In this article I talk about herbs that you can use for a wet cough so if you are interested in creating your own cough syrup for a wet cough and trying to get mucus up and out check it out. But here I wanted to address a dry cough as it might be related to allergies, dry air, smoke, pollution or when you have a respiratory infection.
So looking at a dry cough it feels very different than a wet cough or even a spasmodic cough (where you cannot seem to stop coughing) because in a dry cough the mucous membranes are dry so when you are coughing it seems like there is nothing there and you cannot bring anything up to help your cough.
This can be very annoying and can also be accompanied by a sore throat, making it that much harder to deal with.
If you have a lingering cough that is a dry cough, having some of these herbs on hand ahead of time can be a life saver, especially since shipping may take a long time.
I really wanted to look at herbs that are fairly easy to get and are affordable.
Some of these are easy to find at your local health food store if yours sells bulk herbs or even maybe looking into a supplement which you can take can help that stubborn dry cough if you do not have the herbs in bulk on hand.
It is important to look at quality, this is why I recommend looking into buying the herbs ahead of time since you know that you are getting the best quality for the herb.
Companies that I really like to use are Mountain Rose Herbs and Starwest Botanicals.
The purpose of this syrup and these herbs is to not suppress the cough like most OTC cough syrups but to help the irritation causing the cough so the fits are not as painful and are instead more productive. When you are looking at herbs maybe to incorporate into your own mix and need something for a dry cough you want to be looking for a demulcent property.
These herbs are slippery and help unstick and thin the mucous layer helping the cough since in a dry cough the mucus can be present but might be too hard, sticky or too thick. Lets look at the herb that you can have in depth and their safety first and look for the recipe on the bottom of this post.
Licorice Root (glycyrrhiza glabra)
The root is a member of the bean family and has been used in Chinese and Greek medicine for over 2,000 years. Licorice is a sweet herb and the polysaccharides in the root contribute to its demulcent quality. It is also an anti-inflammatory making it ideal for sore throats that are related for a dry cough.
Licorice is also a very good antiviral therefore helps the body to stop replication of any virus.
To look out for safety and this herb, one should not take it as a high dose exceeding 5g daily. Also should not be taken with people that have high blood pressure or during pregnancy because it can raise blood pressure and cause water retention and potassium loss. Any people that are on diuretics, heart meds or corticosteroids also should not take this herb.
Plantain leaf – (plantago lanceolata)
Plantain acts as a gentle expectorant while soothing any inflamed or sore membranes making it ideal with dry coughs. Plantain is fairly easy to find in the wild and most places would have them so it is worth getting familiar with this herb. We just found it on our own property a while ago and now I can dry the leaves and have my own supply for my family.
There are no side effects or drug interactions that have been reported.
Marshmallow Root – (althaea officinalis)
This is a slimy root that when it gets in contact with water becomes mucilaginous. It coats and soothes inflamed or damaged tissue by creating a mucus like lining that promotes healing making it very effective and a core part of a recipe for dry coughs. It is best to use in a tea as I will show you in the blending your syrup section, and it is best to steep it for a very long time. You can also add it to soups and if you get the powder form the you can add it to oatmeal.
Generally it is very safe but high doses of it may cause a delay in absorption of other drugs so if you are on any medication the make sure to space out your intake of this root an hour or so.
Blend Your Syrup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons marshmallow root
2 tablespoons licorice root
2 tablespoons plantain leaf
About a quart of water
1 cup honey
Directions
First you are going to steep the marshmallow root and the licorice root for a while. At least 15 min. Taking the water and add the marshmallow root and licorice to it and bring it to a simmer. Keep an eye on it as you will want to remove it from the heat when the liquid mixture is reduced by half. You want to make sure that the mixture does not become too thick.
You should have about 1-2 cups of liquid remaining.
Gather the plantain leaf and pour the hot marshmallow root/licorice decoction that you have just made over the plantain leaf.
Let it steep for an hour.
Strain the mixture with a cheesecloth or a tea strainer into a separate bowl (the thicker the marshmallow root decoction became the harder it will be to strain).
Transfer to a saucepan and add your honey and bring to a warm temperature to allow the honey to mix.
Transfer to glass bottle once the honey is mixed thoroughly (dark colored is ideal).
Label, date and store in refrigerator.
To take: 1 tbsp every 3-4 hours for adults, 1 tsp every 3-4 hours for children 10 yrs up (taper off if you see improvement).
Shelf life: The honey will keep it from spoiling for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Final thoughts
All the herbs in this recipe can be bough as tinctures. They still can be used for dry coughs but generally, the marshmallow root is best as a decoction to get the slimy effect from the root so it does in fact smooth the mucous lining in the throat.
You can use this in combination with other things that can help your dry cough such as essential oils like thyme or thyme linalol for kids to help the constant want to cough because it is great antispasmodic.
Another herb to use that is a demulcent is slippery elm (ulmus fulva) and that is fairly easy to find even in tea blends that are in stores even if you do not have a health food store around.
Just look at the ingredients if you are dealing with a dry cough and make sure that some of the herbs that I mentioned are included in the mix. Many times buying a pre-made tea and mixing it with honey and some essential oils will help soothe the dry coughs. I have definitely done that in a time crunch when I did not have the ingredients on hand.
If you have left over syrup you can share with your community or maybe other family members that might need it.
As always if you need help with formulating your own formula or long term support with a health issue you might be having, do not hesitate to reach out.
May God bless you and keep you.
