How I Make My Own Cough Mixture

Coughs come in many forms and types. There’s dry cough, the ‘phlegmy cough’, the asthma-caused cough, and the summer hay fever cough. And then the worst type, the cough that won’t go away at night and keep you awake. If we go to the local pharmacist, you will find a mixture of cough for just about all the most popular coughs. But what if the pharmacist’s shut down for good, what can we do to handle that cough for ourselves? I’m going to outline some recipes here that can help you with some of the most common cough types that are easy to make up at home and that are reliable.

1. Basic Cough Formula:

We might add a variety of other ingredients to treat the different types of cough if we start with a simple mixture of cough.Honey is the key ingredient in all those mixtures of homegrown cough.

Honey represents a natural suppressant of cough. It acts as a liner for your throat and a study has shown that it is as good as a cough suppressant as the drug dextromethorphan, commonly used in cold and flu manufactured products. Honey also has antibacterial properties, this may also help if you have an infection.

You can use other sugar substances such as molasses or brown sugar if you don’t have a honey to hand.

IMPORTANT: Before continuing, it is important to note that in children under 12 months of age you should avoid using honey as they may get botulism from infants.

Ingredients

1 cup of honey (alternatives are molasses and brown sugar)

1/2 cup water

Glass containers with lids (as many as you need for the different cough mixtures)

To make cough syrup base

1. Boil the water in a pan
2. Warm the honey in a pan
3. Combine the two to make the base

You can play around with the amounts. Make sure it isn’t too runny, as you’ll be adding more liquid when you make the cough mixtures.

2. The Soothing Cough Mixture: Honey and Lemon

This recipe is ideal for bedtime soothing to help with sleep and can be used with anyone over 2 years old.

Ingredients

Basic cough mixture

Lemon zest – from 2 lemons

Several teaspoons lemon juice (to your taste)

¼ cup peeled and sliced ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

To Make

In a small amount of water boil up the ginger and lemon zest for a few minutes. Strain this mixture to remove the bits. Add this strained water and the lemon juice to the basic cough mixture and mix.

3. The Expectorant (and Inflammatory Respiratory Disease) Cough Mixture: Licorice Root

This one is for that phlegmy cough. Licorice root serves as an expectorant, breaking down the mucus. Licorice contains a chemical called glycyrrhizin. In addition to giving licorice its sweetness, as this study shows, glycyrrhizine also acts as an anti-inflammatory and is perfect for inflammatory respiratory diseases.

Ingredients

Basic cough mixture

1 tablespoons dried licorice root

1/4 cup water

To Make

1. Boil the licorice root in the water and leave to stand for about 15 minutes
2. Strain the licorice water
3. Add to the honey mixture and mix.

Licorice Tea

Alternatively, you can make a tea from the licorice root by boiling up the dried root in some water – after boiling and leaving to steep for 15 minutes; strain the water and drink like a tea.

4. The Cough with a Sore Throat Cough Mixture:

The key component of this cough syrup is thyme. Thyme has many curative properties including boosting your immune system as it is full of vitamin C. So this cough remedy is especially good if it comes with a cold. It also has thymol, which is excellent for a sore throat as an antiseptic.

Remember – it’s not always bad to cough. It is the function of the body to clear the airways, thus, you only need to remove it when it becomes really painful, prevents you from sleeping or starts hurting.

Related: 12 Old Fashioned Arthritis Remedies Your Ancestors Used

Ingredients

Basic cough mixture

Sprig of fresh thyme (or some dried thyme)

1/4 cup water

To Make

1. Pick off the leaves from the sprig of thyme and place in a pestle and mortar
2. Lightly bruise the thyme to release the active ingredients
3. Add boiling water to the thyme and leave to steep for about 15 minutes
4. Decant the water or strain into the basic cough mixture and mix