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Cough Remedies

Updated: 11/13/2009

"A cough, also known as tussis is a sudden, often repetitive, spasmodic contraction of the thoracic cavity, resulting in violent release of air from the lungs, and usually accompanied by a distinctive sound.

Coughing is an action the body takes to get rid of substances that are irritating the breathing passages. A cough is usually initiated to clear a buildup of phlegm in the trachea. Coughing can also be triggered by a bolus of food entering the trachea rather than the esophagus due to a failure of the epiglottis. Frequent or chronic coughing usually indicates the presence of a disease. Provided the patient is a non-smoker and has a normal chest X-ray, the cause of chronic cough in 93% of all patients is due to asthma, heartburn or post-nasal drip. Other causes of chronic cough include chronic bronchitis and medications such as ACE inhibitors. Coughing can happen voluntarily as well as involuntarily." (Wikipedia)

DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.

POPULAR REMEDIES:

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR	58 YEAS
VICKS	9 YEAS
ONIONS	7 YEAS
GARLIC	6 YEAS

ALICIA'S RED ONION RECIPE

2 YEA

[YEA]  07/31/2009: Alicia Martines from Asheville, NC writes: "Red Onion.

I am from Mexico, and my mother recommended me a red onion home made syrup for nagging coughs.

My first son had a times a cough that would never really go away. My second son was an extremely premature baby and therefore with "weak" immature lungs. I used this homemade syrup after trying everything, including various homeopathic formulas.

The original syrup calls for sugar but I have replaced it with honey or stevia. The onion has to be RED onion and I give it to my children either as lung strengthener or as medicine qwhen they do have a cough or cold.

Ingredients
1 big red onion washed and peeled.
sweetener (brown sugar, stevia, honey)

Cut the onion HORIZONTALLY in slices. Start at the base of the onion. Lay the newly cut base and place base in a bowl. Add a layer of the stevia or honey in here. GO easy as you have many layers to go and the sweetener from the top layers will eventually sip through the bottom layers
Repeat until the whole onion has been cut and reconstructed on the bowl.

Let it rest for at least 15 hrs at room temperature. I do it overnight.
Next day I have a bowl with about half a glass of "syrup". Children like the sweet taste. It doesn't taste like onion at all.

I hope you find this remedy as "miraculous" as I have!"

08/01/2009: Isabel from Tampa, Fl replies: "Please let me know how you take it, and how many times a day, for children and adult"

[YEA]  08/04/2009: Mary from Lesburg, Fl replies: "I found your Red Onion recipe for coughs to be very effective.I did however, modify slightly. I took 1/4 of a Red Onion and 1/2 cup of Honey and blended them together into a puree and strained the puree through a wire strainer. It seems to work fine. Another thing that helped stop my cough was to buy a bottle of ____ from my local pharmacy and took as directed."

ANISE SEED TINCTURE FOR NONPRODUCTIVE COUGH

1 YEA

[YEA]  01/11/2008: Brigitte from Houston, Texas writes: "re: anise seed tincture for treatment of nonproductive coughs. A nonproductive cough is another name for a dry cough which does nothing to move phlem from the throat and lumgs. This is often a precursor to a more serious ailment like pneumonia. It is of the utmost importance that you remove the excessive phlem from your system. I have found that the best expectorant that I can find is made by placing five tablespoons anise seeds into 1 cup of rum. I take no more than 2 teaspoons of this as needed to induce a cough which allows for the mucus to be removed from the body. A note to nursing mothers who have problems with milk production; a good side affect of anise is that it increases milk production in lactating mothers. I know this for a fact as my last child was born when I was 40 and I had problems producing milk sufficient to meet my child's needs. Be cognisant of the fact that you do not want to over do it with alcohol if you are nursing as this would be counter productive to the health and well being of the child who depends on you for nourishment. I used an anise tea when I was nursing it works well for increasing milk production."

12/22/2008: Ali from Gatron, Kano/Nigerian replies: "yours grateful. i'm have nonereproductive cough i am very happy that i locate this page.glory be to GOD.this is an ailment that was try to terminate my health since 1997,i was conduct difference doctor with difference medices but the syptom persist.thanks. yours faithfully."

01/07/2009: David from Houston, Texas replies: "On the Anise Seed remedy for cough, it does not state how to use. It only states "the best expectorant that I can find is made by placing five tablespoons anise seeds into 1 cup of rum. I take no more than 2 teaspoons of this as needed to induce a cough which allows for the mucus to be removed from the body."

