Herbs for Cough
Herbs for Cough
Helpful herbs to keep on hand to relieve your coughing.
Several of my friends and I spent time on a horse ranch last week, and we enjoyed a couple of days of lengthy trail rides through gorgeous country punctuated by blazing autumn leaves coming down in drifts. It was all rather dreamy.
On many of the trails we passed upon, we saw mullein in all stages, from the tall spent stalks to the flat, fuzzy new growth. I was asked about using it for coughs, but could not remember which part of the plant was most useful for that (it is the leaf, by the way).
There are many reasons for coughing, but I’m old enough to remember when someone could make a slight cough in a grocery store without turning heads. Sometimes it’s just a tickle in the throat to clear from food, sometimes it’s an allergic response to the environment, sometimes it’s a result of phlegm settling into the chest. And, sometimes, it’s hard to pin down a reason why a cough develops in the first place. Regardless, it’s annoying at best, and no one wants to be at the mercy of a coughing fit they can’t get control of, especially if it’s painful.
When I work with people for a cough, I consider the onset, and when and where it is happening: when awake? or during the night? in fields of pollinating weeds? right after eating? And so forth. Removing or limiting provoking circumstances can be helpful, but usually if it were that easy, it would have already been taken care of.
Generally, I listen. I want to hear if the cough is dry and hacking, or wet and thick. If the cough is actually doing something productive, say moving phlegm up and out already, I don’t want to suppress that. Let’s simplify how we understand and support the body to overcome the coughing.
Dry coughs
I find that people with dry coughs usually try to take more sips of liquid to overcome them. The problem with that is if they are drinking say, coffee, they are further drying out their body with an astringent and not helping themselves in the long run.
Dry coughs are usually due to constriction. It can sound like wheezing or feel tight, and the spasms can be uncontrollable and just show up at times out of the blue. Constriction can also be caused by inflammation (which usually leads me down the rabbit trails of what is causing the inflammation in the first place, and it is usually diet).
Lobelia: can be very, very helpful for those spasmodic coughs; it works as a bronchial dilator. If you want to try this herb, take the tincture in very small doses as it can be very nauseating. It’s actually a superb help for asthma or tobacco addiction as well. Start with one drop, and work up to 10 drops if needed. A heroic dose might be 20 drops, but you may end up vomiting if you take too much.
Anise: pretty drying, but helpful for spasmadic coughing. Dose is 1-2 tsp to a cup of water, steeped for 10 minutes. This is useful blended with licorice as well (due to its moistening properties).
Grindelia: a very useful herb for the respiratory system, see my post on it HERE
Wild cherry bark: cooling and a very good antitussive, helpful for spasmodic coughing as well, especially when a cough is keeping you up at night. Steep for several hours, or make or buy a syrup with it as a main ingredient. It’s generally not recommended for pregnancy, lactation, or if you’re hypotensive or have any kind of weak cardiac or respiratory depression. Wild cherry bark is a very effective spasmolytic, so if you’re already weak like that, it wouldn’t be a good choice.
Asafoetida: warming and definitely drying, but a great spasmolytic. Just a few drops of tincture (or more, up to 40) two to three times a day can be helpful, but watch for excess drying.
American ginseng: moistening and helpful for that extra dry feeling in the respiratory tract, or hoarseness. With capsules, the dose is 2-6 grams per day, divided in the day.
Licorice root: moistening and soothing, also antiviral. Dose is 1 TB decocted in 16oz water.
Wet coughs
Wet coughs are usually caused by an obstruction due to excess mucus. Unlike dry coughs, a person might actually feel the movement of excess moisture moving up and down. The problem is in getting it up and out. In this case, in our home, all dairy is off limits until relieved.
At the onset of a wet cough, try a small spoonful of honey mixed with 1/8 or 1/4 tsp of fresh ground peppercorn.
