5 Ways to Relieve a Lingering Cough

The fever and achy muscles are gone, you’re feeling much better, but that hacking cough is still hanging in there. While a cough that won’t go away can be caused by something other than a cold (e.g., bronchitis, sinusitis, allergies, pneumonia), for many, a nagging cough can linger around for up to three weeks after the other symptoms of a cold have passed. What can you do to get some relief? Here are a few non-over-the-counter suggestions:

1. Use a humidifier: Running a humidifier moisturizes the air, which helps sooth inflamed respiratory track tissues. There are different kinds of humidifiers on the market. A cool mist humidifier, which tends to be the least expensive, works fine. It provides the moisture, uses less energy than a warm mist humidifier, and prevents the risk of anyone getting burned.

2. Lay off the dairy: Dairy products are known to increase the build-up of mucus, which is the last thing we need to do while trying to rid our bodies of phlegm.

3. Water: Staying well-hydrated is always a good thing, optimizing our bodies’ functioning, including our immune systems. While both warm and cool water can sooth raw throats, cool water has the added benefit of slightly reducing swelling.

4. Eat honey: Quality raw honey (in contrast to highly processed honey) is anti-viral and anti-bacterial, and can be eaten by itself, in tea, or used in a number of home remedies for coughs and colds (see below.) A Penn State College of Medicine study tested the impact of nightly doses of buckwheat honey on children (ages 2-18) suffering from night time coughing and a respiratory track infection for 7 days or less. The study showed that night time coughing was reduced in children who took the honey, encouraging news in light of the FDA’s recommendation that children not be given over the counter cold medicines due to potentially harmful effects.

5. Try these natural remedies:

Ginger and garlic are both touted as having powerful medicinal properties, including the ability to help relieve coughs. If you’ve got the wherewithal to do so, you can chew on either one of these raw. A milder solution is boiling either freshly sliced ginger or a few cloves of garlic in water to make a tea. Drink this 2-3 times daily.
Over a low flame, heat chopped onion mixed with a generous dose of honey. When warm, take a spoonful of mixture, or just honey and hold it in the back of your throat. Do not drink anything for one-half hour.
Eat a spoonful of raw honey with some chopped garlic (a little will do ya.)
Eat a spoonful of raw honey mixed with a pinch of ground white or black pepper several times a day.

To be sure that your prolonged coughing isn’t a symptom of a more serious condition, visit a trusted doctor.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Debbie C.

9:40AM PDT on Apr 5, 2012

My husband and I both got real bad colds back in January. Mine is gone, but he still has a lingering cough.
He drinks a glass of chocolate milk every morning. I don't drink milk at all. I will tell him about this and hope it works.

Thanks for the info!!

send a green star

Amy B.

11:35PM PDT on Mar 25, 2012

Thanks, I have had a terrible cough ever since I got sick a couple of weeks ago. It is getting on my last nerve, and people look at me like I have the plague.

Beth A.

5:08PM PDT on Mar 19, 2012

raw honey is an amazing substance but remember, if you stir it into your hot tea or cereal it is no longer raw. it's best to just take it right off a spoon... with whatever else you choose. i like cinnamon and cayenne with mine, which are both strong medicinals in their own right.

Masha S.

4:10AM PDT on Mar 18, 2012

thank you for advice

Gita S.

1:15AM PDT on Mar 13, 2012

Very informative article, thanks.

Carol B.

3:11PM PST on Mar 10, 2012

honey & lemon in really hot tea helps coughs for me

Sonny H.

6:25PM PST on Mar 7, 2012

Thanks!