Medicines for coughing are one of the common approaches to treating coughing that are effective in helping reduce the symptoms. There are two types of medications for coughing: antitussive and expectorant. A common antitussive is dextromethorphan (some brand names: Triaminic Cold and Cough, Robitussin Cough, Vicks 44 Cough, and Cold). The only expectorant available in OTC products is guaifenesin (two brand names: Mucinex and Robitussin Chest Congestion).

Antitussive medications for coughing are cough suppressants. They relieve your cough by blocking the cough reflex. Expectorants thin mucus. This may help your cough clear the mucus from your airway. Drinking extra fluids also helps keep mucus thin.

Dextromethorphan and guaifenesin are sometimes combined to make a strong, complex medicine for coughing. They are also available with other medicines, such as pain relievers, decongestants, or antihistamines. These combination products (such as multi-symptom cold medicines) are meant to treat many symptoms simultaneously. However, if your main symptom is a cough, be careful of the drying effect of antihistamines and decongestants in combination medicines. This effect can make mucus thicker and harder to clear from the airways, worsening the cough.

Inhalers for coughing

Another method of treating coughing due to asthma is using an over the counter inhaler for cough. They work by relaxing the muscles of the airways in the lungs, making breathing easier.

Another type of treatment for coughing is a natural treatment.

What is coughing?

Coughing is a common reflex action that clears your throat of mucus or foreign irritants. While everyone occasionally coughs to clear their throat, several conditions can cause more frequent coughing. This leads to the question, Why am I coughing?

Coughing can happen deliberately or as part of a reflex. Although coughing can be a sign of a serious illness, it will often clear up on its own without needing medical attention.

There are three phases to coughing:

Inhalation (breathing in).
Increased pressure in the throat and lungs with the vocal cords closed.
There is an explosive release of air when the vocal cords open, coughing its characteristic sound.

If somebody coughs a lot, it can be a sign of a disease. There are also non-infectious causes of coughs and infectious diseases like the common cold. In the next section, we look at some potential causes.

A cough that lasts for less than three weeks is acute. Most coughing episodes will clear up or significantly improve within two weeks.

If your cough lasts three to eight weeks and improves by the end, it’s subacute. A persistent cough that lasts more than eight weeks is chronic.

You should see a doctor if you cough blood or have a “barking” cough. You should also contact them if your cough hasn’t improved in a few weeks, which could indicate something more serious.

What causes coughing?

The causes of coughing can be based on several temporary and permanent conditions. Below are some of the causes of coughing:

Clearing the throat

Coughing is a standard way of clearing your throat. When your airways become clogged with mucus or foreign particles such as smoke or dust, a cough is a reflex reaction that attempts to clear the particles and make breathing easier.

This type of coughing is usually relatively infrequent, but it will increase with exposure to irritants such as smoke.

Viruses and bacteria

This is one of the most common causes of coughing, such as a cold or flu. A virus usually causes respiratory tract infections and may last a few days to a week. Infections caused by the flu may take a little longer to clear up and sometimes require antibiotics.

Smoking

Smoking is another common cause of coughing. Smoking almost always results in a chronic cough with a distinct sound. It’s often known as a smoker’s cough.

Asthma

Bronchitis and asthma are common causes of coughing in young children. Typically, asthmatic coughing involves wheezing, making it easy to identify.

Asthma exacerbations should be treated using an inhaler. Children can grow out of asthma as they get older.

Medicines

Some medications will cause coughing, although this is generally a rare side effect. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart conditions, can cause coughing.

Two of the more common ones are:

Zestril (lisinopril)
Diovan
Vasotec (enalapril)

The coughing stops when the medication is discontinued.

Other conditions

Other conditions that may cause coughing include:

Damage to the vocal cords
Postnasal drip
Bacterial infections such as pneumonia, whooping cough, and croup
Serious conditions such as pulmonary embolism and heart failure

Another common condition that can cause a chronic cough is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this condition, stomach contents flow back into the esophagus. This backflow stimulates a reflex in the trachea, causing the person to cough.

A natural treatment for coughing

A natural treatment for coughing is another treatment that has been proven effective without causing any side effects. Below is a natural treatment for coughing:

Home remedies for coughing are the most common natural treatments for coughing.

Home remedies for coughing are natural remedies for coughing that can be achieved at home. Below are some home remedies for coughing:

Honey: It coats the throat, resulting in less irritation and possibly less coughing. Honey is demulcent (something that soothes).
Ginger: Eating pungent spices, including ginger, cinnamon, and anise, can help strengthen your respiratory system. These spices can be brewed into a delicious herbal tea, and the warm water and steam have the added benefit of helping to open up your lungs. Purified ginger in a nebulizer helped relax people’s airways and reduce coughing, particularly “dry” asthma-related coughs.

Below are other home remedies for coughing

Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
Elevate your head with extra pillows when sleeping.
Use cough drops to soothe your throat.
Gargle with warm salt water regularly to remove mucus and soothe your throat.
Avoid irritants, including smoke and dust.
Add honey or ginger to hot tea to relieve your cough and clear your airway.
Use decongestant sprays to unblock your nose and ease breathing.

