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Symptoms > Information > Cough
Understanding Your Cough
What is a Cough?
Cough is a common symptom that can have a number of different causes. When you start to feel that itch in your throat or chest that sends you into a fit of hacking and wheezing, it can be a sign of phlegm in the stomach or simply your body's way of clearing an irritant that's made its way into your throat.
Many of the ways to soothe a cough can be made easily at home with
household or garden ingredients, but sometimes a cough can spell a more serious medical concern. If your cough persists, see a doctor or try one of the proved remedies on this page.
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COUGH
Types of Cough
There are many types of cough. The best treatment for your cough will depend on your specific symptoms.
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If your cough is phlegmy, the most important thing is to carry the phlegm down out of the stomach. While a water or cordial may be sufficient to soothe a dry cough, a phlegmy cough should be treated with a syrup, which will be thick enough to shift the phlegm.
The sound of whooping cough.
The whooping cough (also known as the chin cough) is a type of phlegmy cough that is best treated with a syrup of huckleberries or holly berries. This cough gets its name from the high "whoop" sound that comes after the cough. Although whooping cough is easily treated with the correct syrup, it can be dangerous for children who have a history of vomiting, as the cough can induce vomiting if it's
severe. For children, a syrup of vinegar is recommended.
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A cough of the lungs can be more serious and require a more complex treatment, although some lung coughs can also be effectively treated with household powders.
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Some coughs are best addressed by making sure the base illness is treated first. For example, a cough that accompanies a cold or a rheum of the head comes from irritation caused by the rheum. In this case, it's recommended to focus on drying up the rheum, which will reduce the intensity of the cough.
Advice for Coughs
If you find yourself troubled by a cough, try a sugary water or syrup to coat the lining of your throat, reducing the urge to cough. Infusing the
water or syrup by boiling it with a proved herb like hyssop or sage of Jerusalem can also be helpful, not to mention add flavor to the syrup to make it easier to drink. If using water, be sure to use fresh spring water for maximum benefit, or start with a honey base.
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It's a good idea to drink the water or syrup regularly to best treat a persistent cough. A recommended schedule is three times a day, once each in the morning, afternoon, and
Syrup of hyssop.
night, but the most important time is before you go to bed. Drinking a dose of cough syrup before bed gives the remedy time to work overnight when you're likely to be coughing less.
For those who would rather not boil and drink a syrup each night, there's a wide variety of other proved ingredients and remedies.