- February 13, 2019
- Diseases and conditions
- Epifantseva Anna
There are many reasons for children's cough. In addition to the use of official medications, a persistent cough in a child is often treated with folk remedies. They also do an excellent job of getting rid of simpler forms of this disease. Traditional methods for treating cough in children are popular due to their mild effects and ease of preparation.
About cough
Every child suffers from this manifestation from time to time. Most often this happens due to illness, but sometimes children breathe the “wrong” air. You need to be aware that cough can never be a separate ailment. This is just a symptom that negatively affects the condition of the respiratory tract, irritating them. For this reason, it makes no sense to treat cough separately.
Cough is the body’s protective reaction to harmful effects. This may be a response to a viral attack or allergens. It is caused by the accumulation of excessive mucus on the mucous membranes. And in order to get rid of it, the body produces a cough. Thanks to this process, severe inflammatory processes, for example, bronchitis or pneumonia, do not begin. Most often, a cough is accompanied by a runny nose, this is more true for infants.
According to statistics, the most common cause of cough in childhood is infection; this point accounts for about 90% of cases of the appearance of this symptom. And approximately 10% of coughs are due to allergic reactions.
Most often, children suffer from an acute respiratory viral infection, and usually cough is just one of the symptoms. Based on the characteristics of a cough alone, it is very difficult to establish the cause that provoked its appearance. This fact especially applies to infants. For this reason, it is important that an accurate diagnosis be carried out by a professional who will take into account the totality of all the symptoms that appear, and not just the cough.
In addition to real illnesses, coughing can also be caused by poor quality air. And we are not talking about the abundance of toxins and burning. Sometimes the lack of fresh air in the room and the presence of a radiator next to the crib for heating is enough to cause an uncontrollable cough.
Then the dry air will push the lungs to produce additional mucus. The body, in turn, will try to get rid of it, causing the coughing mechanism. But in a dry climate, the mucus will dry out quickly and the cough will be dry. In this case, this symptom will only intensify, and relief will not come.
Egg mixture
The egg mixture can cope even with severe forms of the disease that cannot be treated with traditional means. This folk method of treating cough in children is known from grandmothers, who at one time easily put any patient on their feet. Even severe bronchitis was treatable using this method. This is a truly time-tested medicine.
To prepare the mixture, you must first boil a glass of milk. Next, you need to put a tablespoon of butter and honey into it. In order for the folk cough remedy for children to be ready, you need to add beaten yolk and a quarter teaspoon of soda to the drink.
Dairy recipe
Dairy medicine is no less popular. This folk remedy for coughs for children has been often used since ancient times due to its ease of preparation. And in our time, when many drugs have appeared, it does not lose its relevance.
After the first use it shows an impressive effect. First of all, to quickly treat cough with a folk remedy in children, you need to boil half a liter of milk. Immediately after this, you need to remove it from the heat, adding one tablespoon of pine buds. After this, it is important to leave the product for an hour, and then it will be ready for use. Drink this folk remedy for treating a child’s cough throughout the day. Repeat the procedure as necessary.
Traditional cough recipes for children
Such “drugs” have a considerable list of advantages:
- These folk cough recipes have been time-tested, so there is no point in doubting their effectiveness.
- Such medicines are safe. Only natural substances are present here.
- Unlike expensive pharmaceutical drugs, they are affordable.
Inhalations for coughs for children
Such procedures are carried out to moisturize the mucous membranes, reduce inflammation and liquefy sputum. However, inhalations are prohibited:
- if babies are less than one year old;
- with otitis;
- if the child has bacterial tonsillitis;
- when body temperature is elevated;
- if pus is released when you cough;
- in severe conditions.
When inhaled, folk remedies for severe coughs for children should be used in compliance with the following rules:
- The procedure is carried out at least 60 minutes before meals.
- To enhance the effect of inhalation, the baby should inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose.
- The duration of the manipulation varies from 5 to 15 minutes.
- The treatment course is represented by 5-10 inhalations.
There are many recipes for coughs. However, you should consult your pediatrician before using them. For inhalation, aromatic oils with a softening and anti-inflammatory effect can be used. These include eucalyptus, pine and almond esters. In addition, during inhalation, medicinal decoctions are used that have a softening, mucolytic or anti-inflammatory effect.
