A dry cough is most often the result of infection by cold and flu viruses. It can also be triggered by atmospheric pollutants (such as cigarette smoke) irritating your throat.
In most of these situations, dry coughs occur because the back of your throat (or pharynx) becomes irritated or inflamed, but may also arise from deeper in the chest.
It can be caused by allergies, dry air, a random tickle at the back of your throat that won’t go away, the aftermath of a cold, being in a dusty environment, etc. etc. For these we turn to demulcents, ingredients that soothe irritated mucous membranes and remove the irritant triggering the cough.
Studies conducted in 2004 found that the main ingredients in cough syrup (dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine) have the same effectiveness in treating coughs as a placebo ingredient. Instead of turning to chemical solutions for every minor ailment, try some home remedies instead. They are not only better for you, but they taste a whole lot better than most cough syrup too!
Here are top 15 natural and home remedies for a dry cough:
1. Cider vinegar - Take cider vinegar and honey and mix them together with each equal amounts. Use a fruit jar to store them. The mixture works well before you go to bed, so take two tablespoon of it and swallow slowly, making sure breathe properly through the nose.
2. Carrot - Carrot contains nutrients and vitamins known to relief many symptoms of a dry cough. Take four to five carrots and add water to make a fresh juice of it. Drink the juice at least four to five times a day to soothe a dry cough. For best results, you can also add a tablespoon of honey in this juice.
3. Raw Onion Juice - Chop an onion thin and extract its juice. Then blend a tablespoon of raw onion juice with a tablespoon of honey and let the mixture rest for five hours. At the end, an effective cough syrup is created which you need to take couple of times a day.
On the other hand, if you’re battling with cold, then blend this raw onion juice along with boiling water and lemon to remove phlegm.
4. Salt Gargle - Mix lukewarm water with a teaspoon of salt to gargle and treat a dry cough.
5. Oregano – To reduce the intensity of a dry cough, boil oregano with a cup of water, filter it, and drink.
6. Drink Green Tea with Honey - Adding honey in a cup of green tea not only soothes your throat but also cures a dry cough.
7. Aniseed Tea – If your throat is plagued with dry coughs, then it will respond well after taking a cup of aniseed tea – a spicy tea having a flavor similar to fennel and licorice.
8. Raisins - To relieve you from dry cough, grind 100 grams of raisins with water and create a “healing” sauce. Blend this mixture with 100 grams of sugar and heat it until a sauce like effect is achieved.
Take 20 grams of this sauce daily before going to bed to cure a dry cough.
9. Humidifier - Dry cough usually comes at night. You may want to insert a humidifier in your bedroom to prevent from it.
10. Hot Milk - At the end of the day, you want to get a good night sleep. Drinking a hot milk with honey before going to bed will not only cure a dry cough, but will also help you get a blessed sleep.
11. Ginger Tea - If you throat is getting itchy, then you can drink ginger tea – a mixture of ginger in boiling water with regular amount of tea leaves. Finally, in this mixture, you may also want to put in a touch of pepper and 3 to
4 basil leaves before drinking it HOT to soothe your throat.
12. Cinnamon - Have you tried using cinnamon in a cup of tea to sooth a dry cough? If not, this is another great home remedy available for you.
13. Almonds - Soak seven to eight almonds in the night and exfoliate its brown skin the next morning. Grind those almonds to create a paste. Insert 20 grams of sugar and butter each to the paste. Administer it twice a day, in the morning and the evening.
14. Grapes - Grapes not only strengthen your lungs but also act as an expectorant. Take a cup of grape juice along with a tablespoon of honey daily and you’ll notice a huge difference in your throat as well as cough.
15. Bonus: Turmeric – Turmeric is another most commonly used herb in the kitchen has a natural healing effect on dry cough. To relieve a dry cough, simply add a tablespoon of turmeric powder and carom seeds each in a cup of water. Boil the mixture until the volume becomes half. Then add honey in this mixture and drink it two or three times a day.
Alternately, you can also roast the root of the turmeric, grind it to make its power, and mix this power with honey and water.
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