Who doesn’t love a slight nip in the air? (Sniff, sniff) Or a chilly breeze? (Cough, cough). We get it, definitely not someone who’s been suffering from a sudden flu attack. Even a little cough can bring your life to a standstill but know that the changing weather is not the only reason for your misery. Cough is a common reflex action that occurs when mucus or foreign irritants drain down the back of the throat. As soon as we start suffering from itching throat, we start looking for common home remedies for cough or traditional quick fixes to remedy symptoms of cough. It is a signal that your body is trying to clear the breathing passage. In his book, Ayurvedic Home Remedies, author Vasant Lad, explains, “From an Ayurvedic perspective, most coughs are caused by excess Pitta or Kapha in the bronchial tree, causing congestion and irritation of the bronchial mucous membrane.” He further suggests that the easy solution to manage this condition is to reduce the unwanted pitta or kapha. In order to treat cough most effectively, you need to first find out if its dry cough or productive cough. Dry cough may occur due to inflammation of the trachea or irritation in the throat.
A productive cough results from the presence of mucus or other fluid in the respiratory tract and it is usually a symptom of a respiratory disease like pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, or tuberculosis. Constant coughing can often leave your chest aching. You must keep yourself hydrated, which helps to keep the mucous membranes moist so that it can be easily flushed out.