Effective cough herbs for children - eucalyptus inhalations
- crushed eucalyptus leaves - 3 dessert spoons;
- water – 600 ml.
- The raw materials are filled with water and the composition is placed on the stove.
- Wait for the mixture to boil.
- Remove the broth from the stove. They bring the baby to the container: he must breathe in the steam for 5 minutes.
Compresses for coughs for children
Warming applications are often used. Such compresses have the following properties:
- dilate blood vessels, which improves blood circulation;
- tone the body;
- warm up the tissues;
- dilute bronchial secretions and accelerate their elimination.
Warming compresses are prohibited in the following cases:
- for skin diseases;
- with elevated body temperature;
- if pathologies of the cardiovascular system are diagnosed;
- when a young patient has an increased tendency to allergies.
- Honey is mixed with yolk and butter.
- Enrich the composition with iodine.
- The “drug” is given to the baby before bedtime. The course of treatment is 10-13 sessions. However, this medicine is contraindicated in children under 5 years of age and those with allergies to bee products.
Lemon with honey and glycerin
This excellent recipe can help even with forms of the disease where the causes are difficult to establish. This folk remedy is used to treat barking cough in children. It copes with both the wet and dry varieties of the disease.
To prepare it, you will need to wash a medium-sized lemon using a brush. The peel is lightly pierced in several places. Afterwards, the lemon is boiled for 5 minutes and then cooled.
Next, squeeze the juice out of it. It is best to use a citrus juicer for this purpose - it will be more effective. Add 25 ml of glycerin to the juice - this is about two tablespoons. After this, the ingredients are stirred in a glass of at least 250 ml.
Finally, the remaining volume is filled with honey so that the glass is filled to the brim. After infusing the product for 4 hours, it is consumed.
It is important to remember that when using this folk remedy in the treatment of chest cough in children, the dosage will depend on the severity of the disease. For adults, one tablespoon is enough as a single dose. For children, half of this dose is enough.
The product is used half an hour before meals or two hours after. It is recommended to consume the mixture about 4-7 times a day.
If necessary, the preparation of this folk remedy for the treatment of wet cough in children can be speeded up by pouring boiling water over it rather than boiling it. After this procedure, it is crushed in a blender and added to the rest of the ingredients. Honey and glycerin remain in the same volumes.
Among the main beneficial properties of this recipe is the fact that it stimulates the immune system of the body - after all, it contains a shock dose of vitamin C. The intensity of even an allergic cough in a child when treated with a folk remedy is reduced due to the fact that the throat is moistened with glycerin. The function of honey in the recipe is simple - this natural component neutralizes the causative agent of infection, because it is a natural antibacterial agent.
But it is important to note that this folk remedy for treating cough in a child has a contraindication: it cannot be used by those who are allergic to any of its components. It should not be used for people with high stomach acidity.
Treatment of cough in a child with folk remedies: homemade syrups
Wet and dry coughs are treated with lemon. Citrus contains a lot of ascorbic acid. The vitamin eliminates inflammation and helps strengthen the child’s immune system.
It’s easy to prepare a healthy and tasty syrup that your child will like:
- Rinse a large lemon under the tap with antibacterial soap. The fruit is rinsed several times to wash off any remaining chemicals from the skin.
- Pour 300-400 ml of water into a small saucepan and add a whole citrus.
- Cook for 20–30 minutes. Remove when the fruit becomes soft.
- The lemon is cooled, the pulp is separated from the peel and finely chopped.
- The citrus preparation is mixed with 15 ml of glycerin. The drug is sold at the pharmacy.
- The syrup is seasoned with a glass of linden honey. Buckwheat will also work.
- The jar of medicine is tightly sealed, wrapped and waited for 2 hours.
The home remedy is given to the child 4–5 times a day. Before use, shake the syrup to mix the ingredients. The baby should eat a teaspoon of lemon medicine at one time.
Aloe syrup for cough treatment
Aloe syrup can soften a dry cough:
- Cut off the bottom sheet. Choose the oldest and largest. Place in the refrigerator, wrapped in cling film.
- Remove after 24 hours and rinse with warm water. Aloe is cut with a sharp knife or crushed in a blender.
- Combine a glass of green viscous mass with 50 g of natural cocoa.