My favorite tea blend to bring things “up and out” is a blend of equal parts chrysanthemum and honeysuckle. It’s fairly cooling, however, so I make sure to include plenty of drying aromatics such as cinnamon or peppercorns throughout the day.
Sage: this drying culinary herb is a useful astringent and spasmolytic, great for those moist coughs. Steep a teaspoon for 5 minutes in hot water, then drink it hot if you want to stimulate sweating. If you don’t want that feature, drink it cold.
Ginger: very drying for those moist coughs, and good to increase circulation as well. Drink it cold from dried ginger pieces, or take 2-4 grams of fresh per day. If you’re pregnant, you might want to consider a dose lower than a gram per day.
Hyssop (if productive): another real favorite and warming and drying herb, this one is also antiviral in addition to being a spasmolytic and expectorant, great as an infusion (3-4 ounces, two to three times a day)
Horehound (if non-productive): unlike hyssop, horehound is cooling, and also good as an infusion for those irritating non-productive coughs.
Thyme: one I use often for steams in respiratory conditions, this herb is also antibacterial and decongesting. I use it most often in a steam for respiratory conditions, but it can be taken as a standard infusion as well for short terms.
Elecampane: this root is used as a favored expectorant as well as an antimicrobial. It’s great if you have a cough that brings up ropy colored mucus (as an aside, homeopathic Kali bic, 30c is also helpful for that). The tincture dose is 20-40 drops, 2-4 times a day.
Sitopiladi: this is a wonderful blend that I always keep on hand for congestion and thick coughs that don’t seem to be going anywhere; it really helps to expectorate the mucus.
Trikatu: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention trikatu. It’s made from a blend of equal parts of long pepper, black pepper, and ginger. If wet, respiratory conditions are a regular visitor in your home, try giving this seasoning a try and regularly add it to your cooking.
You talked-too-much cough
If your throat is just dry and irritated from talking too much, yellow dock may be of help. It is cooling and helpful for dry laryngeal coughs. The tincture dose is 5-60 drops, three times a day. It’s considered an alterative, meaning it’s helpful to gently restore the body to a normal balance over time.
General respiratory support
There are many herbs helpful for ongoing, general respiratory support.
Stinging nettle: one of my favorites for nutritive support, I find it also helpful for allergic conditions that affect the nasal pasages as well. I love it as an infusion and love to blend it with other herbs, drinking at least a pint of it! Taking it as a freeze dried supplement for a couple of months before your allergy season starts can help mitigate your body’s overreaction.
Plantain: this humble herb deserves more praise! An alterative as well as an expectorant, this herb has many uses for the body, including for chronic bronchitis or sinus congestion. Caution is called for in pregnancy or concurrent with infections such as staph. I like to use this fresh, chopped up in foods.
Plureisy root: most helpful as a tincture, this root is helpful for respiratory pain and especially for asthmatics. Dose is 30-90 drops 2 to 3 times a day, but not for pregnancy or for people with heart problems.
Mullein: a broad-acting astringent that is also anti-inflammatory and expectorant, mullein is a clear and growing favorite of many people. It is considered initially moistening, then drying, and it is useful for not only dry, hard, hacking coughs, but for phlegmy ones as well. Although leaf, root, and flower is commonly used, for respiratory conditions the leaf is what is most used. The flower and seed are also used for asthmatic conditions, so it depends, again, on what the respiratory issues are. Take by infusion, or make a syrup with it.
Vasarishtam is a blend of herbs that I learned about in school, and I keep it in the fridge for any respiratory conditions. The dose is 2-5 tsp 1-2x day.
Include in your autumn and winter cooking plenty of broths, stews and soups, using well cooking meats vegetables, decreasing cold foods such as sandwiches and salads. Aromatics such as garlic, onions, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and peppercorns are helpful in keeping the respiratory system healthy.
There is so much to learn! I hope this gives you an overview that you can begin your education and experimentation with. Please remember that I am not a doctor of any kind; I am simply sharing what I’ve learned and practice in my own home and with my own body. May your coughs be few and far between!