Without Drugs, These 6 Ways Can Be Done To Overcome Cough

Illustration of how to deal with cough without medicine (Unsplash/Towfiqu Bharbuiya)

YOGYAKARTA – Although sometimes annoying, coughing plays a role in cleaning the body from irritation and infection. Treatment and medication, can be done without drugs. But you need to know the cause. If due to allergies, infections, and acid reflux, it can be overcome with natural remedies that use herbal ingredients at home.

However, if the cough persists for a long time or is repeated, is followed by shortness of breath, blood or yellowish-green mucus comes out, wheezing, and has a fever or headache, it is advisable to see a doctor.

To treat coughs without chemical drugs, you can do the following methods below.

1. Drink honey

In a study conducted in 2021, honey with dextromethorphan was a common cough suppressant. The researchers found that honey was superior to conventional treatments, both in suppressing coughs and in helping prevent the need for antibiotics. Citing Medical News Today, Wednesday, August 10, a spoonful or added to a hot drink can help relieve coughs.

Illustration of how to deal with cough without medicine (Unsplash/Arwin Neil Baichoo)

2. Consume ginger

Besides brewing it into a drink, you can make soup with the addition of ginger. Ginger has long been studied and the results are noted by researchers that ginger can be a natural remedy for coughs. Researchers have found that ginger, along with other medicines, including honey, has been used as a traditional medicine for centuries.

3. Drink warm water

In limited research, a 2008 study showed that drinking warm or room temperature water can relieve coughing, runny nose, and sneezing. Meanwhile, people with cold or flu symptoms may benefit from drinking warm water to relieve symptoms. Well, there are many alternatives to hot drinks, such as clear broth, herbal teas, black teas, and warm fruit juices.

4. Make use of steam

A wet cough, or one that produces mucus and phlegm, can be relieved by steam. To try this method, you need to take a warm shower and let the shower fill with steam. Do it for a few minutes until the cough subsides. After that, you can drink a glass of water to prevent dehydration.

You can also use the steam from a large bowl of hot water. In this way, you can add essential oils, such as eucalyptus or rosemary. This method can help reduce cough symptoms.

5. Gargle with salt water

Many people do this to relieve sore throats and symptoms associated with the common cold. By gargling salt water, the mucus-filled throat feels looser and the pain is reduced. But saltwater gargling is not effective in removing the virus that causes coughing.

6. Eat pineapple rich in bromelain

Bromelain is an enzyme that comes from pineapples and is most abundant in the core of the fruit. This enzyme has anti-inflammatory and possibly mucolytic properties, which can break down mucus and expel it from the body.

Those are the six natural ways to deal with a cough without medicine. Because everyone has different health conditions and body metabolism, maybe the efficacy will be different for each person.