Herbs for coughing: an effective and safe natural treatment for coughing

Herbs for coughing are another natural remedy for coughing that is effective, safe, and easy to use. Below are some of the most commonly used herbs for coughing:

Marshmallow

Marshmallow is a coughing herb made from Althaea officinalis, a perennial that flowers in summer. The leaves and roots of the herb have been used since ancient times to treat sore throats and suppress coughs. The marshmallow herb contains mucilage, which coats the throat and soothes irritation. Today, you can get marshmallow root as tea or in capsule form. Warm tea can soothe a cough and sore throat.

Boswellia

Boswellia is an herb for coughing known as frankincense, and it has been used for centuries to treat coughs, particularly those that come from inflammation of the lungs or other areas. Its potent anti-inflammatory compounds can help soothe a cough and fight the oral pathogens that can cause it. Dissolving Boswellia in hot water and inhaling the steam helped reduce coughing from asthma and bronchitis.

Acupuncture for coughing is an ancient Chinese natural treatment for coughing.

Acupuncture for coughing is another effective natural remedy. In controlled clinical research, acupuncture outperformed drug therapy for treating coughing following the acute stage of a respiratory infection.

Another investigation finds acupoint herbal plaster therapy effective for improving patient outcomes for children with chronic coughing. In an integrative approach to patient care, acupoint herbal plaster therapy enhanced patient outcomes for children receiving standard drug therapy.

Acupuncture for coughing is more effective than drugs for treating coughing.

Homeopathy is the #1 natural treatment for coughing

Homeopathy for coughing is based on using natural remedies for coughing that are made from natural substances and cause virtually no side effects.

In homeopathic medicine, in particular, when using homeopathic single remedies, accomplishment depends on fitting the patient’s explicit symptoms to the remedy’s description. The key here is to focus on the nature of coughs in some key homeopathic remedies and, in turn, look toward specifying the cough you are treating. Does your cough wake you up at night? Are you coughing dry or wet, and can you spit mucous? Is there any rattling or breathlessness? Does the mucus clog your bronchioles, or does it come up when you cough?

Below are the most common and effective homeopathic remedies for coughing

Aconite:

This medicine is prescribed in the early stages of a cold or cough after exposure to cold or dry weather. It is usually given in the first 24 hours of high fever and restlessness.

This remedy is indicated when a cough has come on suddenly—often from exposure to cold wind or after a traumatic experience. The cough will likely be sharp, short, dry, and constant. It may begin during sleep and wake the person up, or it can start when the person goes from a cool place to a warmer one. Restlessness and fear are typical when this remedy is needed. It is often used in the early stages of croup and asthma.

Allium cepa:

Sneezing, watery eyes, and streaming colds are all symptoms of Allium Cepa use. This medicine effectively treats colds when the person’s eyes are not burning, but the discharge from the nose is.

Arsenicum Album:

If you frequently sneeze, your nose is irritating and tickling, and the homeopath may prescribe you an Arsenicum Album. This medicine also effectively treats throbbing frontal headaches, burning chest pain, restlessness, and fear.

Euphrasia:

Euphrasia is prescribed for treating coughing associated with burning discharge from the eyes. This can help cure swollen eyelids and coughs that intensify during the daytime.

Ferrum phosphoricum:

This homeopathic medicine effectively treats the beginning stages of all inflammatory problems, including red, burning eyes, restless sleep, weakness, and excessive thirst.

Gelsemium:

Gelsemium is prescribed for a cold with flu-like symptoms, such as body aches, heaviness throughout the body, fatigue, restlessness, and chills. In those situations, It is one of the best homeopathic remedies for coughing.

Kali bichromicum:

This medicine treats coughs during the later stages of a cold and nasal discharge. It is also effective on other cold and cough symptoms like stubborn congestion, swollen eyelids, or sticky discharge from the nose.

Mercurius Solubilis:

Mercurius Solubilis is excellent for cough treatment associated with creeping chilliness, frequent sneezing, sore throat, heavy salivation, foul mouth odor, and ear pain.

Phosphorus:

This homeopathic medicine is provided to people suffering from dry cough, which increases in the morning or evening or when talking, eating, laughing, or breathing cold air.

Nux vomica

Indications for this remedy in coughing treatment include a tight sensation in the chest with a dry, hacking, teasing cough—often causing soreness or a feeling that something has been torn inside. Long coughing jags can end in stomach pain and retching and may cause the person a headache. A person needing this remedy will likely be impatient, irritable, and oversensitive to everything. A feeling of chilliness is typical, and problems are often worse from exertion (both mental and physical) and worse in the morning.

Spongia tosta:

This remedy relieves croupy, barking coughs, especially after a chill or cold weather, and is worse when lying down at night.

Sulfur:

This remedy is indicated for burning, irritating coughs that worsen at night and breathing problems during sleep. It can also be helpful when a mild cough drags on for a week or more without worsening or much improvement. Burning sensations, redness of eyes and mucous membranes, foul odors, and aggravation from bathing are often seen in a person who needs this remedy. Sulfur is one of the most important homeopathic remedies for coughing treatment.

A natural treatment for coughing in Philadelphia

Coughing could indicate a serious medical condition, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, TBC, or lung cancer. That’s why rule number one is: do not treat coughing without consulting a physician, or get natural treatment at the holistic medical facility a medical doctor runs.

If you live in Philadelphia or the suburbs, contact the Philadelphia Homeopathic Clinic at (267) 403-3085 to schedule an appointment for a holistic evaluation and start your treatment.

You can also use our online secure scheduling application or scan the QR code below.

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