Hot tea makes an excellent beverage for a person with a cough. The heat is soothing to the throat and warming to the body. A variety of herbs and foods make wonderful choices for hot tea. Tea can be as simple or as complex as you like; you are limited only by your resources and imagination.
How to Sweeten Your Tea
Before considering your tea options, let us dispense with the important question of how to sweeten it.
You can sweeten your tea with any number of things but really, raw honey is the very best choice because it has healing properties for sickness in general and cough in particular. But perhaps you do not like honey or do not have any on hand. In this case raw sugar is another option. White table sugar or brown sugar can be used as well. If you wish to use a zero calorie sweetener, consider stevia or xylitol.
Artificial sweeteners are not recommended because of their neurotoxic properties. In fact, some artificial sweeteners may make a cough worse!
Plain Tea
Choose any tea you already have in your kitchen for starters. Black and green teas both work quite well for a cough. Green tea with jasmine is an especially popular option.
Herbal Tea
Most herbal teas will give some relief to a cough, if by nothing other than the virtue of the heat in the tea. Mullein, peppermint, and licorice are particularly helpful for a cough.
Savory Tea
You can hot water to any number of ingredients to make a tea that can bring relief to a cough.
Add one teaspoon of one of the following or mix together 1/4 teaspoon of 4 of them for each cup of water:
- oregano
- thyme
- sage
- cayenne
- turmeric
- onion powder
- garlic powder
Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt to your concoction if you like.
Spicy Tea
Mix together 1/4 teaspoon of each of the following and add to a mug of hot water:
- turmeric
- ginger
- cinnamon
- cloves
You may sweeten the spicy tea, if you like.
Sour Tea
Add 1 tablespoon of one of the following to your mug of hot water.
- apple cider vinegar
- lemon juice
- lime juice
Sweeten as recommended above, if desired.
These sour ingredients can be added to any of the other suggested teas as well.
Have you tried a tea for your cough? Please send us some feedback!