Cough is usually treated as an infection of a disease but it is like a necessary evil. It sometimes helps in removing the foreign materials or irritants from your throat. But cough can also occur due to the presence of infection in the throat too. Coughing continuously for a long time can be annoying. So the cure of the cough purely depends on the reason for its presence in the first place. Cough can be caused due to allergies, infections, and other factors too. 

Cough can be cured by many allopathic medicines. But using herbs and home remedies can also cure cough without any chemical or medicinal interference in your body. So following are the 10 home remedies that can cure dry cough right at your home.

1.Honey tea

Since traditional times it has been said that honey is known to have many medicinal values as well as therapeutic effects on skin and others. Curing cough is one of the main therapeutic uses of honey. There was a study performed to test the therapeutic effect of honey on children. Many children with nighttime coughing were treated with dark honey and others were treated with a medicine called dextromethorphan. It was found out that dark honey provided more relief to the children than the medicine called dextromethorphan. Although there weren’t a large number of benefits that honey had over dextromethorphan, still it was preferred by most parents over the medicine. To safely consume this to cure cough, two spoons of honey were added to warm water or any herbal tea and consumed at least two times a day. This would effectively cure your cough. But honey is not advised to give children below one year of age.

2.Ginger

When we have a dry cough apart from the unpleasant feeling of coughing there is a lot of pain and discomfort that is felt usually by coughing constantly. Ginger is known to have anti-inflammatory properties which may provide you relief from the pain and discomfort. This may also provide you ease while coughing. Moreover, it is found that the anti-inflammatory substances present in ginger are known to dilate the respiratory tract so that it would ease up the cough. Till now the effects of ginger have just been seen in animals and human beings so more research is needed to be done.

To consume it right, you can add approx. 30g of ginger in a hot water and let it steep for a few minutes before you consume it. For further taste and comfort to your cough, you can also add lemon or honey to it.

But in some cases, ginger tea is known to cause heart urn and many digestive problems.

3.Fluids

Keeping yourself hydrated at this time is one of the main things you have to keep in mind. According to many studies it has been proved that drinking fluids at room temperature can stimulate the running nose and cough and sneezing. It is always advisable to warm up your fluids before consumption. Warming up of fluids can provide relief to your throat as well as can reduce the symptoms too.

4.Steam

Taking the steam can help you to cure mostly wet coughs and mucus and phlegm but in case of dry cough, this has been found effective. You can take a shower in hot water and let the team fill up the bathroom and you can stay in it till your symptoms are reduced. Afterward drinking some cool water or any fluid is encouraged to prevent your body from dehydrating

5.Marshmallow root

This is a herb that is used to reduce the pain and discomfort caused by coughing. It does it because it has mucilage in it. Mucilage is a thick coating that the marshmallow root lays on the throat. It is a sticky and thick content. It protects the throat from wearing due to the cough. In a study, the effectiveness of this marshmallow root was proven. The people suffering from cough were given cough syrup which had marshmallow root and thyme and ivy in it. After 10-12 days 90% of those people felt relieved and they did not have a cough anymore.

6.Saltwater gargle

It helps in reducing the phlegm in the throat and it, in turn, lessens the urge to cough. Half a teaspoon of salt is added to hot water. And this water is used to gargle so that it reduces the phlegm.

7.Bromelain

It is an enzyme. This enzyme is mostly found in pineapples. Bromelain contains anti-inflammatory properties and is used to treat mucolytic. This nature helps in reducing the phlegm and breaking it down and removing it out of your body. This is an enzyme so it is possible to be allergic to it. It can also interfere with medication and have side effects. Mainly for people who take blood thinners should steer clear of bromelain.

8.Probiotics

This does not directly act in preventing cold but it plays an important role in improving your immune system. If your immune system is strong your immunity will help in fighting all the allergens infections and all other causes of your cough. Out of all the probiotics, lactobacillus is one of the best probiotics that helps in preventing the common cold and cough, etc. Some medications are rich in this lactobacillus that is readily available in all drug stores but in the case of home remedies, you should consume dishes like kimchi, yogurt, miso soup, etc.

9.Dietary changes for acid reflux

Acid reflux is one of the main causes of cough. You can easily reduce cough by reducing acid reflux. You can reduce acid reflux by stopping the intake of this kind of food which stimulates acid reflux. These kinds of foods are alcohol, chocolates, caffeine, onion and garlic, fried and fatty food.

10.Slippery Elm

This is a traditional method of north America. The people there traditionally used to consume the bark of this slippery elm tree to cure dry cough and common cold.