Various expectorant herbs are well suited for cleansing the lungs from sputum. They have a mild effect, thinning and removing mucus. Cough herbs can be harvested on their own, or you can buy ready-made in a pharmacy.
To achieve a positive result when using medicinal plants, you must drink tea at least four times a day. In order not to cause a cough at night, it is recommended to drink the last portion of tea no later than three hours before bedtime.
With medicinal herbs, inhalation can be done. This procedure helps to warm up the bronchi and lungs, ensure the flow of nutrients.
Expectorant plants
Expectorant herbs help remove sputum, and also kill viruses and bacteria. The effect of plants has a softening effect and accelerates the healing process of micro-wounds that occur during frequent dry cough.
The most common herbs are:
- Elecampane.
- Liquorice root.
- Marshmallow.
- Ledum.
- Raspberries.
- Thermopsis.
- Mint.
- Eucalyptus.
And this is not all expectorant herbs, but they are most often used. From each type of plant, decoctions are prepared, tinctures, syrups are made. They carry out inhalation. Each plant has unique properties.
Medicinal marshmallow
This expectorant cough herb has been used in medicine since ancient times. Althea contains many useful and effective substances, such as polysaccharides, carotene, lecithin, oils, mineral salts. Passing through the gastrointestinal tract, all the substances contained settle on the walls of the larynx, intestines and stomach. Thus, they protect the mucous membranes from irritation. As a result, a quick recovery occurs, the cough is relieved.
To prepare a medicine from the marshmallow, the root of the plant is taken. For the syrup, you need two grams of crushed root, a solution of wine alcohol with water in a ratio of 1:45, three tablespoons of sugar. An expectorant herb is taken and poured with a wine solution. The tool is left to infuse for an hour. Then the composition is filtered, sugar is added to it. The product is put on fire and heated until all sugar is completely dissolved. Ready syrup is taken two tablespoons four times a day.
From the root of the marshmallow, you can prepare a decoction, make an infusion.
The infusion is prepared from two tablespoons of crushed marshmallow root, drenched in a glass of boiling water. The tool is infused for two hours. The finished composition is taken in a tablespoon up to six times a day.
An expectorant herb for coughing can prepare a decoction. For him, you need to take a spoonful of root and two glasses of water. Everything is mixed and put on fire. The composition is brought to a boil and cooked over low heat for thirty minutes. The cooled and strained product is taken in a tablespoon five times a day.
From the marshmallow root, alcohol tinctures can be prepared. To do this, pour a spoonful of the plant with a bottle of vodka and insist for two weeks in a dark place. After that, the product is filtered. Accepted alcohol tincture of fifteen drops.
High elecampane
Elecampane roots are used to treat cough. This plant has a wide range of different nutrients: trace elements, organic acids, minerals, oils. A variety of types of cough medicines are prepared from elecampane, each of which has a liquefying property.
With bronchitis, expectorant herbs can be used in the form of infusions, decoctions. To prepare the infusion from elecampane, you need to take two teaspoons of the root and pour water. The tool is infused overnight, and filtered in the morning. Take with honey in half a glass no more than four times a day.
From the root of the plant, you can make a decoction. For him, you need to take a spoonful of roots and fill them with half a liter of water. The product is heated in a water bath for half an hour. Then the broth is filtered and taken in a tablespoon every two hours.
Licorice
The most versatile herb for dry cough is licorice. This plant contains more than thirty flavonoids that make the grass unique in composition. There is starch, saccharides, vitamins, pectins and other useful elements.
Flavonoids relieve inflammatory processes, promote tissue regeneration, and also soften the coughing process.
Syrup is prepared from the licorice root, which is always available in pharmacies.
Thermopsis
This herb from dry cough contains a huge amount of a variety of useful substances, such as alkaloids, esters, vitamins, resins. The plant is rich in tannins. Thermopsis grass has a pronounced expectorant property due to improved activity of the bronchial glands and increased activity of epithelial cilia.
All products prepared on the basis of thermopsis have a strong effect on the elimination of sputum. To prepare the infusion, you need to take a spoonful of the plant and pour boiling water over it. The tool is infused at night, and in the morning it is filtered and taken on a tablespoon five times a day.
