A cough is basically an irritation in the throat because of phlegm or any other irritant. Almost all the cough syrups present in the market contain alcohol. They might make you drowsy on a working day!

According to Ayurveda, cough is caused by vitiation or increase in Kapha dosha.

For a better understanding of Kapha dosha, please visit the following links –

Qualities Of Dosha

General Functions of Balanced Dosha

During the seasonal change, the body tries to adjust its physiology according to the external environment. These seasonal changes stress the body metabolism and the result is a seasonal disorder like fever, cold or a cough! For a better understanding of how the seasons can cause a cough, please visit the following link –

Effect of Ritu (seasons) on Dosha

Also, find the Ayurvedic lifestyle to prevent seasonal disorders in the following link –

Brief Ritucharya for 6 seasons

However, if you still catch a bad cold or a cough, here are some Ayurvedic home remedies which can be easily prepared and consumed for instant cough relief. These remedies are safe for use in the cases of a chronic cough as well.

There are two kinds of a cough – wet and dry. Different people face different intensity and duration of a cough, that may linger long after the fever or the flu is gone. It all depends on the Prakrati or the innate body temperament of the individual.

Normally, the cough starts with the wet cough and then may become a dry cough. A dry cough may or may not take a long time to get cured. The following remedies for wet cough are preventive in nature. They prevent the conversion of wet cough to a dry cough. The herbs used in these remedies also help to boost the immunity and prevent frequent reoccurrence of the seasonal flu.

Wet Cough

  • Dissolve 10 gm of pure camphor, 10 gm black pepper, 10 gm of ginger powder and 10 gm of tampered asafoetida in ghee. Take 1/2 to 1 tsp for instant relief in wet cough.
  • Make a paste of 20–25 raisins and add 10 gm of black pepper and melted jaggery. Make balls of 500 mg. Consume these balls SOS for instant relief from a cough.
  • Roast 20 gm turmeric and 20 gm asafoetida separately till they emit a nice aroma. Add them to 100 gm of ghee. Also, add 10 gm of ginger powder. Take 1/2 to 1 tsp of wet cough.
  • Anti-cough decoction – Take 1 lit of water and add 10 gm of black pepper, 5 gm ginger powder, and 10 gm turmeric powder, 8–10 leaves of Tulsi and mint, 2–3 cardamom (optional), 20 gm of jaggery and boil the mixture till half of it evaporates.

Dry Cough

  • Melt 100 gm of jaggery and add powder of 8–10 black pepper in it. Make small balls of approximately 500 mg each. If you are an Ayurveda fan prone to a chronic cough, you can store these homemade tablets for minimum 1 month for instant cough relief.
    This remedy is very beneficial for all 3 kinds of body types.
  • Temper 100 gm of ghee (Indian butter) with 25 gm of asafoetida. Cool the preparation and add 10 gm of black pepper. Add a small amount of melted jaggery to make it palatable if required. Take 5–10 gm of this mixture for instant relief from a cough. You can store it for about a year if used carefully with a clean spoon.
  • Mix Honey and ginger juice, each 1 tsp and consume for instant dry cough relief.
  • Anti-cough milk – Take 1 lit of skimmed milk and add 10 gm black pepper, 5 gm of ginger powder / 10 gm of ginger flakes, 20 gm turmeric, 8–10 Tulsi leaves, 20 gm jaggery and 1 tsp of ghee. Boil the mixture till only 500 ml of it remains. Drink this hot milk before bed and avoid eating or drinking anything after it.
  • Bhoomi amla or country gooseberry is a very commonly found plant. It has amazing results against a cough.
    Boil 50 gm of Bhoomi amla paste (all parts), 10 gm of black pepper and 20 gm of jaggery in 500 gm of water. Drink the hot decoction for instant relief from wet cough. It also works for a Dry cough when added 1 tsp of ghee.
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