Home Remedy for Cough

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Home Remedy for Cough

By Bonnie K. McMillen, R.N, B.S.N., College Health Nurse, University of

Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bradford, PA, mcmillen+

 

For the adventurous and independent sort, here's a homemade cough syrup

recipe that really works. The ingredients are a combination of spices and

nutrients with no unpleasant medicinal side effects -- no drowsiness, no dry

mucous membranes, no cautions about using machinery or driving.

The recipe is from Herbally Yours by Penny C. Royal, 3rd Edition, June 1982.

It seems to work for all kinds of coughs but especially for that dry hacky

cough that keeps you awake and hangs on long after the cold is over.

One of our international students recently told me that her mother in India

used to give her a cough medicine with similar ingredients.

It soothes an irritated throat and relieves chest congestion and phlegm. The

bad news: it tastes terrible -- it really does -- but if you have a

persistant cough, it's worth a try.

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons water

Mix and take by the teaspoon.

The recipe doesn't indicate how much to take. I took 3 teaspoons the first

time because I had a bad dry cough for over three weeks, and I was desparate

for some relief. It worked and I got a good night's sleep. I have been

recommending it to others ever since, and many have confirmed my positive

results.

Consider the beneficial effects of the individual ingredients:

Ginger (zingiber officinale) has long been used and recommended for

arthritis and bursitis, because it is a natural anti-inflammatory. According

to Home Herbal, by Penelope Ody, D.K. Publishing, June 1995, ginger is a

natural antihistamine. It has also been used for for motion sickness and

nausea, and in addition, it's known for relieving chest congestion,

according to Dr. Andrew Weil, Herbal Medicine Chest http://cgi.pathfinder

com/drweil/herbal/medchest

Cayenne (capsaicin) reduces pain, according to Herbs for Health and Healing,

by Kathi Keville, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1996. The same substance that

makes cayenne peppers hot relieves the pain by suppressing a chemical that

carries the pain message from nerves in the affected area to the brain.

According to Home Herbal, by P. Ody, cayenne is warming and stimulating, it

is a good cold remedy and eases chills and will even ease the lingering pain

from shingles.

Vinegar has so many healthful uses. See my article, Vinegar: Ancient

Medicine and Popular Home Remedy in Connections Quarterly, Summer 1998 Issue

 

Honey, according to Home Herbal by P. Ody, will draw pus and poisons out of

wounds and it is useful for relief from colds.

Water is probably added to make it less strong tasting but it is still

strong!

I keep the mixture in the refrigerator after I make it but I don't know if

it is necessary.

The next time you have a cough that just won't quit, you might want to give

this homemade cough recipe a try.

CAUTION: Any cough persisting more than a week, accompanied by headache or

fever, and any cough which is productive of thick yellow or green mucous

should be evaluated by a physician. One precaution I have read is regarding

the honey: Do not give honey to children under 1 year of age unless it is

pasteurized or boiled for five minutes. I would not give this mixture to a

young child anyway, because the taste is too strong, and a child with a

cough should be seen by a pediatrician.