Home Remedies For Cough

If you have a persistent cough, try a poultice of roasted onion applied to the chest every two hours. Onions can also be drunk as a warm broth to cleanse the airways and to reduce congestion.

Try an infusion of grated fresh ginger root with spices such as cloves and cinnamon to help ease a chesty cough.

In Romany medicine, nettles are believed to rid the lungs and stomach of excess phlegm. For asthma and bronchitis, add a handful of young nettles to 300ml (1/2 pint) of boiling water. Strain and drink the juice.

A cabbage leaf poultice works well when the chest is tight from coughing. Cabbage has an extraordinary ability to draw out toxins.

Crush the leaves with a rolling pin until the juice starts to appear. Place three or four leaves over the chest area and cover with gauze. Then place a warm blanket over to keep in place. You can also drink the juice of the cabbage sweetened with a teaspoon of honey.