Herbs That Transform Phlegm & Stop Coughing

According to the Canadian Minister of Health, 20 percent of all doctor visits in North America are due to coughs. Herbal medications are sometimes used by physicians as combination or alternative therapies for the treatment of coughs and phlegm.

Time for Thyme

• The British have used thyme medicinally for centuries as a tonic for coughs, because it acts as an expectorant, dissolving phlegm. Its antispasmodic effect also makes it useful as a cough suppressant.

Licorice Cough Drops

• Licorice is not only used in American cough drops for its soothing effects, but has long been valued in traditional Chinese medicine as both a suppressant and expectorant for coughs. Its mucus-thinning action helps to clear phlegm.

Lobelia

• Used as a treatment for coughs, lobelia is a native North American plant that helps to clear mucus. It is used in registered expectorant and decongestant medications in Canada.

Elder

• Elder flowers are used by English and American herbalists in the treatment of a slew of respiratory problems where symptoms include fever and phlegm due to colds, flu, hay fever, croup, bronchitis and sinusitis.

Slippery Elm

• Native to the United States and Canada, oral consumption of slippery elm helps to reduce inflamed mucus membranes as well as act as a cough suppressant. It is sometimes found in over-the-counter cough lozenges.