A lingering cough can make you feel absolutely miserable, and you probably want to get rid of it as fast as you can. Look for ways to soothe a dry cough into oblivion. For a wet cough, the quickest way to get rid of your cough in the long run actually involves bringing up more mucus faster. No matter what type of cough you have, however, there are a few common tactics you should use to put an end to your misery faster. Here are a few of the most beneficial.
EditSteps
Part One: Natural Cough Medicines
- Drink warm, clear fluids. Hydration is important for wet and dry coughs alike. Aim for the equivalent of eight 8 oz (250 ml) glasses of water per day, at least while you suffer from your cough.
- If you have difficulty drinking that water, clear or light juice, like apple juice, could be mixed in, as well.
- For wet coughs, hydration thins out the mucus causing your cough, thereby weakening it and helping you to get rid of it.
- For dry coughs, hydration allows you to keep your mucous membranes moist, thereby preventing the throat dryness that leads to most dry coughs.
- Note that this is the only treatment you should use for children between the ages of three months and one year. Only give the child 1 to 3 tsp (5 to 15 ml) of clear liquid up to four times per day.[1]
- Use honey. Honey is an effective way to suppress a cough and soothe a sore throat.[2]
- Some studies suggest that honey is as effective as a cough suppressant as dextromethorphan, an ingredient commonly used in many over-the-counter cough suppressants.
- One option is to take the honey directly. Try 2 tsp (10 ml) every few hours while your cough persists.
- Another option is to add 2 tsp (10 ml) or more to a glass of warm tea with lemon.
- Do not give honey to children under the age of 1, though, since it could increase the risk of infant botulism.
- Enjoy a piece of hard candy. If you do not have any cough drops on hand or would prefer to stay away from medicated lozenges, you can usually soothe and stop a cough by sucking on a piece of hard candy.
- A dry cough that produces no phlegm can be halted by nearly any piece of hard candy. Hard candy causes you to produce more saliva and to swallow more, thereby suppressing your cough.
- If you have a wet cough that does produce phlegm, lemon drops tend to work well.
- Dissolve peppermint candy in lemon juice.[3] Add honey to this mixture for an even more effective remedy.
- Drop 1 piece of peppermint candy into 1/2 cup (125 ml) lemon juice. Heat it in a small saucepan until the candy dissolves.
- Add 1 Tbsp (15 ml) honey to this mixture and stir to combine.
- Swallow 1 to 2 Tbsp (15 to 30 ml) of this remedy as needed to calm your cough.
- Drop 1 piece of peppermint candy into 1/2 cup (125 ml) lemon juice. Heat it in a small saucepan until the candy dissolves.
- Make a bourbon-based cough syrup. If you're interested in an effective cough syrup that is strictly for adults only, you can mix a little whiskey into your mug of warm lemon water.[4]
- Mix 2 oz (60 ml) of bourbon whiskey, 2 oz (60 ml) of lemon juice, and 2 to 4 oz (60 to 125 ml) of water in a microwave-safe mug.
- Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds.
- Whisk 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of honey into the mixture and microwave for another 45 seconds.
- The benefit of this cough syrup is that it also leaves you feeling drowsy, making it an effective way to halt your cough and help you to fall asleep even if your cough returns.
- Try a traditional Korean folk remedy. If you have a cough caused by the cold or flu, you could try making a batch of this traditional Korean cold remedy. It combines dried jujubes with spices, honey, and several other beneficial ingredients.[5]
- Combine 25 dried jujubes (sliced), 1 large Asian pear (quartered and seeded), a 3-inch (7.6-cm) piece of ginger (sliced), 2 to 3 cinnamon sticks, and 3 qt (2.8 L) of water in a large saucepan. Cover and heat on medium-high until it begins to boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 1 hour.
- Strain the juice and discard the other ingredients.
- Add 1 to 2 Tbsp (15 to 30 ml) of honey to sweeten the tea. Enjoy a warm mug of this remedy to soothe your throat and stop your cough within minutes.
Part Two: Natural Lifestyle Remedies
- Inhale warm water vapor. Take a hot shower and inhale the steam. At night, run a humidifier and breathe in the warm vapor.[6]
- Steam loosens nasal secretions and puts moisture back into the air.
- This method is helpful for coughs caused by colds, allergies, and asthma.
