Homemade Remedies to Get Rid of a Cough

Cough and cold season can be quite the headache for those that get sick frequently, or who have family members who are often sick. Even if you are rarely ill, you may be sidelined by a bad cough now and then. There are several over-the-counter cough treatments available, but you may wish to take a more natural approach to your illness. There are many different natural treatments for coughing that you can use and start feeling better in no time.

Natural Cough Remedies

One of the easiest remedies for coughing is to drink warm water. Though cold water can irritate the throat more, warm water should help soothe your throat and slow coughing. There are several other drinks that can help your cough as well. For example, take some grape juice and add honey to it. This will help suppress a cough. Boil water and steep aniseed and holy basil, which will make a tea that you can drink that also aides in stopping your cough. Another remedy involves juicing onions. Take the juice from the onions and add honey to it, then drink this concoction two or three times daily. Warm carrot juice is also purported to soothe coughing fits. You can also combine onion juice, lemon juice and honey, and drink this a few times a day.

Black pepper helps with coughing as well. Take some black pepper seeds and chew on them to help with your coughing. If chewing pepper seeds isn't feasible, add the seeds to a glass of milk. Alternately, add black pepper to a half of a lemon and suck on the combination. Licorice may also help your cough if you ingest it. Eating garlic is a cough deterrent as well. Chew a few cloves a day to help with your cough. Grapes are another cough aid. Eat grapes every day until your cough has subsided. You can also take a turmeric root and roast it. After it has been roasted, ground the root into a powder. Ingest three grams of this powder twice a day as a cough cure.

Foods to Avoid

Foods to be avoided are those that may cause your body to be cold. This includes fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, watermelons and papayas. Ice cream should also be avoided, as should cold drinks. You also should avoid foods high in oils, such as any kind of nuts and also coconuts. Caffeine, spicy foods, refined sugar and other processed foods should be taken out of your diet until your cough gets better. Avoiding these foods will make your natural cough remedies work even better.