My question is, do I let the anise soak in the rum for a certain amt of time before then taking the 2 tsp of it as needed? If you could be more specific I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thank you."

07/15/2009: Terri from Boulder, Colorado replies: "To David from Houston. I googled this and the recipe is 5 tablespoons anise seed in one pint of rum. Let it age for two weeks. Is this how you are doing your tincture??"

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

58 YEA
3 NAY
2 WORKED TEMPORARILY

[YEA]  11/13/2009: Tivins from Qld, Australia writes: "I caught a bad cold recently, while the medicine from the chemist stops the cold, I cant stop the cough that came after it. The cough was very bad. Feels like theres something ticklish on my throat n makes me wanna cough it out but cant. At night, im not able to sleep, just cough n cough till i got cramps in the stomach. I looked up for the cure in this site. (i save this site on my desktop). I took 3capfuls of apple cider vinegar with my normal morning tea with either sugar or honey with warm water. In a couple of hours, my coughs lessen and the sore i felt in my throat from coughing felt better. My runny nose also stops n i fell soo much better.. Thank u earthclinic, u make my day!"

[YEA]  09/14/2009: Gizmo from Hot Springs, Ar writes: "I used 1 tsp apple cider vinegar,1 tsp raw honey in 1/4 cup warm water for a bad cough. I felt relief immediately, and later on I coughed up a lot of phlegm. Then the cough was gone."

[YEA]  09/04/2009: Reena from Chicago, IL writes: "ACV cured husband's cough! We used 2 tablesspoons ACV and 4 tablespoons of apple juice and his cough immediately stopped! Great!"

[YEA]  07/22/2009: Susan from Santa Clarita, CA writes: "I had a bad sore throat from a cold which went away, then was left with a nagging cough. Nothing I tried helped. Tonight I mixed 3 tab acv with 1 tab honey, 1 cup of water and microwaved for 1 1/2 minutes. I sipped the mixture and immediately noticed the tickle and scratchy throat diminshed. I drank another cup and and haven't felt the urge to cough after several hours. This really works!"

[YEA]  06/12/2009: Veronica from London, UK writes: "My mother is 85 and has been suffering from a terrible cough for at least 2 years. The doctors had given her so many antiobotics she had given up. The cough was a proudctive one has well. As i was on the site fro my own problems... i happended to look up coughs and decided I would make my mpther some ACV and honey! My fod - we still cant beleive it - it is GONE... Gone! the first day - nothing hapened - she said lets just continne for another 5 days! well by the end of the 5th days all coughing has ceased. No monrning could - throughout the day and no night cough.

I used just a quarter of ACV and 3 tablespoons honey - with a litle water.

So glad I found this site .. it has made mu mother very happy. To think a simple household remedy could bring this amount of joy is unbeleiveable. my family are amazed!

Thanks Earth clinic."

[YEA]  05/24/2009: Sortor from Santa Rita, Guam writes: "I gave my daughter 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinager & 2 tsp honey in 8 oz water because she had a bad cough & sore throat. It was her second night that she was unable to sleep because of the cough. After drinking the mix, she went back to bed & slept the night through."

06/14/2009: Ari from Louisville, KY replies: "If you are having a bad cough, I recommend fasting for a few days, only drink green juices and take two ounces of wheatgrass daily. You will feel better. Ari"

[WORKED TEMPORARILY]  09/05/2009: Domesticruby from Prague, Czech Republic replies: "I tried this for my 6 year old but it was only mildly successful. It stopped him from coughing for 1 hour. Then I tried something else that REALLY worked - Vicks Vapor Rub on the soles of his feet, covered by socks gave him almost instant relief for 8 hours of night-time sleeping!"

[NAY]  03/22/2009: Jeannelle from Joplin, Missouri writes: "I have had this nagging cough for about 3 months now and it is driving me crazy!! Last week I found this website and tried the ACV method, so far it has not worked like everyone else. I have taken it with natural honey and have taken the mixture up to 4 times aday! I am also doing the hydrogen peroxide method/with no results! When I cough I am coughing up thick white mucus. Am I jumping the gun or do I need to keep on taking this longer? I am at my wits end! It tickles like crazy!"

