Are there any herbal teas to help soothe a cough?

Question

I was thinking of mint because of the menthol.

if so then how do you make it?

Answer 1

1 1/3 oz st.john's wort
2/3 oz thyme
2/3 oz/linden flowers

use one tsp of the herb mixture per cup of boiling water to soothe irritations of the upper respiratory tract that cause coughing this tea has prover helpful with bronchitis and whooping cough steep for five to ten min strain drink as needed

note do not use if using anti depressants as the interact with each other

for a sore throat

for a sore throat or laryngitis briefly boil one tsp of raspberry leaves in one cup of water cool and gargle with the tea several times daily you can enhance the effectiveness of this tea by adding some calendula flowers and a few sage leaves

for the flu and a cough

chamomile tea the germicidal effect of a chamomile vapor helps destroy the germs that cause flu and alleviates coughing pour 2 qt. of hot water over 2 cups of chamomile flowers cover your head with a towel and inhale the vapors

warning do not use this method if you suffer from cardiovascular disease and watch that the steam is not too hot as to cause burns allow to cool for a minute or two

drinking the tea one tsp to one cup of water will help as well

making twice the recipe when someone is sick in the house and allowing it to sit in the open will help to get rid of the germs that are in the home

Answer 2

There are many different things that you can do to relieve your sore throat. I recommended a home remedy such as a gargle made of salt devolved in warm water or a hot drink made up of hot water, honey and lemon. But if you have tried these and they haven't worked for you, or you just don't have the ingredients, then I recommended a medicated throat lolly or gargle. If non of these give you relief, then I would go to your local GP and he might be able to prescribe you something stronger etc. Hope this helps!!

Answer 3

Yes, peppermint herb can certainly soothe a cough and also a bad throat.

Well, I would actually recommend the Ricola Instant Herbal tee

"Krautertee"

It is really delicious and it helps me! There are 13 herbs in it and peppermint is one of them.

Answer 4

A nice simple normal tea or even chamomile with a teaspoon of honey in it. You can even squeeze in some lemon for that antiseptic feel.

Nice simple and solves the problem!

All the best

Answer 5

I use Ricola tea, its just like the cough candy, but there is also a tea and a syrup....and it taste and work good...

http://www.ricola.com/index.cfm?0086E3792B351571EE86D440B7807E65

Answer 6

thyme is meant to be good as it has antiseptic qualities.... get well soon....

Answer 7

Homemade Cough and Cold Remedies

By Debi Hopkins



With cold and flu season just around the corner, I found a recent news report from a July 6th 2004 news article very interesting. I wasn't surprised though, because we have found the same thing to be true in our own family.



Reuters news reported the findings of a new study that showed that the two main ingredients commonly used in over the counter cough syrup formulas are no better at quieting or suppressing night-time coughing in children than sugar water.



The two main ingredients are dextromethorphan (often listed on labels as "DM" and diphenhydramine, which is an antihistamine. DM is the most common nonprescription cough suppressant on the U.S. market, and it is also the most commonly abused over the counter medicine used by adolescents who try to get high off of cough medicine.



So, what's a parent to do? For things like the flu bug and cold virus', my family has found that there are many useful herbs that do make a difference in helping to open up bronchial airways, and relieve tight chest type breathing problems. I urge all parents to research the benefits of herbs for themselves, and become well educated in how to use them.



What inspired me to try making my own recipe was a bottle of Rawleigh brand "Old Fashioned Cough Syrup" I purchased at a garage sale years ago----it worked so good, but I could not find it to purchase again any where. And the ingredients are hard to come by these days too, the recipe used herbs common to the 1800's era.



So, since I couldn't find those ingredients, I did some research, and these are the herbs I found through research that would be good to use because of their expectorant properties, and soothing to the bronchial system. I have found them to be almost as good as the Rawleigh brand of cough medicine formula, they are:



Wild Cherry bark, Mullein leaf, Slippery Elm powder, Coltsfoot leaf, Lobelia leaf, Pleurisy root, Elecampane root, and Licorice root .



