The most frequent question I get this time of year from my patients is how to get rid of the cough: that cough that seems endless, that makes their life a nightmare, keeps them up at night and exhausts them physically and emotionally.
Of course, there are pharmaceutical reliable ways to treat coughs based on doctors' recommendations.
But there are steps you can take on your own to soothe the airways and calm the cough. One of the best and easiest home remedies to relieve coughs is to drink a cup of tea.
So, which teas are worth trying for cough relief?
In this article, we'll take an in-depth look at 7 tea recipes that work best for coughs.
1. Licorice Root Tea
According to doctors, the most useful herbal tea for fighting coughs is licorice root tea. One study showed that licorice components can reduce the frequency of coughs by 30-78%. The plant contains many important compounds, but the main active component is glycyrrhizin.
Licorice root has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects and has an expectorant effect on coughs. In addition, glycyrrhizin is able to suppress the reproduction of viruses throughout the body.
Tea recipe: One tablespoon of crushed root should be added to a glass of water and boiled. After that, the drink should be allowed to cool.
In winter, doctors advise to increase the daily intake of fluids by three to four cups.
2. Ginger tea
Ginger root has a number of useful properties, but the use of ginger in the cold season will be especially relevant.
Ginger helps the body cope with viruses and bacteria. The composition of the plant includes: vitamin C, potassium, manganese, copper, magnesium. Properly brewed root promotes blood thinning, provokes sweating, acts as an antipyretic, delicately affects the bronchi and lungs, eliminating cough. One of the reasons why ginger can help with coughs is that it contains components that can make the airways relax, so ginger extract significantly suppresses coughs.
Tea recipe: Cut off the root of ginger, about 5-6 cm. You do not need to peel the root, just rinse it well. Grate the ginger on a coarse grater. Put grated ginger into boiling water, boil for 10 minutes over low heat. Pour the ginger broth into a thermos. Cut the lemon with the peel into small pieces. Add it to the broth. Add a pinch of ground black pepper and a sprig of mint. Close the thermos with a lid. Insist the healing drink for 20 minutes. Pour the hot ginger drink into a glass or cup, add honey to taste.
3. Marshmallow root tea (Althea root)
The peculiarity of this medicinal plant is that its active substances not only have an expectorant effect, but also have enveloping and anti-inflammatory properties.
The combination of a reflex expectorant action and a thinning effect (reducing the viscosity of bronchial secretions) helps to alleviate coughing with bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, tracheitis and other respiratory diseases.
Tea recipe: 2 teaspoons of crushed roots are poured into 250 ml of cold water, infused for 30 minutes, stirring (this technology is due to the fact that when boiling, the starch, which is rich in roots, will turn into a paste). Then the infusion is shaken and filtered through gauze. It is better to drink it at room temperature, in small sips.
4. Tea with coltsfoot
This plant has been famous since ancient times for its medicinal properties. It has not lost its popularity even today, it is used in folk and traditional medicine to treat many diseases.
The plant contains mucus that covers the mucosal surfaces of the mouth and throat and protects them from irritation. The saponins and organic acids in its composition have a soothing effect on the bronchi and promote the expectoration of sputum. Tannins effectively relieve redness and inflammation of mucous surfaces.
Studies show that coltsfoot buds can be effective against chronic coughs by reducing the frequency of coughing by up to 62%.
Tea recipe: Take oregano – 2 tablespoons, marshmallow root (ground) – 4 tablespoons, leaves or buds of coltsfoot – 4 tablespoons. Mix all herbs. Brew 1 tablespoon of the collection of herbs with 2 cups of boiling water and insist on a thermos for 20 minutes. Strain, take half a cup – 3 times a day after meals.
5. Thyme Tea
Thyme is well known as a cough suppressant. It stops spasmodic coughs and even helps with whooping coughs. Experts also confirm the positive effects of thyme during acute bronchitis. In a study of patients with bronchitis, thyme extract combined with ivy extract was found to reduce coughing attacks by 47.6%.
Tea recipe: You need to take 1-2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, pour boiled water and leave for 15 minutes. You can add cinnamon and honey to taste.
6. Peppermint tea
When it comes to the most effective cough teas, it is impossible not to mention mint-based drinks. Mint has obvious expectorant and immune stimulating effects. But it is peppermint that is used to treat colds. This variety is derived from cultivated and wild mint, so it combines the best qualities of the plants.
Peppermint has a lot of menthol in its composition. This chemical compound dilates the walls of blood vessels and speeds up the separation of phlegm. Numerous anti-inflammatory enzymes in its composition allow peppermint to be used to treat a lingering runny nose, sore throat, pneumonia, and bronchitis in both children and adults.
Tea recipe: add 15 mint leaves to 2 cups of boiling water and let infuse for about 5 minutes. Strain before using. If you want to increase the effectiveness of the drink, you can add cinnamon sticks to it.
7. Icelandic moss tea
Icelandic moss helps with dry coughs. Due to the fact that Icelandic moss (cetraria) contains a mucous substance, you can stop the inflammatory process in the throat, nose, and mouth. It has a soothing effect. It is good to use Icelandic moss for coughs, gargle the throat, mouth, also in this way you can relieve inflammation of the tonsils.
Tea recipe: Icelandic moss should be ground and brewed 1 tablespoon dry mixture of Cetraria in 0.5 liters of boiling water or the same volume of hot milk, boiled over low heat or in a water bath for about five minutes, insist half an hour, strain through gauze or fine sieve. Adults should take 150 ml of broth, 3 times a day before or after a meal.
If you are in doubt about the choice of tea, a good solution would be ready-made herbal formulas that are sold in pharmacies, such as teas for immunity, for coughs, for healthy lungs.