Herbs for cough will bring relief from this extremely unpleasant ailment. Thyme, coltsfoot and marshmallow are ingredients in medicines, but you can also make homemade herbal teas for coughs. Here are recipes using cough herbs.

Herbs for coughare worth trying especially when we are dealing with a dry cough. He is the one that affects us the most and usually appears at the beginning of an infection. If you don't want to resort to medications, then brew some cough herbs at home.

Contents:

  1. When to reach for cough herbs?
  2. Herbs for cough: common thyme
  3. Herbs for cough: coltsfoot
  4. Herbs for cough: marshmallow
  5. Cough tea recipes

When to reach for cough herbs?

A dry cough is also called unproductive, because it is not accompanied by expectoration of secretions in the bronchi. This is an important process because the germs that cause the disease are multiplying.

Therefore, it is worth stimulating the respiratory tract to expectorate to clean it of germs and speed up recovery.

How to do it? You can save yourself with syrup or use cough herbs that moisturize the mucous membranes, increase the secretion of mucus in the bronchi and facilitate its expectoration.

Herbs for cough: common thyme

Thyme is the most popular cough herb.

We like to use Thyme as an aromatic spice to aid digestion, and less often in home treatments for dry cough.

Meanwhile, it works perfectly in this role, mainly due to the significant content of essential oil (about 2.5%), which includes carvacrol, cineol, cymene, alpha-pinene, linalool, borneol and thymol with has a strong antimicrobial effect (it has bactericidal and fungicidal properties).

Timol is well soluble in water, so it easily turns into infusions and additionally has analgesic properties.

In addition to the essential oil, this cough herb contains tannins, polyphenolic acids, triterpene compounds, bitterness, saponins, and flavonoids that have a relaxant and expectorant effect.

Thyme stimulates spontaneous movementscilia in the upper respiratory tract epithelium, increases the secretion of liquid mucus and thins the thick secretion in the throat - as a result, it is helpful in the treatment of bronchitis, dry cough, asthma, and rhinitis.

Thyme herb and its extracts can be found in many preparations recommended for diseases of the upper respiratory tract - herbal mixtures, lozenges. A simple infusion of dried thyme is also great for a dry cough.

Important!Thyme should not be eaten too much - it contains thymol, which can cause vomiting and gastritis.

Herbs for cough: coltsfoot

Another herb for coughing is coltsfoot - both its leaves and flowers have expectorant properties, which are mainly due to mucus compounds. They protect the respiratory tract, reducing irritation, which inhibits coughing.

In addition, they relax the secretions in the throat and restore the movements of the ciliary epithelium, facilitating expectoration. Coltsfoot leaves contain up to 8% of mucous compounds, and besides, flavonoids, tannins, phytosterol, carotenoids, essential oil, phenolic acids, minerals.

In addition to expectorant action, they also have coating, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. On the other hand, flowers contain more essential oil and flavonoids, and less mucus and bitterness, which is why they inhibit the cough reflex more strongly, but have weaker properties of protecting mucous membranes.

Coltsfoot is used in both chronic and acute bronchitis, as a cough herb for tiring and dry coughs and in asthma. Its expectorant and antispasmodic action is used in the treatment of many lung diseases, incl. emphysema.

Podbiału herb is a component of many antitussive preparations, incl. herbal blend, homemade cough syrups and lozenges with coltsfoot.

Homemade teas are equally effective in dealing with troublesome coughing - the infusion is especially recommended for the elderly in the case of mild catarrh of the upper respiratory tract.

Herbs for cough: marshmallow

The high (even more than 10%) content of mucous compounds in the next herb for cough - marshmallow, made it one of the most effective antitussive herbs - this property is shared by both its roots and leaves.

The main components of mucus are: galacturonic acid, galactose, glucose, arabinose and rhamnose, which have a protective, coating and anti-inflammatory effect, softening the secretion inbronchi and expectorants.

In addition to mucous compounds, the herb's roots contain pectin, sucrose and starch, asparagine and betaine, vitamins and numerous mineral s alts.

The leaves of marshmallow contain flavonoids, organic acids, coumarins, carotene.

It is worth knowing that marshmallow protects not only the respiratory tract, but also the stomach - the mucilages contained in the herb swell in water and form colloidal solutions that cover the mucous membranes with a thin layer, protecting them against irritants and facilitating their regeneration.

In addition, they work longer and more effectively, the higher the acidity of gastric juice, because marshmallow mucilages increase their viscosity under the influence of hydrochloric acid.

Marshmallow root is an essential ingredient in many cough medications, such as herbal mixtures intended for use in the treatment of catarrh of the upper respiratory tract accompanied by an irritating dry cough.

Marshmallow root extracts are also found in herbal cough suppressant syrups. It is also easy to prepare your own preparations from the dried marshmallow herb.

Cough tea recipes

1. Thyme tea

  • 1 tablespoon of the herb pour a glass of boiling water and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Drain. Drink 1/2 cup twice a day.

2. Coltsfoot tea

  • 1 tablespoon of the mixture of coltsfoot leaves and flowers, pour a glass of boiling water and leave, covered, for 15 minutes. Strain, drink 1/2 cup of infusion 3-4 times a day.
  • 2 tablespoons of coltsfoot flowers pour a glass of water and simmer slowly, covered 5 minutes. Set aside for 10 minutes, then strain. Drink 1/2 cup of decoction 2-3 times a day.

3. Marshmallow tea

  • 1 tablespoon of crushed root pour a glass of warm water and leave it covered overnight. Heat a little in the morning and strain. Drink 1/3 cup 3 times a day.
  • 100g of crushed root pour 1/2 liter of 40% pure vodka and set aside in a warm place for 2 weeks. Shake the dish 2 times a day. Strain the tincture through thick gauze, squeeze the sediment out. Store the tincture in the refrigerator. Drink 1 teaspoon 3 times a day after meals.

Read: Cough in a child - types and treatment

Wet vs. dry cough. How to recognize and how to treat?

Cough

The cough itself is not a disease, it is a reflex action aimed at clearing the respiratory tree of anything that is lingering in it. It is therefore an important element of the body's defense. It is very important for a doctor to know what typeour coughing is troubling us. The treatment for the cough will be different depending on the type of cough.

Category:

He alth