Get Rid of a Dry Cough

There are very few things more annoying than a persistent dry cough. Such a cough can inconvenience your life and irritate others in group or social situations. However, there are steps that you can take to reduce or eliminate your cough from the comfort of your own home. You can try to get rid of the cough on your own, but keep in mind that if your cough persists for three or more weeks, you should consult with your doctor.

Steps

Staying Hydrated

1. Keep your throat moist. Coughs are often caused by a postnasal drip, which is when drainage from your nose drips into the back of your throat. This usually happens when you have a cold or a virus such as the flu. Drinking fluids can thin out the mucus caused by colds.
2. Gargle warm salt water. This will help relieve pain and decrease inflammation. Try gargling before bed and at other times during the day that you feel discomfort in your throat.
3. Drink lots of warm water. While hot water may seem like the best remedy for your throat, warm water actually rehydrates the tissue better than hot water. Hot water can be irritating to already inflamed tissue. Warm tea is a great way to stay hydrated while warming and soothing your throat.
   • Aniseed tea is a tea known to soothe throats and reduce coughs. Add cinnamon to gain extra relief.
   • Boil ginger along with your tea leaves. Add a dash of pepper and several basil leaves to relieve congestion. This combination of herbs will numb and soothe your throat, allowing your throat tissue to relax after excessive coughing.
4. Drink hot cinnamon and honey milk before bed. When cinnamon and honey combine, they may fight infection, decrease swelling, or provide antioxidant properties to help cure a sore throat.
   • To make cinnamon milk, combine ½ tsp cinnamon and 1tbsp sugar in a saucepan. Then add 1/8tsp baking soda and 8oz of milk to it and mix thoroughly. Heat until simmering, but do not bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to cool, and then add 1tbsp honey, stir until the honey dissolves, and drink while warm.
5. Drink pineapple juice. Pineapple juice is 5 times more effective than cough syrup, as shown in a 2010 study. The juice softens the larynx without leaving residue that might cause you to cough more. Choose this juice over orange or lemon juice.
   • Grape juice is also a great juice to drink to cure a cough. Mix one teaspoon of honey in a cup of grape juice. Grapes act as an expectorant; expectorants promote the secretion of sputum by the air passages, thus eliminating your cough.
6. Use oregano to lessen the intensity of your cough. Boil a tablespoon of oregano leaves in a cup of water. After the water has boiled, strain the oregano out and sip on the oregano tea.
   • If you have a tea diffuser, you can place the oregano in the diffuser for easier removal.

Consuming Soothing Food

1. Soothe your throat with honey. The waxy texture of honey will moisten your tonsils, which reduces your throat irritation (and your desire to cough.) Good honey may be just as effective as a cough medicine!
   • Rose petal-infused water is also an excellent alternative to honey. The rose essence breaks up mucus well.
2. Use essential oils to soothe your cough. Essential oils are strong, powerful oils that can be used from home to remedy a wide variety of ailments. Several essential oils may be useful in reducing a persistent cough.
   • Eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, sage, tea tree, sandalwood, cedarwood, frankincense, and hyssop are the best essential oils to clear congestion.
     • To aid with congestion, add 1-2 drops of essential oils to your hands, rub then together, cup them over your nose, and take 4-6 deep, cleansing breaths. You can also add 2-4 drops to a cotton ball, seal in a ziplock bag, and take them with you.

Take one tea spoon of honey and add quarter piece of ginger. Eating it will help soothe a cough.

1. • Tea tree, sage, eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, lemon, garlic, and ginger are the best essential oils to soothe a sore throat.
     • To use essential oils as a throat soother, add 1-2 drops into a half a glass of lukewarm water and gargle for a few minutes, then spit. Be sure that you do not swallow the essential oil blend.
2. Make homemade cough syrup. There are many different kinds of homemade cough syrup that can be much more effective than store-bought cough syrups.
   • Make an herbal cough syrup. Mix two ounces of herb mixture to one quart of water. Herbs such as fennel, licorice, slippery elm bark, cinnamon, ginger root, and orange peel work particularly well. Simmer the herbs and water until the mixture is reduced by half (roughly one pint). Strain the herbs out and add one cup of honey to the remaining liquid. Stir until the honey is thoroughly mixed in.
   • Make an onion-based cough syrup. Onion has properties that break up phlegm that can cause a cough. Finely chop and onion and extract its juice. Mix equal parts onion juice and honey. Let the mixture sit for four to five hours. When the mixture has settled, you will have a cough syrup that can be taken two times a day.
   • Make an elderberry syrup. Elderberry syrup is great because it calms a cough but is gentle on the stomach. If you have a sensitive stomach, try this syrup. Combine one quart of elderberry juice with two cups of honey and two cinnamon sticks in a pot. Boil the mixture for 10 minutes. This process makes three pints of syrup.
     • If you wish to make your own elderberry juice for the syrup, you can boil dried or fresh elderberries in one quart of water for about 45 minutes, then strain the berries out and follow the recipe above.
3. Eat warm chicken soup. The steam from the soup will help open the upper respiratory membranes while the warmth will soothe your throat and keep you from getting weak because chicken soup is full of protein. Plus, what’s more comforting than a bowl of warm soup?
4. Suck on a lozenge. Get lozenges that have menthol in them. Menthol numbs the back of your throat, relieving you of your cough. Menthol is a compound from the peppermint plant which contains a numbing sensation that soothes a sore throat. Lozenges are great if you have to go out in public, such as to a movie or a class, but you don’t want to disturb others with your cough.
   • If you don’t have lozenges, suck on a piece of hard candy. Simply sucking on a piece or hard candy or a lollipop increases saliva production and soothes your dry cough. Chewing gum also works as a temporary fix. Peppermint candies are great because they have a similar numbing property to menthol.

