09/08/2025
Spongia tosta is a homeopathic remedy prepared from roasted sea sponge. It’s best known for helping with dry, barking coughs and breathing difficulties, especially when there is tightness in the chest and anxiety about breathing.
This is one of the main remedies for croup in children, as well as other respiratory conditions with a harsh, hollow sound to the cough.
Key Indications for Spongia
✔ Dry, barking cough – The cough sounds like a seal’s bark, harsh and hollow. It often comes on suddenly and is worse in the evening or before midnight.
✔ Tightness in the chest – A sensation of constriction or suffocation, as if breathing is difficult. The person may wake in the night gasping for air.
✔ Worse from lying down – Symptoms tend to worsen when lying flat, forcing the person to sit up for relief.
✔ Better from warm drinks – Sipping warm liquids often soothes the cough and eases the chest tightness.
✔ Anxious or fearful – There may be fear and restlessness from the feeling of not being able to breathe.
When to Think of Spongia:
Children with croupy coughs that wake them at night
Adults with dry coughs or asthma that feel tight and constricting
Respiratory infections where the cough is barking and hollow
Keynote Differentiation:
Spongia is often compared to Hepar sulphuris for croup.
Spongia: dry, barking cough, worse before midnight, no mucus.
Hepar sulph: cough is wetter and rattling, worse early in the morning, with sensitivity to cold air.