- In a separate bowl, mix and melt 100 g of badger or pork fat and butter in a water bath.
- When the products become liquid, aloe is poured into the container.
- The syrup is mixed and cooled to 50 degrees, and then seasoned with 100 g of honey.
Store the medicine in a glass jar with a tight lid. Give the child 1 tsp. aloe vera products three times a day. If it is difficult for a small patient to swallow the syrup, it is dissolved in a glass of warm milk. But the child must drink the entire drink.
Treatment of cough in a child with black radish syrup
Black radish stimulates the removal of phlegm. The root vegetable has long been used to treat coughs in children and adults. Kids enjoy drinking sweet syrup made from this product:
- Large radishes are washed and then the tail and top are cut off.
- Use a sharp knife or spoon to remove the white pulp.
- The resulting hole is filled with linden honey and covered with the cut off top.
- The root vegetable costs 2–3 hours. During this time, the radish will release juice and it will mix with honey.
- The liquid is filtered using gauze so that pieces of bitter pulp do not float in the syrup.
The cough will disappear after 4 days if parents give the child medicine every 1-2 hours.
Healing onion cough syrup for children
Onion syrup is prepared in a similar way. This medicine contains a lot of phytoncides. The substances disinfect the oral cavity and help with sore throats, as well as remove inflammation and stimulate the release of sputum.
The onion is not stuffed with honey, but finely chopped and mixed with the sweet product. Leave for 4–5 hours. The juice is separated from the pulp, the pieces are thoroughly squeezed and discarded. The child is treated to syrup 6–7 times a day.
If your baby often gets colds, there should always be pine buds in the house. They have anti-inflammatory, expectorant and diuretic properties. Helps children and adults overcome colds and coughs.
Pine bud syrup is very tasty and even capricious kids like it. The recipe for pine medicine is simple and affordable. You will need approximately 2.5–3 kg of fresh pine buds.
The workpiece is passed through a meat grinder and a three-liter jar is filled ¾ full with the mass. Season with a glass of liquid honey and put it in the nightstand or under the bed. Leave in a warm place for 3-4 weeks, shake occasionally or stir with a wooden spoon. Remove when the syrup turns a deep brown color.
The medicine is filtered twice: first, the liquid is separated from the cake, and then passed through gauze, folded 6 times to retain the husk particles. The pine bud remedy is diluted with warm tea. The child is given 1 tsp at a time. pine medicine. Take the syrup three times a day until complete recovery.
Onion broth
This folk remedy for treating wet cough in children was used in past centuries. It has stood the test of time and remains relevant today.
To prepare the mixture, you need to chop three peeled medium-sized onions and then put them in a shallow pan. Next, you need to pour milk over the vegetables and cook until soft.
You need to put honey in the resulting decoction - for every 200 ml of decoction you will need one teaspoon of natural medicine.
Use the mixture one tablespoon every hour for 3 days to completely get rid of acute symptoms. An alternative to this recipe is onion honey. To prepare it, you need to cook two whole medium-sized onions in this beekeeping product. While they are boiling, the volume of the broth should be reduced by half.
When determining the order of taking onion honey, you need to take into account that half a glass of this folk remedy for treating cough in children is needed for one serving. This is a great way to get rid of old bronchitis.
Effective means
All traditional medicine can be divided into several types:
- Distractive procedures (compresses, warming the feet, wrapping, mustard plasters).
- Inhalation method.
- Products based on medicinal herbs and plants.
What distraction procedures are the most effective?
Distraction procedures are a way of influencing the child’s body, which increases local blood circulation, which means that the body’s defenses are raised, pain is relieved and inflammation is relieved. Compresses are one of the most effective methods of treatment.
Here are several recipes for compresses that will help relieve a baby’s severe cough:
- Cottage cheese compress
Place the cottage cheese, warmed without whey, on gauze and tie it to the baby’s chest for about thirty to forty minutes.
- Potato cake compress
Mash two or three boiled potatoes with skins, add to them a tablespoon of alcohol or cologne, 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil and turpentine. Mix the resulting mass and make 2 flat cakes. Place one on the chest, the other on the baby’s back. Wrap the baby well and lay it down. After about an hour and a half, remove the compress.