04/14/2009: Teresa from Bay City, MI replies: "Just wanted to ask Jeannelle from Joplin Missouri if you started taking blood pressure medicine recently. If so this could be the cause of your chronic cough. My father had a cough he couldn't get rid of and I told him to mention it to his Doctor and he did. It was one of the side effects of his medicine. When the Doctor switched his medicine to another type his cough went away within a week!"

04/15/2009: Caren from Johannesburg, South Africa replies: "My mother had the same for about 3 years. This was caused by her teeth. She had a bridge for 30 years and had a bad tooth. She had it pulled and no more problems. She also changed her blood pressure tablets. Read the side effects of the medication. Oil Pulling will be a good idea."

04/17/2009: DJ from PDX, Or replies: "To, Jeannelle from Joplin. I have had a similar cough since September of 2008. I drink the ACV and oil pull daily. Yesterday I read about the H2o2 inhaling. I tried it last night and had the first uninterupted night sleep in months. The first three tries it was difficult to not cough but this morning inhaling is not a problem."

EC: More about the H202 inhalation method here: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/hydrogen_peroxide_inhalation.html

04/17/2009: Joyce from Joelton, Tn. replies: "Hello Jeanelle, Luckily you have already stumbled onto something that works for that 3 months cough. I wish I had known about H202 inhalation when I caught pertussis (whooping cough) several years ago. The cough sounds awful and like a chest cough, but as I told someone who told me I needed to see a lung man, "no, it's all in my head. When I use a lot of normal saline to stop it, it works, but what is making me cough feels like someone is pouring Elmer's glue over my trachea, and my body is apparently doing a good job of keeping it out of my lungs". My usual 50/50 ACV and honey didn't help despite the fact that I must have drank a couple of pints of. Or if it did help, I would hate to think what it would have been like without it, because there was a couple of times that I came close to dialing 911 for help. So all of you who may catch this confounded cough, don't count on the ACV/honey to do it all. If the H202 inhalation doesn't do the job alone you might want to do both if necessary. If it seems to be your head pouring nasal drainage over your trachea, try the H202 first."

[WORKED TEMPORARILY]  03/20/2009: Tina from Rochester, NY USA writes: "I had a bad cold with lots of coughing. I read about ACV on this site and decided to give it a try. I used 1 Tbsp ACV, 1 Tbsp honey and about 6 oz of hot water. It tasted much better than I expected and gave temporary relief to my cough."

02/27/2009: SHELLEY from KELOWNA, BC, CANADA writes: "My partner has acid reflux (apparently) and has never had heartburn! His problem is severe coughing. The past 2 weeks it has gotten so bad that he can't eat or talk because this triggers horrible spasms. Has anyone else had this and how did you deal with it? I'm going to try vinegar but his thoat is so raw from coughing that I'm almost afraid to try it. He needs something to soothe his thoat."

02/28/2009: Jan from Athens, Ga replies: "Have you considered trying: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/hydrogen_peroxide_inhalation.html It worked miracles for me when nothing else would."

[YEA]  02/24/2009: Rhonda from Harlingen, Texas writes: "ACV took the cough away! My husband had a rough, dry cough that caused his head to throb. No over the counter medicine worked. I turned to this site and used 2 tablespoons of ACV with 4 tablespoons of juice and the cough ceased almost immediately! He was able to sleep again without coughing! Thanks earthclinic!"

[YEA]  01/22/2009: Maria from Carrollon, TX USA writes: "I was desparate after a nagging cough kept me up most of the night and was relentless during the day. My head/neck area still hurt but at least the coughing has stopped. I took 2 cups of the concoction (1TB ACV; 1TB honey in 1 Cup of hot water). and at first it didn't do much. After my 3rd/4rth cup I realized that I had stopped coughing and that nagging tickle was no longer in my throat. My chest felt heavy before and having asthma, I was wheezing so much that i was taking my inhaler 3-4 times per day! I am hoping that this ACV trick really worked. I have also been taking a natural cough medicine which never worked before, so I'm convinced the ACV was the healer."

[YEA]  12/25/2008: Emily from Orange Park, Florida, USA writes: "I somehow developed a dry cough and was looking for a way to "cure" it. I came across this recipe on the web and tried it right away. Although the taste was really bad, the 1T ACV, 1/2C of hot water and 1T+ of honey practically cleared my throat up right away!"

[YEA]  12/18/2008: Jessica from Cambridge, Mass. writes: "Wow! I'm really impressed that the first sip of apple cider vinegar and honey in hot water quieted my cough with the first sip. The 1/2 cup of hot water, 1T of vinegar, and 1/2T of honey greatly reduced the sore throat pain and took my cough almost completely away. It tastes a whole lot better to me than any cough drop I've ever tried, too."

