Soothing a Cough

Coughs often precede or follow a common cold. For this reason, inducing sweating by use of ginger, holy basil, hyssop or yarrow tea will help begin to mend the underlying cause of the cough. A tea made from one ounce of horehound, ½ ounce of hyssop, and ½ ounce of comfrey root simmered in a quart of water down to one pint, strained, to which 1 ounce of licorice extract and six ounces of honey is added, will make a lovely strong tea/syrup. A tablespoon can be given every hour or two as needed. If the phlegm is difficult to expectorate, add a teaspoon of lobelia in the formula’s preparation.

There are many demulcent and anti-inflammatory herbs that soothe the throat. I have found slippery elm inner bark, calendula flowers, lily bulb, and coltsfoot to be particularly helpful in quickly speeding the healing of the throat.

Another useful combination care of Dominion Herbal College is the following powdered herbs:
Elecampane (one ounce)
Skunk cabbage (one ounce)
Aniseed (one ounce)
Pleurisy root (one ounce)
Licorice root (1/2 ounce)
Ginger root (1/2 ounce)
Lobelia (1/4 ounce)
Cayenne (1/4 ounce)


Mix these together. Infuse a teaspoon of the powder in hot water. Sweeten with honey. Take 3 tablespoons 3-4 times daily. Or better yet, Mix an ounce in a jug with a pint of hot water and 4-6 ounces of honey, administer ½ cup four times daily. This is good for bronchitis, asthma and coughs equally.