- Vegetable oil compress
Dip a towel into the heated oil and squeeze it out. Wrap the child in a towel and wrap a shawl on top. Give her some diaphoretic tea to drink and put her to bed. If necessary, change a wet child into dry underwear at night.
- Hot compress with apple cider vinegar
Dilute water and apple cider vinegar in proportions of three to one, add a spoonful of honey. Stir everything. Soak gauze with this solution. Place gauze on the throat, polyethylene and a warm scarf on top. Keep the compress for twenty minutes. We use this compress to treat coughs when they first appear.
Also, with the first appearance of a sore throat, accompanied by a cough, warm the baby’s feet. For the procedure you will need mustard, 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water. Warm up for 15 minutes.
Mustard can be used even in children under one year old. The mustard wrap method is widely used for infants. To do this, take one tablespoon of mustard powder and dissolve it in half a liter of water. We wet the diapers in this solution and wrap the baby in it. Unwrap the baby after three to four minutes, wipe him with clean water, dress him in clean clothes and put him to bed.
For older children, mustard plasters can be used. Place the mustard sachets in warm water for a few seconds, then place them on the child’s back. Children of primary school age should apply mustard plaster through a cloth, while older children should apply it on their bare body. Next, the baby needs to be covered. The duration of the procedure varies depending on age: up to 3 years - two minutes, up to 7 years - three minutes, older - up to 10 minutes.
A contraindication for treatment with these methods is the presence of a body temperature in children above 37.4 degrees.
Inhalation method
Inhalations have been widely used since ancient times. There are various steam inhalers available on the market now. But you can also use the old grandfather’s method - breathe over the potato steam.
If you have an inhaler, add your choice of two teaspoons of chamomile, coltsfoot, or thyme herbs to the water and bring to a boil. You can also add a few drops (1-2) of essential oil (eucalyptus is perfect).
The duration of any inhalation is ten minutes.
Herbs and plants
- A good treatment for children is sweet radish syrup. Cut off the top part of the radish in the form of a lid. Cut out the middle and add a tablespoon of honey or sugar. Close the lid on top. After a few hours, you will get a syrup that you need to feed your baby throughout the day.
- A good way to treat a dry hacking cough is to take freshly prepared lemon juice, mix with a couple of tablespoons of honey and a spoonful of glycerin (medicinal grade). Apply the solution up to six times a day, 1 tsp.
- Boil a glass of viburnum berries in one liter of water, strain through cheesecloth, add two to three tablespoons of honey. The resulting compote - drink half a glass 3-4 times a day.
- Infuse two tablespoons of a mixture of oregano, coltsfoot and chamomile herbs in half a liter of boiling water. Drink half a glass several times a day. This remedy can be used to treat severe coughs.
- For chronic cough, marshmallow root infusion helps well. Infuse one large tablespoon of marshmallow in a glass of cold water for an hour. Strain through cheesecloth, add honey to your taste. You need to drink this compote one teaspoon every 2 hours.
- The following remedy can stop a paroxysmal dry cough: cut the orange into slices along with the peel. Boil it in sugar syrup for about thirty minutes. Give your child one teaspoon during a coughing attack.
- Pine tea is a very good remedy. Boil the pine needles, let it brew and drink as tea 2-3 times a day.
If, after using 2-3 of the above methods, they do not bring the desired result, and the cough does not go away, then it is still better to consult a pediatrician.
Black radish with lemon
The next popular folk remedy for treating coughs in children is black radish with lemon. It is enough to take out this vegetable, rinse it using a brush, and then cut out its core with a knife. This should create a cup-shaped recess.
The core can be discarded, or can be used as a lid during the preparation of this folk remedy for treating coughs in children. The vegetable itself is filled to the brim with honey; the most valuable substance in the mixture will be the juice from the root vegetable.
To keep the radish stable, place it in a glass or jar and leave it for five hours at room temperature. After this period, juice is released in the vegetable, mixing with honey. The dose of this folk remedy for treating cough in children is one teaspoon three to four times a day. For adults, the dosage is doubled. The duration of treatment with this method should be one to two weeks. The same vegetable is used several times, adding a fresh portion of honey each time. The mixture has an expectorant, anti-inflammatory and bronchospasmolytic effect.
The most popular folk methods
Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used these methods. Many of the folk remedies are supported by modern medicine. And along with drug treatment, the doctor often prescribes traditional cough recipes for children.