Coltsfoot and Horehound are expectorant herbs that should be used with a light hand - not too much, or it may make you cough too much because of their strong expectorant properties.



Licorice, a sweet herb, is soothing and makes a good edition to a cough syrup remedy, but should also be used sparingly, as too much can have the same effect as Epicac syrup.



My family cough recipe looks like this:





FAMILY COUGH RECIPE



1oz. of wild cherry bark

1oz. of mullein (leaf)

1oz. of slippery elm (powder)

1/2 oz. of coltsfoot (leaf)

1/2 oz. of lobelia (leaf)

1/2 oz. pleurisy (root)

1/2 oz. elecampane (root)

1/2 oz. Licorice (root)



Here are some directions on how to make a syrup:



STEP 1/ --Combine the herbs and add to 1 quart water. Simmer liquid over a low heat, condensing the liquid down to a very thick concentrated tea (about 1 pint).



STEP 2/ --Strain herbs. Place liquid back into the pot. Compost the herbs.



STEP 3/ --To the liquid herb concentrate add either 1 cup of honey, (for children over 2 years of age) or 1 cup of white grape juice concentrate and warm the liquid/tea mixture together, stirring well for about 20 minutes over low heat.



STEP 4/ --Cool to lukewarm. Add Brandy (or vodka or whiskey) to flavour and preserve. Brandy relaxes and sooth the throat muscles and calms spastic coughing. If you are uncomfortable about having your family ingest alchohol, add the chough medicine to hot tea, and the heat of the tea will burn off most of the alcohol.



STEP 5/ --Completely cool and then pour cough mixture recipe into clean bottles. Syrups stored in the refrigerator should last for 4-6 months. If refrigeration isn't available, increase sweetener content to 2 cups.



This next recipe works well for the tight chest complaints that sometimes are part of a bronchial infection:



SOOTHING COUGH SYRUP

1 Tbs. each licorice root, mullein leaves, thyme leaves, rose hips, slippery elm bark, lemongrass leaves, and 2 Tbs. of Wild Cherry bark.



1 quart water



1/4 to 1/2 cup rice syrup or fruit syrup (or honey, for children who are at least 2 years of age) Bring herbs and water to a boil in a large uncovered saucepan. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain out herbs. Return to heat and simmer, then turn off heat. While still warm, stir in syrup or honey. Let cool. Give a suffering child 1 Tbs., as needed. Store in refrigerator.



I pray your family is blessed with good health, and that you won't need these recipes, but they are good to have on hand just in case!

How to Cure Cold And Flu with Natural Treatments
http://www.grannymed.com/Meds/Cold-and-flu.aspx
Mix:
1 Lemmon juice.
1 flat spoon of honey.
1 spoon of brandy.
Drink one tablespoon 3 times a day to help the flu.
Put 1 tablespoon of cut/ powder root, pour hot water into the cup, wait for 5 minutes and drink, repeat 3 times daily.
Make green onion soup.
Mix one teaspoon of cayenne to 1 cup of boiling water. Take one teaspoon from the mixture and mix with a cup of water; drink when needed.
Pour 1 cup of boiling water to 1 teaspoon of Marjoram, wait for 5-10 minutes and drink. Repeat 3 times daily.
Blanch salvia/ lemon grass, add honey, wait 3 minutes and drink.
Put cupping glasses on the shoulders and smear arrack on the chest; Drink tea with brandy and cover up.
Cook 1 cup of water to 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds on low heat for 5 minuets. Cool and drink to help the cold.
Drink herbal tea with cinnamon.
Black Currant Drink

An old Irish cold remedy
2 tbsps black currant jam

Drop of lemon juice

1 spoonful honey

1/2 pt. hot water.



