Best Cough Medicine

Cough is one of the most common routine problems many of us face. It is basically a reflex of the body to defend the breathing passage from extra secretions, foreign particles and irritants. It is a repetitive process. Inhalation, followed by forced exhalation and a consequent violent release of air from lungs is what is involved in cough. If it is frequent and gives considerable trouble, then it is an indicator that there is an underlying disease. There are numerous medicines available over the counter or even home remedies. Let's check out what are the various options available, but before that a bit on it.

Cough can be caused by problems of the respiratory tract like common cold, pneumonia, bronchitis and tuberculosis. In these cases, it contains mucus and it is not dry, which is not a very good sign. In case of a dry cough, there is no mucus. The factors causing such a type are post nasal drip, ACE inhibitors, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease and post viral cough.

Medicines for Cough

For Adults
For adults, the most common medicines are syrups or linctus. These are available over the counter. These medicines contain dextromethorphan and some others contain codeine. In addition to that, there are nasal decongestants and sprays. When the cough involves phlegm, then expectorants have been found to be effective. These bring about relief by loosening the mucus from the respiratory tract. Apart from these, one of the effective home remedies include honey. In fact, honey has been proved to be more effective than dextromethorphan.

Ginger: Ginger is a fabulous remedy. Slice some fresh ginger and just place it in your mouth whenever you feel like coughing. Until it melts away, chew the ginger. Mix powdered ginger with a glass of water and have it slowly. This is good for dry cough.

Garlic: Garlic helps tackle the root cause , that is common cold and flu. Garlic syrup, yes, I know sounds strange, but believe me, it works. Take a handful of garlic cloves and chop them. Place the chopped garlic in a mason jar and cover it completely with honey and close the jar with lid. Let it be in the refrigerator and marinate it for at least 24 hours. Take a tablespoon of this syrup whenever you have the sensation of cough. Ideally, it should marinate for at least 2 weeks, 24 hours is enough.

Amongst others, apple cider vinegar is useful for relief. Mix water and apple vinegar and have it when you have this problem.

For Children
It appears so that some of the 'over the counter' cough relief medicines may not be very good for children. Antitussives are prescribed for children but reports and studies show the flip side. For children below the age of 16, as far as possible, codeine and dextromethorphan are best avoided. Then, the perfect solution to this is home remedies, yes, straight from grandmother's kitty and Ayurveda. These are the following things for curing cough in children. Some of the ingredients are the same as previously mentioned, but there are variations.

Honey and Lemon: Add a tbsp of honey to quarter cup of hot water and stir the mixture thoroughly. Add a tbsp of lemon and drink it at one go together. Honey is antibacterial and will kill germs in the respiratory tract and lemon will clear the passage. When it comes to natural cures, this is also one of the best cold medicines.

Cherry: This sounds funny, but try it. Get hold of a cherry bark (around 2 oz) from a wild cherry tree. Boil the bark in the saucepan for 10 minutes in about 2 cups of water. Place a lid on the pan after it boils. Let the bark transfer its medicinal properties to the water. For making the bitter solution on account of the cherry bark, add sugar or honey for sweetening it. Have it every 4 four hours.

Ginger is the eternal favorite and the ginger remedy mentioned works just fine for kids as well. Now, I am going to mention the very remedy which is going to delight most of the girls! Well, a recent study has found out that dark chocolate (WOW) have theobromine, which apparently could be the safest and effective cough suppressant! Approximately 2 ounces of dark chocolate for an adult and half of that for a child works well and has no aftereffects. The higher the cocoa, the lesser chocolate would be needed for relief from coughing.

Natural cures would have no side effects unless you are allergic to them. So the best bet would be that. If it is a chronic case, then pills and syrups could be opted for.

Take Care!