Eucalyptus
A unique expectorant herb with a dry cough is eucalyptus. The leaves of the tree contain essential, tannic oils, cinnamic and coumaric acids, volatile and other useful substances. Means prepared from the plant contribute to the separation of sputum and its excretion from the body.
Eucalyptus can not be taken for children under one year of age, and is also used with caution to treat children under three years of age. Do not use the drug for high blood pressure, as well as for pregnant women.
Eucalyptus has established itself as a plant for inhalation. But not only they help to cope with cough: a decoction is prepared from the plant. To do this, take ten grams of leaves and pour a glass of boiling water. The product is boiled for ten minutes over low heat. The finished drug is taken in a tablespoon three times a day.
Mint
Among herbs with an expectorant effect, mint is worth highlighting. She perfectly helps to cope with bronchitis. Mint contains menthol, which has a pronounced anti-inflammatory and expectorant effect.
From mint, you can cook decoctions, teas, infusions. Most often, this herb is taken as tea: a tablespoon is poured with a glass of boiling water and drunk as tea at least three times a day.
Peppermint is able to remove phlegm, make the cough not so sharp, and also reduce the temperature. With mint, inhalation can be done with bronchitis.
Mother and stepmother
To treat cough with bronchitis, you can use coltsfoot. This plant is used in the acute form of the disease in combination with honey.
To prepare a medicine from the leaves, you need to take a tablespoon of dry chopped leaves and steam them with boiling water. The remedy is infused for twenty minutes. One spoonful is taken every three hours. You can add a couple of spoons of honey to this infusion.
Aloe
In acute bronchitis, aloe can be used. To do this, take a leaf and push it to a state of gruel. Then take a spoonful of mass and pour a glass of boiling water, the remedy is infused for an hour. The composition is taken before bedtime.
Aloe contains a wide variety of useful substances that stimulate the body's immune defense, as well as help sputum discharge.
Sage
This unique plant is capable of not only removing phlegm, but also mitigating cough. A decoction is prepared from the plant, but it is not made on water, but on milk. Also, a small amount of butter is added to the broth, which helps to soften the effect. To prepare the medicine, take a spoonful of sage and pour a glass of milk. The product is brought to a boil, and then allowed to stand for at least half an hour. The composition is taken before bedtime.
Choosing a Cough Herb
When choosing a cough herb, it is important to consider its type. All of the above herbs are used to treat dry cough with bronchitis and other pathologies. This type of reflex occurs in the absence of sputum production. After the use of herbs, sputum begins to recede, with it all pathogenic bacteria, viruses are excreted.
To achieve the fastest result, you can use herbal preparations for dry cough. For example, the composition may include coltsfoot, mint, and rosemary. You can take other types of plants, the main thing is to use in equal parts.
To use herbs that thin the sputum and expectorant, it is best in combination with means that increase immunity. It can be raspberries, rose hips, lemon, chamomile. They help to remove the vital products of viruses and bacteria from the body, and also supply a huge amount of vitamins and minerals.
With pneumonia, only those herbs are used that have a mild effect, as well as those that can activate immunity. Well-established St. John's wort, sage. When used together, they have a calming effect on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.
For children up to a year, expectorant grass can be used only as directed by a doctor, as, however, for the treatment of adults. Therefore, before using any cough suppressant, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
Herbal Syrups
Some pharmacological companies make herbal syrups. The most popular are licorice syrup, marshmallow, "Herbion", "Eucabal", "Prospan", "Linkas".
There are drugs based on thyme extract. These include such means as Tussamag, Bronhikum. Since Soviet times, thermopsis-based drugs have been produced. There are other products made from a wide variety of plants. For example, in pharmacies there is eucalyptus oil, peppermint. These funds can be used for inhalation, as well as applied to a scarf and hung around the house to saturate the air with useful substances and eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. Despite this, many people tend to prepare their own medicine from herbs. With this choice, it is important to understand that each herb has contraindications, therefore, it is necessary to consult your doctor before use.