Dry cough
Treatment of dry cough in children with folk remedies includes many different methods. All of them are aimed at making a dry cough productive, that is, wet. It is also important that the child begins to cough up any accumulated mucus.
- Famous radish with honey. You need to make a hole in the radish and put a little honey there. Radish juice with honey should be given three times a day, a teaspoon. You can grate the radish, squeeze the juice out of it, add 1 teaspoon of honey.
- Infusions of medicinal herbs. Thyme, plantain, marshmallow, yarrow, elecampane, coltsfoot, violet, fennel, pine buds, caraway - all these medicinal plants have an expectorant and mucolytic effect. That is why they are so actively used in pharmacology for the production of syrups, drops, and tinctures. You can make infusions at home from several herbs at the same time, or you can brew each herb separately. The most effective remedy is a decoction of plantain leaves.
- Breast fees. They can be purchased at the pharmacy. There are 4 options for breastfeeding. No. 1 includes coltsfoot, oregano, marshmallow; in No. 2 - coltsfoot, licorice root, plantain leaves; in No. 3 - marshmallow, licorice, sage, pine buds, anise; in No. 4 - calendula, violet, mint, wild rosemary, licorice, chamomile.
- Hot milk. To prepare this famous folk remedy for coughs in children, it is better to take goat's milk. In a glass of hot boiled milk you need to melt a piece of butter, put honey there, and a little soda on the tip of a teaspoon. The drink is not very tasty, but effective. You need to drink it in small sips so that the oil envelops and the soda promotes the appearance of phlegm. Butter can be replaced with cocoa butter, which can be purchased at the pharmacy. You can use alkaline sparkling water instead of soda. It is better to take before bed.
Before treating cough in children with folk remedies, you should consult a pediatrician. It is important that the method used is effective for the type of cough and does not harm the child’s health. You need to be very careful when using alcohol-based compresses: they can burn the baby’s delicate skin, or the baby can be poisoned by alcohol vapors. The child may have allergic reactions to grass, honey, berries, and essential oils. This also needs to be taken into account.
Moist cough
Treatment of wet cough in children with folk remedies should promote the rapid removal of sputum. If there is a lot of mucus in the lungs, and the child does not cough it up, this can lead to stagnation of phlegm and inflammation of the lungs. What methods can be effective for this type of cough?
- Ginger tincture. Steam a tablespoon of chopped ginger in 2 cups of boiling water. Then you need to strain the broth. Give ¼ cup after meals four times a day. You can also add lemon juice to the broth.
- Radish juice with milk and honey. Cooled boiled milk and radish are mixed in a 2:1 ratio. One teaspoon of honey is added. Give 1 tablespoon after meals.
- Oat tincture. A glass of unpeeled oats (you can buy it at a pet store) needs to be boiled in 1 liter of milk and left in a water bath for 3 hours. Then strain, give ½ glass half an hour before meals.
- Aloe juice. When combined with honey and lemon juice, it is considered an effective expectorant folk remedy. Aloe is famous for its anti-inflammatory properties and is considered a natural immunomodulator; it cannot be used in its pure form. Folk remedies for coughs in children based on aloe should be given with great caution to children under 3 years of age.
- Inhalations. The most effective are steam inhalations with the addition of thyme, coltsfoot, and menthol.
It is important to know: if sputum is already cleared well and the cough is productive, there is no point in giving your child folk remedies for cough, as well as expectorant syrups.
What can help?
- Physical exercise. If the child runs around a little, he will easily begin to cough up the remaining phlegm. Active games will only be beneficial.
- Water procedures. After a bath, which can be considered an inhalation procedure, children begin to cough up the remaining mucus.
- Fresh air. The best inhalation you can think of. Walking while coughing is not prohibited, but rather encouraged.
- Drainage massage. It will help get rid of any remaining phlegm.
Milk with pine nuts
To prepare this folk medicine you only need one liter of milk and a pine cone. First of all, you need to wash the pine cone and then boil it in milk. This is done for 2 hours over medium or low heat. During this procedure, milk acquires special healing properties. It is poured into a separate jar and taken every 2 hours, a quarter of a glass - about 6 tablespoons. Since the product turns out bitter, honey is added to it - about 5 tablespoons will be enough.