- Humidifiers need to be cleaned out regularly. Otherwise, they may cause more harm than good. Mold, other fungi, and bacteria can build up inside the machine and get transferred into the air alongside the steam.
- Change the way you cough. You may instinctively start with large, hearty coughs as soon as a coughing fit comes on, but building up to these large coughs slowly can actually help you get rid of a coughing fit faster. This is especially helpful if you have a moist cough.
- When a coughing fit begins, start by taking a series of small, light coughs. These coughs will not produce much mucus.
- At the end of your series of small coughs, do one big cough.
- The small coughs move the mucus toward the top of your air passage and the large cough has enough force to bring the mucus out.
- Coughing in this method will prevent your throat from becoming more irritated. Since an irritated throat is more likely to cause continued coughing, making your throat less irritated should help you get rid of your cough faster.
- Remove airborne irritants. Chronic coughs are often caused or worsened by airborne irritants. These irritants can cause chronic sinus irritation, leading to chronic coughing due to the excess mucus.
- The most obvious irritant to avoid is tobacco smoke.
- Perfumes and scented bathroom sprays are also known to trigger chronic coughs, however, and should be avoided at least for the duration of your cough if you want your cough to leave quicker.
- The most obvious irritant to avoid is tobacco smoke.
Part Three: Medical Solutions
- Try medicated throat lozenges. Menthol cough drops tend to be the most effective. These lozenges numb the back of your throat, restricting the cough reflex and putting an end to your coughing fit sooner.
- Cough drops are only recommended for adults and children 6 years or older.
- For moist coughs, horehound lozenges often prove helpful. Horehound is a bittersweet herb with expectorant properties, so it brings up more phlegm faster, allowing your cough to be over with sooner.
- For dry coughs, you could also use slippery elm lozenges. These lozenges are made from the bark of the slipper elm tree. The substances they contain coat the throat, thereby limiting the coughing reflex and putting an end to your hacking.
- Use a medicated chest rub. An over-the-counter medicated chest rub containing menthol or camphor should be able to halt most dry and moist coughs.
- These substances are known as topical "antitussives." In layman’s terms, they are substances capable of stopping a cough in its tracks.
- These rubs should only be applied topically and are not safe to ingest.
- Try a cough suppressant. An over-the-counter cough suppressant is best used for moist coughs that occur during the middle of the night.
- Cough suppressants halt the flow of cough-causing mucus and tell your brain to restrict the coughing reflex. They are a good idea if you need to stop your cough temporarily to sleep at night or for another reason, but you should not rely on cough suppressants for the duration of a cough-causing illness since they can cause mucus to stay trapped in your lungs, increasing your risk of developing a bacterial infection.
- Look for a cough suppressant containing dextromethorphan, pholcodine, or antihistamines.[7]
- Do not give cough medicine to children under 4 years of age.
- Use an expectorant. An expectorant will actually cause your cough to become more violent and more productive in the short-term but should help shorten the duration of your cough in the long-term.
- If you have a wet cough, an expectorant will thin the mucus out, making it easier to cough up. Coughing up the mucus faster will usually shorten the duration of the cough or cough-related illness.
- Take an over-the-counter expectorant like guaifenesin, ammonium chloride, squill, sodium citrate, and ipecacuanha.
- Do not give cough medicine to children under 4 years of age.
Edit Tips
- Note that antibiotics are rarely, if ever, used to treat a cough. Antibiotics kill bacteria and do nothing more, making them ineffective against viral coughs or coughs not caused by illness. A doctor will only prescribe an antibiotic if he or she suspects that your cough is a symptom of a bacterial infection.
EditWarnings
- Know when to see a doctor. Coughs usually clear up on their own within 10 days, and with the above mentioned remedies, they will often clear up even faster. If your cough persists past two to four weeks, though, you should call the doctor. You should also call if you cough up blood or if it is accompanied by sharp chest pains, severe fatigue, dramatic weight loss, chills, or a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees Celsius) or higher.
EditThings You'll Need
- Honey
- Hard candy or throat lozenges
- Homemade cough syrup
- Peppermint candy
- Lemon juice
- Vaporizer
- Medicated chest rub
- Over-the-counter cough suppressant
- Over-the-counter expectorant
- Over-the-counter decongestant