Coughing per se isn’t bad. Each time this natural reflex takes place, it only means that your body is working properly, trying to expel anything that shouldn’t be in your airway. What gives coughing a tainted rep is the distress it causes your throat.
There are a handful of reasons why you experience dry cough. It happens whenever you are exposed to cigarette smoke, dust and other pollutants. It may also co-exist with watery eyes and throat itchiness during an allergy spell. It’s not unlikely for you to experience dry cough near the end of a bout with cold when phlegm and mucus are at their thickest.
Worry not if that dry cough is giving your throat a hard time and is keeping you from getting to dreamland at night. The following are some tried-and-tested remedy for this common and nagging condition:
Salt Gargle
Dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a glass of lukewarm water. Use this as a gargle to cleanse and soothe your tired throat.
Onion Juice
Chop raw onions finely and extract the juice with the help of a piece of cheesecloth. Combine a teaspoon of the pungent juice with a teaspoon of honey. Take this cheap and effective all-natural cough syrup a couple of times per day.
Grapes
Whether fresh or in juice from, grapes possess expectorating properties that can help put an end to that nagging dry cough.
Green Tea
Make a cup of your favorite green tea according to the directions printed on the packaging. Add a teaspoon of honey. The combination of green tea and honey helps alleviate throat pain and at the same time promote healing of dry cough.
Oregano Tea
Break a few oregano leaves and place them in a cup of boiling water. Let steep for about 5 minutes, filter and drink.
Ginger Tea
Add about a teaspoon of grated ginger in a cup of tea, preferably green tea. Sprinkle some ground pepper and allow everything to steep for 5 minutes before drinking.
Anise Seed Tea
In a cup of boiling water, add about a teaspoon of anise seed. Let steep for 5 minutes, filter and drink.
Warm Milk
It’s no secret that consuming a cup of warm milk before bedtime helps you get to dreamland. Adding a teaspoon of honey to it also gives a serving of warm milk a greater taste and the power to soothe irritated throat.
Raisin Paste
In a blender, throw in 100 grams of raisins. Add equal amounts of water and honey, just enough to make a thick paste. Heat the mixture until the consistency gets richer. Let it cool to room temperature and take 2 tablespoons before bedtime.
Almond Paste
Soak 5 to 7 almonds in water overnight and remove the brown skin the following day. Grind them and add a tablespoon of honey. Take the resulting all-natural dry cough remedy once in the morning and another at night.
