|  | Conditions Treatments | Cold Flu

Homemade Cough Medicine for Kids

Commercial cough medicine for kids may contain ingredients not needed for cough relief like food coloring and alcohol. When homemade cough medicine is given to your kids, you can be sure they are getting ingredients for cough relief with no additives. Homemade cough medicine may be simple or complex in its make-up, but the efficacy is proven through the test of time.

  1. Powdered Licorice Root

    • Mix 1 tsp. powdered licorice root with 1 1/2 cups hot water. Add honey or sugar to taste. Give to the child while the licorice infusion is still warm. Licorice coats and soothes the throat, relieving the urge to cough. Licorice is an expectorant meaning it helps expel excess phlegm from the lungs.

    Honey and Lemon

    • Mix 1 tbsp. honey in 1/4 cup hot water and stir well. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and drink down all at once. Honey is antibacterial and antimicrobial, killing germs in the throat as it is swallowed. Lemon juice is known for breaking up congestion in the lungs, thus making it easier to breathe.

    Ginger Infusion

    • Add 1 tsp. powdered ginger to 1 cup hot water. Add honey or sugar to taste and sip while it is still warm. Ginger has powerful healing abilities and, when combined with honey, packs a great punch as a germ-killer.

    Cherry Bark

    • Peel approximately 2 oz. of bark from a wild cherry tree. Place the bark in a saucepan and boil for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water. After boiling, place a lid on the pan and allow the medicinal qualities of the bark to be extracted to the water. Wild cherry bark is extremely bitter; sweetener will be necessary to make this medicine palatable. Add sugar or honey to taste and take a jigger at a time, every 4 hours.

Cold Flu - Related Articles