considered the king of natural remedies for a number of ailments. Chewing a ginger piece soothes throat and helps alleviate dry cough symptoms.

·         Sucking a piece of cardamom helps to reduce the tickling associated with a dry cough.

·         Steam inhalation helps to clear sinus and can reduce a dry cough.

·         A mixture of honey and the lemon grass juice helps to reduce coughing.

·         Mix one tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper and ground ginger with two tablespoons of water. This mixture helps to control dry cough effectively.

·         Manuka honey and propolis have strong antibiotic properties and are widely used as a sweetening ingredient in the home remedies for dry cough.

·         Onion has decongestant property and can lose the mucus. Onion juice mixed with some honey provides relief by soothing the airways.

·         Aniseed is another good mucus loosening agent. Herbal tea using aniseed is a good dry cough home remedy.

·         Eating garlic at night helps to suppress dry cough.

·         Dry cough can also be treated by drinking grape juice with honey.

·         Mix four teaspoons of coconut milk with half a spoon of couscous and one spoon of honey. This mixture can control dry cough effectively.

·         Basil leaves and extract of Bishop’s weed also helps to control a dry cough.

Recommended Foods

Incorporating certain foods in the diet can also help alleviate a dry cough. Grapes boost the immune system of the body and help to get rid of the cough. The healing property of almonds helps to combat a cough quickly. Also, increasing fluid intake helps in thinning the mucus in the throat.