[YEA]  12/11/2008: Kim from Spokane, WA writes: "My son is 5 yrs old and had a nasty cough for almost 2 months. So bad he would wake up in the middle of the night and cough to the point of vomiting. Being desperate I looked on line and came upon this site with all the testimonies. The next morning I gave him a mixture of 1 tbls of ACV 1/2 tbls of honey in 1/2 cup of hot water. Within 5 mins it worked. He now drinks it 3 times a day. I couldn't believe after spending alot of money on many different over-the-counter medication that there was a simple solution at home. Thanks"

[YEA]  10/26/2008: Lauren from Memphis, TN writes: "I just wanted to make all those asthma sufferers, including Liz from Wisconcin, a little more aware of their environment and possible triggers that they may not be aware of. I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and developed asthma 18 years ago, when I moved into my sister's new townhouse. I thought her cats were making me sick, including the asthma, but they weren't. It was the townhouse.

Many elements of our home and work environments are overloaded with synthetic chemicals, which are the main trigger for my asthma. For example, carpeting is processed with a number of toxic synthetic chemicals, including formaldehyde. Much of the manufactured furniture is made of composite woods, which also contain formaldehyde and toxic glues. Our interior environments are loaded with many synthetic chemicals, so I suggest you learn more about them. Many manufactured components take months or years to outgas and can silently make a person ill. Furniture, carpet, cleaning solutions, health and beauty aids are loaded. Fragrances, including perfumes and air fresheners are nothing but synthetic chemicals that you and your family are breathing in, and those toxins are building up in your bodies.

With my condition, I try to be very careful about what comes into my home, as it is my safe place. Recently, I purchased a dehumidifier for our basement, which produced some kind of gas that floated up through the floor boards (I couldn't smell anything). It never occured to me that this would be a dangerous piece of equipment, but it was. Just beware of the unknown....four years ago, I took doxycycline which caused a severe asthma episode that lasted for 4 or 5 weeks. You never know!

In addition to the asthma I am currently experiencing,I have also had an annoying cough at night. That's what brought me to Earthclinic tonight, as I needed to deal with this. I figured the most effective concoction would include AVC..I wasn't dissapointed! I can tolerate ACV, but don't like honey, so I heated 2 Tablespoons of ACV, 1 Tablespoon each of honey and lemon in 1 cup of water. With the first sip, it calmed my cough and I think it has eased my asthma some too. This mixture was almost tasty, and I will definitely keep it up! Thanks everyone!"

10/23/2008: Pamela from Dixon, IL writes: "I have been having a severe cough for a year now. I have tried the apple cider vinegar but I just can't get past the taste. I literally gag on the stuff no matter what I do. I hold my nose, everything! Can someone please tell me how so many people take this stuff and love it? I am very frustrated here. I have used the standard 2 tbs with 2 tbs honey."

EC: Apple Cider Vinegar recipes here: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acv_recipes.html

10/23/2008: Beverly from Pikeville, KY replies: "I totally agree with you Pamela about the "BAD" taste of ACV. Try this if you really want to keep taking it. I use about 4 or 5 ounces of orange juice and 2 tblsp ACV. If I feel especially sluggish I like to add to that 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. Stir vigirously. Suck down quickly with a straw. The orange juice helps with both the acv and pepper tastes. I also put the straw back in my mouth as far as possible to avoid the taste-IT HELPS! Hope this is of some help to you, luck to you, Bev. "

10/23/2008: Atiygi from Gary, Indiana replies: "I love the Pineapple Orange Banana juice from my local grocery store no matter what brand. I've found that adding ACV to this juice allows me to drink it without hardly detecting a difference in taste."

10/24/2008: Deborah from Denison, Texas replies: "I take mine twice daily and I use a 1/4 tsp of baking soda and it will kill the taste. Make sure you are using the organic apple cider such as Dr. Braggs. It is not as bitter or tart and it has the mother which is full of nutrients."

10/27/2008: Jessica from Dallas, TX replies: "Mix it with Apple Juice. Works wonderfully, I can barely taste it!"

