Coughs due to bacterial or viral upper respiratory infections may be effectively treated with complementary therapies. The choice of remedy will vary and be specific to the type of cough the patient has. Lingering coughs or coughing up blood should be treated by a trained practitioner.
Nutrition & diet
Many health practitioners advise increasing fluid intake and breathing in warm, humidified air as ways of loosening chest congestion. Avoiding mucous-producing foods can be effective in healing a cough condition. These mucous-producing foods can vary, based on individual intolerance, but dairy products are a major mucous producing food for most people. Other foods to avoid are sugar and foods high in sodium.
Others recommend hot tea flavored with honey as a temporary home remedy for coughs caused by colds or flu.
Various vitamins may be helpful in preventing or treating conditions (including colds and flu) that lead to coughs. They include vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, vitamin A, and folic acid.
Herbal medicine
There are many Western herbs, as well as herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), that soothe the throat, quiet coughs, and act as expectorants. Some include:
• Marsh mallow
• Licorice
• Aniseed
• Fritillaria
• Loquat
Homeopathic remedies
Depending on the type of cough and its duration, several homeopathic remedies include:
• Aconite for dry coughs with fever
• Antimonium tartaricum for productive coughs
• Bryonia for intense, dry coughs accompanied by thirst
• Drosera for violent coughing
• Rumex crispus for tickling coughs
