Anyone have an effective cough medicine (home remedy)?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Hi folks, we're really low on funds right now, (hubby out of work) and per Murphy's Law, one of us has come down with a nasty cold with a cough. Does anyone have a home remedy that is effective?

-- Sandie in Maine (peqbear@maine.rr.com), November 08, 2001

Answers

honey and lemon

-- paul a coleman (wormfarmerone@yahoo.com), November 08, 2001.

make a tea of the above,(honey and lemon) and I always like rasberry leaf tea also for sore throats, and congestion.

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), November 08, 2001.

Take a 1/2 half bottle of caster oil. --- You will be afraid to cough

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), November 08, 2001.

Hello Sandie, When ever one of my family gets a cold, cough, congestion, fever, etc. I make a pot of garlic/onion soup. It not only helps clear congestion but, soothes an irritated throat as well. Just simmer onions and garlic in broth until transluent. Add your favorite seasonings. Serve with crutons and cheese! Sincerely,Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), November 08, 2001.

My dad always made me a toddy of 1/2 shot of whiskey, a spoon of honey and a spoon of lemon juice. He always said "SIP IT, DON'T GULP IT DOWN." LOL!

-- Patricia Ramsey (WOOLSPIN@AOL.COM), November 08, 2001.


Smoke a mullein cigarette. Dry it first, It's still growing here in W V

-- Elizabeth Quintana (rockshelter@webtv.com), November 08, 2001.

An old recipe my mother used to make up for us for sore throats was to take about a 1/4cup of molasses & maybe 1/8tsp of dry ginger powder and mix that up in a mug, then mix in like about 1/4tsp of baking soda. This would foam all up, and then we would suck on spoonfuls of it. I can't remember how effective it was, but it kept us kids busy anyhow.

-- snoozy (bunny@northsound.net), November 08, 2001.

Horehound works very well. You can make it into a tea and use a lot of honey to make it tastier and to increase the medicinal qualities. You can also make it into a syrup with honey or sugar, honey is more effective. Sometimes I add some brandy. If you have some licorice root you can add that. I sometimes buy a licorice spice tea and add horehound and honey to that. Hope the sufferer feels better.

-- nancy (stoneground@catskill.net), November 09, 2001.

1 part brandy, to 1 part lemon juice, to 1 part honey. Take a couple of spoonfuls every 2-4 hours, or when couphing increases. If you happen to have any vicks mentholatium rub, use this on chest and throat along with the cough syrup. This has been my favorite cough medicine that works just as good as anything in the stores and is usually cheaper since we always have lemon juice and honey around the house. All we have to do is buy the brandy and we usually get a pint which may last us two to three years. Just mix it up as you need it.

Warning: Don't use a fruit flavored brandy as the taste kind of clashes with the honey and lemon.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), November 09, 2001.


Hot lemonade with honey...sounds like lots of folks have the same advice. The steam from the cup even feels good.How you are feeling better soon.

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), November 09, 2001.


I meant HOPE you are feeling better soon. Sorry.

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), November 09, 2001.

My dad used to skip all the extras and just take a tablespoon full of whiskey. He said that stuff would kill any germ that dared look at you. My mom said she would rather cough!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@aol.com), November 10, 2001.

Thanks everyone, I will definitely try a few of these. Also thanks for the get well wishes. Anyone have any horehound they want to share? I have seeds that I could trade in exchange, drop me a note if interested.Thanks again!

-- Sandie in Maine (peqbear@maine.rr.com), November 11, 2001.

Another good cough remedy we like is the inner bark of a wild cherry tree. Boil 4 strips in 3 cups water, strain, and boil it down to a thin syrup. Take like cough medicine, a tsp 4x day.

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), November 11, 2001.

Once the coughing is in hand - the mullein can also be drunk in a tea (strain out the little fuzzy hairs first) - soothe the sore throat with a tea made from goldenrod leaves. They leave a slippery coating in the throat and are good for ouchy throats, sore mouths, and dry mouth from any variety of causes (although I'm sure that none of our esteemed friends on the forum ever suffer from that malady for any reason other than medical, surely).

Use fresh leaves, as the dry ones are mostly ineffective. You can preserve this effect by harvesting the leaves and steeping them in heated honey, then bottling the strained honey and keeping it in the fridgy for sweetening those other herbal remedies.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), November 11, 2001.



Hi Sandie,

We have a tonic? we make every year and have it on hand for colds and flu all season. There are a couple versions depending on if you want to use alcohol in it or not. We lovingly call it "Bug Juice" but it is guarenteed to clear out your head and sinuses and actually makes you feel better. I don't think it does much for a cough but the other suggestions sound good.

Here goes.

A large root of horse raddish 3-4 inches long A large white onion (the hotter the better) One or more bulbs (not cloves) garlic A 3-4 inch piece of fresh ginger As many of the hottest chili peppers as you think you can tolerate (we have used habeneros, this year I used cayannes) Apple cider vinegar or the highest proof vodka you can find (you can use distilled vinegar if you can't find the apple)

Wash the roots well and cut into chunks that will fit in a blender. Peel the onion and cut into wedges. Peel all the individual garlic cloves. Remove the stems from the peppers. Put all the vegetable ingredients in a blender and add enough vinegar or vodka to help in the pulverizing process. Blend until the veggies are well chopped. I never have gotten them quite to a puree. The goal is to have them all finely chopped. Pour them into a clean jar (I use a gallon jar) and cover the mixture with more vinegar or vodka. Shake the jar once or more times a day (I often forget and so shake it extra when I remember). It will be ready in a few weeks (my sister who gave me the recipie said 6 weeks but we use it sooner). When you feel a cold coming on (or if it already has you)strain about a shot of the liquid off into a glass, make a chaser out of some juice and have it on hand and then chug the shot and follow it with a chaser if you are still alive at that point. It burns all the way down (note the ingredients) but then it makes your ears tingle and your sinuses clear. Lovely stuff! Some of the more meek in the family mix the shot with juice and then drink it. All a matter of preference. We take it from 1- 10 times a day depending on the individual, the severity of the cold, how afraid you are of the stuff etc. Please use care (and rubber gloves) when handeling the peppers as they can burn your skin. As you can see, the recipie can be adjusted and amounts are not fixed. To your health! Darlene P. S. You can add more vinegar or vodka if you run low. We make a fresh batch twice a year but I think the longer it sits the better it is.

-- Darlene in W WA (tomdarsavy@cs.com), November 12, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