27/08/2025
Great post From Barbara Roberts, Homeopath
𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠
It has been a difficult winter, with some severe illnesses going around. One of the difficult things to manage particularly at this time of the year is coughing. One of my children used to have a propensity for coughs (fortunately we have worked on that over the years, and her immunity is a lot better, colds no longer go to her chest). I certainly remember the nights with a child coughing regularly keeping everyone awake.
Over my years working in pharmacy, many of the cough medicines have been removed from sale because of a lack of evidence. When I first worked in pharmacy we had cough mixtures for dry coughs like Dextromethorphan, Pholcodine and Gees Linctus, which have all been removed. Guafenesin and Bromhexine are still available. Guafenesin is an expectorant - promoting coughing to expel the phlegm, while Bromhexine is a mucolytic, which breaks down the mucus to make it easier to cough up.
Of these the only one I recommend is Bromhexine, or the combination of the two.
There are also a number of herbal cough mixtures which are great and particularly the children’s ones even taste pretty good. Some of the ones I recommend are Prospan, Artemis and Harkers Herbals. My youngest particularly likes the Harker’s Herbals Children’s Chest Soothe Day.
Lemon and honey drinks is an old remedy for respiratory illness. Honey, or sugar syrups act as a demulcent and coat the throat to reduce irritation and coughing. This can work in some cases, and if you don’t like honey then a hot, sweet drink can work. However, in general sugar is not helpful for the immune response, so using an alternative that will last longer is a good idea.
When you get the right homeopathic remedy it is magic, the problem can be finding the right one. If you have tried a remedy and repeated it every 10-15 minutes for 3 or 4 doses and had no response, it’s probably not the right one, and time to go back to the drawing board.
𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒔:
Bryonia is a remedy for dry coughs which are hard and painful. They are worse from the least movement, and will want to hold their chest to prevent the movement. They can also have a headache which hurts with every cough.
Causticum is for an irritating cough, with a raw and tickling feeling in the throat. They do have some mucus, but have difficulty bringing it up, and they can have a hoarse voice. The cough may be better for cold drinks, and they can be free of the cough during the day but cough as soon as they get warm in bed.
Hepar Sulph has productive, chesty cough with yellow phlegm. They may also have a sore throat with a sensation of a splinter, stick or fishbone. They are chilly and will want to be wrapped up worm, worse for cold drafts or even an open window elsewhere in the house.
Nux Vomica has a dry, teasing cough, and may have a post nasal drip and tickle in the throat causing the cough. The cough can cause a headache, or they may cough spasmodically until they retch (but they usually don’t vomit).
Phosphorus is another remedy for a tickling cough, this one is dry and irritating. A phosphorus cough is worse for talking and in the evening, and for going out into the cold after being in a warm room.
Pulsatilla has a cough that is dry in the evening and then loose in the morning. They are worse for warm and stuffy rooms, and better for open air. They can cough up phlegm which is yellow or slightly green, and may taste bitter.
Rumex Crispus is another remedy for a tickling or irritated cough which is worse for cold air - they may want to sit under the covers and breathe in that warm air to relieve the cough, as it is usually worse around 11pm.
If none of these sound like your cough, and you need more support, please contact me for an acute consult - I try to fit these in at short notice.
Homeopathy is a holistic health discipline that can support you with many mental, emotional and physical complaints. It is comprehensive, and looks at not just what has brought you to make a booking…
