The Best Homemade Cough Medicine

When you have a bad cough, you need to treat it quickly as it can become quite an annoying problem. Cough medicine can be expensive and you can run out of it so quickly, so why not try an inexpensive alternative: homemade cough medicine.

Garlic Cough Syrup

• Garlic is one of nature's many miracle workers. It can be used to help digestive problems, treat the flu and the common cold, as well as many other conditions. Garlic can also be used to subdue a cough. Garlic cough syrup does not sound very appetizing, but it is quite effective. The enzymes in garlic help heal inflamed throats and air passages, which cause the cough in the first place. To prepare garlic cough syrup, chop up a handful of garlic cloves and place them into a mason jar. Next, completely cover the garlic with honey and close the jar with a lid or plastic wrap. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 24 hours. Ideally, it should marinate for two weeks, but if you have a cough now, 24 hours will suffice. Take a tablespoon of the mixture when you feel the urge to cough.

Vinegar

• Using apple cider vinegar to stop a cough is not very well known, but it is effective. The vinegar's acidic qualities help heal the inflamed airways that often cause the cough, and the vinegar itself does not taste all that bad. To prepare, add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water and mix thoroughly. When you feel the urge to cough, drink the mixture slowly to subdue the coughing reflex.

Ginger

• Ginger is another one of those miracles of nature. Like garlic, it has many healing qualities that are key in fighting off disease. Using ginger to stop a cough is actually pretty simple. Slice up some fresh ginger root and place it into your mouth when you have the urge to cough. Chew the ginger until the cough melts away. You can also use powdered ginger to make a drink. Mix a tablespoon of powdered ginger with a glass of water and drink slowly.