Home remedies for dry cough

Cough is said to be an indicative sign that some kind of irritation has occurred in your upper respiratory system such as any kind of inflammation, phlegm or mucus. It acts as a defense mechanism naturally for the protection of your nasal passages, lungs or throat. This problem of cough is typically divided into two different types which are given below: 

• Wet cough (productive), this happens when you are completely filled with mucus.
• Dry cough does not produce any kind of mucus which makes it non productive.

This condition of cough can happen to anyone irrespective of age or gender which means it can happen to both children and adults. 

A problem of dry cough is said to be an unproductive cough and this is totally different from the productive or the wet cough, as this is unable to remove the mucus, irritants of phlegm from the nasal passages or your lungs. 

This problem of dry cough can continue to be in action for weeks after you have gone through a condition of flu or cold. This problem may also happen to you because of some other reasons as well which are listed below: 

• Acid reflux or GERD
• Post Nasal drip
• Asthma

This problem can have certain long lasting side effects on your body because you have been exposed to various environmental toxins for example cigarette smoke. This condition of dry cough can sometimes become very uncomfortable and will be affecting adults and children. There are various clinical treatment options available that you can opt for getting away from this problem but there are some home remedies also available that you can follow and these will prove equally beneficial in the treatment of this dry cough with the same action as that of a clinical treatment.

The home made remedies suggested for the treatment of dry cough does not act as one size fits all which means that you will have to try various herbs or supplements before you can find the best one that will work for you effectively. Along with this you should know the fact that not all the remedies are supported with proper research and do not prove to be completely effective and certain of them are not at all appropriate to children and babies. So here are some of the most effective and easily available remedies for this problem of dry cough are listed below: 

• Honey: If you are an adult or have a child who is one or above and is suffering from a problem of day or night time dry coughing, then you can take honey for the treatment of this problem. Honey has found to be having antibacterial properties which help you to coat your throat and keep it away from any kind of irritation. Studies and research, suggest that application of honey is way more effective than that of dextromethorphan (which is a cough suppressant ingredient which is useful in reduction of the nagging bout caused by night time coughing in case of children. You can take this in a teaspoon, several times in a day or there are other options available which are you can take it by adding it in a tea or in warm water for drinking. You should never give honey to children who are under the age of one as it can give rise to a condition of infant botulism which is a rare condition occurring in the case of infants.
• Turmeric: This contains a compound which is named as curcumin which is known to have certain properties like anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral. It is also very beneficial for several problems which also includes dry cough. This compound (curcumin) is best and easily absorbed inside the bloodstream when it is taken along with black pepper. You can mix a teaspoon of turmeric and one eighth teaspoon of black pepper and make yourself a beverage for example a cold orange juice for drinking or you can make yourself a warm tea with this. Turmeric is found to be very useful in the treatment of upper respiratory conditions, asthma and bronchitis for centuries in the ayurvedic medical system. You can find turmeric for yourself either in the form of a spice or as a capsule.
• Ginger: This has some anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties and it has also shown some promising effect in boosting the immune system of your body, getting you away from any kind of discomfort and relieves the pain you are experiencing. This can be found easily in the majority of the teas as an ingredient in it and you can make yourself a ginger tea just by using the ginger root and you will have to steep the cut or peeled root into the warm water. You can make this ginger tea way more beneficial for yourself just by adding some honey in it for the treatment of dry cough. You can also consume this in the form of a capsule or you can chew ginger to get through the problem of dry cough.
• Using a humidifier: Your problem of dry cough can escalate or aggravate if you are under the influence of dry air for a long period of time. This humidifier is responsible for moisturizing the air around it and it can prove to be very helpful in relieving you from the problem. This will help you to open the blocked sinuses and help you to stay away and prevent you from the post nasal drip. You can reduce your frequency and problem of dry cough just by using a humidifier in your room if the room has dry air in which you are living.
• Peppermint: This is known to contain methanol in it which will help you to numb the nerve endings present inside the throat which was irritated because of the coughing and you should know this that you will be relieved of the pain and the urge of coughing will also get reduced. This will help you to reduce congestion and is found to be having certain antiviral and antibacterial properties. You can take this peppermint in numerous ways which will include drinking a tea made up of peppermint or you can suck on a lozenge made up of peppermint. You should try drinking peppermint tea just before going to bed to help you get past this problem of night time coughing. If you are following aromatherapy for the treatment of this problem you can use peppermint essential oil.

Conclusion

This problem of dry cough can be both short term or long lasting with so many causes and side effects, but you can find highly effective treatment at your home which can help you to get past this problem of dry cough. When your problem of dry cough do not go away or disappear on its own for 2 two months, then, you should be seeing a doctor as you can have some serious ailment.