[YEA]  10/15/2008: Michelle from Carbondale, PA, USA writes: "My mom, who is 79 years old, had a cough for 7 months. She went to a pulmonologist, an ENT, she had allergy tests done, endoscopy, cat scans, ultrasounds and x-rays of her sinuses and vocal cords. She's had every test imaginable and everything came up negative, yet she still coughed. I decided to do a google search and found this website. That day she took apple cider vinegar and honey, and instantly stopped coughing. Now, it has only been 2 days, but she has finally gotten her life back! I only wish I had searched the Web 7 months ago! My question, however is this: Why does this work?"

12/15/2008: Lanie from Dallas, Texas replies: "To Michelle from Carbondale, PA : Re: Chronic Cough and Apple Cider Vinegar

Hello, I just read your post about your mother, and my 88 year old mother has the same thing - chronic cough for about 7 months now, has seen every doctor, has been treated for asthma, acid reflux and post nasal drip, as well as allergies, to no avail. She's not a complainer, but the poor thing is exhausted.

She hasn't had but a few full night's sleep since this began and it has really taken a toll on her. Her cough is accompanied by a large amount of phlegm, therefore she has to find a restroom so that she can cough it up. It is preventing her from doing any social activities out of fear she'll have a cough attack.

Please, can you tell me how your mother is doing now after a few months? Is she still taking the ACV and honey and is the cough still gone?? I will get my mother started on ACV and honey tomorrow, and will post the results here.

Thank you for taking the time to write, this website is a great source of information."

[YEA]  10/02/2008: Julie from San Diego, CA writes: "My husband has coughed for 2 weeks. After drinking ACV for a day and a half, he stops coughing and no more stuffy nose. 3 tbp ACV, 1 tbp honey and 1 cup of hot water."

[NAY]  09/07/2008: Linda from Elgin, Scotland writes: "Apple Cider vinegar did not work for the persistent cough I had and delayed me seeking medical advice. I eventually needed antibiotics and steroids to help my breathing. Now permanently on an inhaler. Sorry!"

[YEA]  07/29/2008: Maria from Athens, Greece writes: "APPLE CIDER VINEGAR CURED MY DRY COUGH!
I'm grateful that I found this site! I had a really bad dry cough for a week that kept me and all my family members awake all night long. I'd tried everything, benadryl, cough suppressants, nothing made a difference. Then I found this wonderful site and the same night I used a small glass of warm water with 1 finger apple cider vinegar and two teaspoons of honey. I was able to sleep that night! My cough was 80% better. I kept drinking that regimen for the following days and my cough is completely gone!
God bless the internet and earthclinic!"

[YEA]  05/21/2008: Sally from Seattle, USA writes: "I've had a bronchial cough for years and so much mucus.. and nothing helped, even natural herbs. Someone told me about this site... I started taking acv, 2 tblspoons in a glass of water once in the morning before eating and in 2 weeks, it was much improved.. Friends noticed when I talked with them on the phone, I didn't have to cough every few sentences. In a month, it was all but gone. Now after several months, it is gone. It's amazing. I'm not young either. I'm nearly 73. Now I decided to take it 3 times a day and work on getting rid of the arthritis.

Thanks to Earthclinic for being there and to all the readers who share their stories. I loved to read all the reports from others."

[YEA]  05/11/2008: Lori from Sauk Centre, MN writes: "Hello, I have had a terrible cough for 2.5 months now. Out of desperation I searched the internet and found this site. I was impressed that so many people had good results with the Apple Cider Vinegar. At the time I was having a really bad attack and I was having bronchial spasms so I decided to try the ACV with honey. Within 10 minutes I could breathe with ease and there was very little coughing. I slept well that night. Now, I will take this every day because it is very good for a lot of things. Thank you to everyone for your posts and to this web site for being there."

[YEA]  04/11/2008: Samantha from Dallas, Texas writes: "I tried the ACV w/ honey after days of non stop coughing. It was driving me insane b/c not only is it annoying but it really hurt my throat and it gave me terrible headaches. So finally last night I had enough and decided to look up natural, home remedies preferably that included vinegar b/c I know how great it is. I found this web site and read about the wonderful results other people have had, so I decided to try it. It was awesome!! I'm still coughing a little bit but not nearly as much as the past week...which has been a nightmare. I took some last night and also this morning...although I have to admit...the vinegar really burned!! I mixed 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon honey. next time i am planning on diluting w/ a couple of tablespoons of water b/c it really hurt my stomach but I am so great full that I found this remedy...I will keep using it from now on instead of buying expensive medicines that only put me to sleep."

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