Mustard cake with honey
There are many effective recipes made from honey and mustard for children’s coughs. According to the first recipe, you need to take one tablespoon of mustard beans, one tablespoon of honey, two tablespoons of vinegar, one tablespoon of sunflower oil and two tablespoons of flour. All components must be mixed and placed in a water bath until the temperature reaches 50 degrees. Add flour to the heated mixture and knead the dough.
The cake that comes out of it must be placed on the chest and back, observing a certain sequence. Place gauze on your body, soaked in water and wrung out. A few millimeters of thickness is enough. Place cling film on top of it; its dimensions should be several centimeters larger than the size of the gauze. A cake is placed on the film, and thick cloth or cotton wool is applied on top. The compress must be secured with a scarf for 6-8 hours.
To completely get rid of cough, you need to repeat this procedure three to four times. It is important to monitor how children's skin reacts to such compresses. Don't allow irritation. If the skin is red and irritated, this is a signal that it is time to end the procedure. The affected skin should be treated with baby cream.
The second recipe for the same remedy is as follows. You need to stock up on three tablespoons of sunflower oil, three tablespoons of solid goat fat, three tablespoons of mustard powder, honey and bite.
From all this you need to fashion three cakes. In the manner described above, they need to be placed on the back - 2 pieces, and one should be placed on the chest. Once secured, they must be left overnight. After five similar procedures, even the most severe running cough goes away.
The third recipe is to use dry mustard, aloe juice, flour, vodka, honey, and any interior fat for the flatbread. Each component is needed in the amount of one tablespoon. If you don’t have fat on hand, any vegetable oil will do. The flatbread is placed either on the chest - but not on the heart - or on the back. The compress must be wrapped with gauze and plastic oilcloth on top. It is important to wrap the patient warmly.
For the product to be especially effective, the procedure must be carried out 2 times. Burns with such a compress are impossible; only a slight skin reaction may occur - the outer skin will turn pink.
Any of these compresses helps to quickly cope with a cough that was caused by both infection and inflammation. At the same time, it must be remembered that it is not recommended to completely replace traditional methods of treatment with folk ones. When using them, you need to take into account contraindications and individual characteristics of the body.
Treatment of cough in a child with folk remedies at home using compresses
Bronchitis is treated comprehensively so that the inflammation does not spread to the lungs. If the child does not have a fever, syrups are combined with compresses. They warm the respiratory organs, increase blood flow and stimulate mucus production.
For babies, a mustard cake is applied to the chest. The medicine contains alcohol, so it is not recommended for children under 4 years of age. The compress is similar in properties to ordinary mustard plasters, only it is softer and does not leave burns on the delicate baby skin.
The composition of the cake includes:
- vodka or diluted ethyl alcohol;
- olive or sunflower oil;
- Wheat flour;
- mustard powder;
- honey.
The products are mixed in equal proportions. Wheat flour can be replaced with corn flour or ground oatmeal. The dough is kneaded and divided into 2 parts. One is applied to the upper back, and the second covers the chest.
The compress is covered with cling film and a warm scarf. Leave for 1.5–2 hours. If the child complains of a strong burning sensation, the cake is immediately removed and the skin is washed with warm water.
Important: Mustard compress should not be applied to the heart area. The flatbread causes an attack of tachycardia and can cause heart failure.
To treat a child’s cough using folk remedies at home, they use ordinary potatoes, which every housewife has. You need to boil 2–3 kg of peelings.
Drain the water and transfer the workpiece into a plastic bag. Wrap in a terry towel and apply to your chest. The child should feel pleasant warmth. If it is too hot, place a rag or another towel under the compress, which is removed after the potatoes have cooled. I treated my little son with this method, and he never let us down.
Dry cough is treated with sunflower or olive oil. It is heated in a water bath to 40 degrees. Add a little linden honey to the mixture, and then soak a cotton cloth with the preparation and apply it to the chest for 40–60 minutes. The child is wrapped in a warm blanket or blanket.
The mucus in the bronchi is thinned with cabbage. Place two large leaves into boiling water. The workpiece is removed and lubricated with a mixture of vodka and honey. Hot cabbage is applied to the bronchi area, covered with a plastic bag, a cotton rag and a scarf. The compress draws out inflammation and reduces cough.