Used to help soothe sore throat or chest cold. Simmer all together for 5 or 6 minutes gently stirring well. Strain through muslin

laid in a sieve and drink very
Cold Care#1



5 drops Eucalyptus Oil

3 drops Lavender Oil

2 drops Peppermint Oil



Use when you feel congested and achy. Fill tub full of warm water then add mixture, sit in water inhaling the aroma.









Chest Congestion Rub



Same ingrediants as above

Add to 1 oz. of Sweet Almond Oil and rub on chest

neck and abdomen before bed to ease congestion and speed healing.









Cold Care#2



2 drops Juniper Oil

3 drops Lavender Oil

1 to 2 drops Almond or Grape Seed Oil

Use the same way as cold care#1.
There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson







Coughing Spells

Use Cypress in an aroma lamp or diffuser for coughing spells. Add it to a salve or chest rub. Cypress is said to stop everything that flows in excess which makes it ideal for a runny nose.

Brought to you by AromaThyme.com

Infection Fighter


2 capsules of Echinacea
1 capsules or tablets Garlic
1 capsules or tablets Vitamin C

At the first sign of a cold, take the mixture of the herbs above every 3 hours the first day of symptoms. Then 1 tablet or capsule of each herb 3 times a day for a week to 10 days. If the symptoms persist take for another week to 10 days.

Echinacea

An effective antibiotic, on a level with penicillin. It is a Blood Cleanser, immune enhancer and infection fighter against strep bacteria. Commonly used for respiratory infection.

Garlic

Before the discovery of modern antibiotics, garlic was used for infections and wounds, both internal and external. It is properties are antibiotic, antiviral, expectorant. It acts against lung and bronchial infections.

Vitamin C

The body neither makes or stores Vitamin C, a continous supply must be provided. Normal body cell function requires Vitamin C. Stress, fever and infection increase the body's need for Vitamin C.

Tea For Coughing Fits

1 1/3 oz. St. John's Wort
2/3 oz. Thyme
2/3 oz. Linden Flowers

Use 1 tsp. of the herb mixture per cup of boiling water to soothe irritations of the upper respiratory tract that cause coughing. Steep for 5-10 min., strain, sweeten with honey for added benefit. This tea has proved helpful with bronchitis and whooping cough.

Cold, Fever
1 ounce dried Elder Flowers

1 ounce dried Peppermint Leaves

½ pint distilled water



Mix the herbs. Place in a quart saucepan. Pour 1/2 pints of distilled boiling water over it. Cover and allow to steep in a hot place for 10 to 15 minutes (do not boil). When ready, strain into another saucepan. Sweeten with honey if desired.



Note: Once covered for steeping, do not raise the lid, as this will cause it to lose some of its strength.



Recommended Dose:



Take this in bed, well covered with blankets to retain the heat.



For severe colds and fevers, drink one pint as hot as possible, and remain in bed, well covered.



For children: one half to one cup.



After taking this remedy, stay in bed well covered for at least 12 hours to promote free perspiration.



Please note: This remedy is quite harmless and safe. It will induce perspiration 20 to 40 minutes after taking, and sometimes sooner. This will soothe you to sleep, and the perspiration will continue for several hours.



In some cases, the temperature has been reduced from 104 to 99 degrees within two hours!!



According to Dr. Dr. Edward E. Shook, well known herbalist, "there is no remedy for colds and fevers of any description equal to this simple life-saving formula."



Follow-up

The next morning, if the fever or cold is completely broken, take a sponge bath with warm water. Change linens in bed. Take some light nourishment such as fruit juices, (pineapple, orange or prune juices). Keep your body warm and away from all drafts for a day or two.



If one dose does not completely break up the cold or fever, take another dose after 24 hours.
Luck is when opportunity knocks and you answer.

~Author Unknown
Golden seal is used both internally and externally to help the body fight

infections with its nutritional properties. It helps the body soothe

inflammations of the mucous membranes and balance their function. This herb especially nourishes the liver, glandular and respiratory systems. Golden seal helps cleanse the system of foreign organisms.