Using Humidity to Your Advantage

1. Use a humidifier. Dry air can cause secretions in your nose to dry up and create discomfort that often leads to coughing, but a humidifier can help.
   • Be cautious about using the humidifier too much—if a humidifier isn’t cleaned, it can pump fungus and mold back into the air. This can extend your cough rather than eliminate it.
2. Take steamy, hot showers. Make sure to close all of the windows in your bathroom and turn off the fan. Doing this will create your very own steam room. Steam loosens secretions in your nose. Steam works against coughs caused by colds, allergies, and asthma.
3. Inhale steam from a boiling pot of water. Boil a pot of water, then remove the pot from the stovetop and place it on a heat-safe surface. Then hold your head over the water and breathe in the steam. You can place a towel over your head also to help trap the steam in.
   • Try adding thyme leaves the water for extra relief.

Using Medication

1. Take a decongestant. If postnasal drip is causing your cough, consider taking a decongestant, which shrinks nasal tissue that has become swollen and reduces mucus. Decongestants come in the form of nasal spray, pills, and liquids.
   • It is best to use decongestant nasal sprays for no more than three days. Using them for longer than three days in a row may cause rebound congestion.
   • Decongestant nasal sprays may also contain Oxymetazoline which is a decongestant, but if used more than three days can damage the nasal passages.
2. Try an antihistamine. Antihistamines limit histamine release in your body, which can create drainage in your nose and throat and cause you to have a persistent cough. Antihistamines may be particularly effective during allergy season, or if your cough is a result of a mild allergic reaction to something in your environment, such as pet dander or mold.
3. Understand cough suppressants. Cough suppressants have active ingredients like camphor, dextromethorphan, eucalyptus oil, and menthol that will relieve your cough for a short period of time but will not cure it. If you are having trouble sleeping because of your cough, or you are coughing so much that your chest or muscles hurt, you may consider taking a suppressant at night. Just keep in mind that suppressants are not a cure.

Treating the Underlying Problem

1. Visit your doctor to diagnose an infection. If you have a bacterial infection, the doctor can help you with a prescription for antibiotics. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics, so if you have a virus, antibiotics will not help.
2. Survey your environment for irritants. If you’ve recently switched to a new perfume or bathroom spray, this may be causing sinus irritation which is leading to your cough. Smoke is also a serious cause of coughing.
   • If smoke is the irritant causing your cough, you may consider trying to treat Treat Smoker's Cough by quitting smoking.
3. Avoid stomach irritation. If you have GERD or frequent heartburn, you should take steps to minimize their effects. Do not lie down 3 hours after meals and avoid spicy foods or other “trigger” foods.
4. Assess your medications. Certain medications like ACE inhibitors may cause a chronic cough. If your medication is leading to such a side effect, discuss different options for medications for your ailment with your doctor.
5. Avoid dust and other allergens. If you cannot remove the dust or allergens from your environment with thorough cleaning or air filters, allergy medication can be used to treat a chronic cough resulting from allergens

Tips

• One way to avoid getting a cough in the first place is to practice good hygiene. Regular hand washing with soap and water is one of the best ways to prevent infection.
• Avoid drinking or eating anything that is too cold.
• Avoid shouting or yelling. It strains your voice.
• Get plenty of sleep, especially if your sore throat coincides with cold symptoms.
• Make sure to sit up. Have some warm tea with honey and lemon, or pineapple juice. While sitting down, try not to talk to much.
• Drink a lot of water.
• When using a humidifier, don't use the little inserts more than once per day. It can cause clogging, which will make the humidifier pump mold spores.

Warnings

• If this cough is prolonged and becomes a concern, seek medical advice from your doctor.
• Many of these treatments, particularly those involving boiling water, are unsuitable for children.
• Home remedies may not be suitable for young children. Be aware that children under 1 year of age should not ingest honey.
• If you are pregnant, ask your doctor before considering any home treatments.
• Call the doctor if you experience any of these symptoms with your sore throat:
  • fever
  • chills
  • chronic, long lasting cough
  • wheezing

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Sources and Citations

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