Treatment of cough with folk remedies is often no less effective than traditional medicines. The most popular of them are honey, ginger and herbal teas. But did you know that ordinary cabbage for coughs helps no worse than mustard plasters or pills. Of course, if you just eat cabbage salad, then the cough will not disappear. The secret lies in the special uses of cabbage.
Beneficial features
They began to use cabbage for medicinal purposes a long time ago. In Russia, it was noticed that if you wrap a sore spot with a cabbage leaf, the pain quickly subsides, the swelling decreases, and the inflammation goes away. Then this effect was discovered by chance, and it was not possible to study the chemical properties of the vegetable. Empirically, new methods of treatment were discovered, folk recipes were created and passed on from generation to generation.
In our time, everything has changed, and the composition of the crispy cabbage leaf has long ceased to be a secret. As it turned out, it contains a whole storehouse of valuable nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, trace elements important for metabolic processes, the strongest immunomodulator chlorophyll, and organic acids. This is the reason for the healing effect of cabbage on the body.
When used correctly, it has a whole range of effects:
- anti-inflammatory;
- antispasmodic;
- pain reliever;
- antiseptic;
- atoxic;
- bactericidal.
The cabbage leaf also makes it easier to cough up phlegm and stimulates active cell and tissue regeneration. Applied to a purulent wound, the cabbage leaf is able to quickly cleanse it and significantly accelerate healing.
In combination with honey, the properties of the cabbage leaf are revealed with renewed vigor. Honey also has all of the above properties, and besides, it has a mild warming effect. But honey must be natural and of high quality, and home remedy with honey and cabbage leaf must be properly prepared.
How to choose cabbage
For medicinal purposes, ordinary white cabbage is used. The healing power of the vegetable is concentrated in its leaves. The larger the head of cabbage, the more nutrients it contains. But cabbage also accumulates harmful chemical compounds, if they are present in the soil. Therefore, it is better to buy it not in a supermarket, but on the market, grown in a private yard without the use of pesticides and other drugs.
The head of cabbage must be properly prepared. For a cabbage compress with honey, you need whole large leaves. But it is better to remove the upper ones and discard them - they can be damaged by insects, turn out to be wilted or with other defects.
You need to carefully cut off a large, absolutely clean and fresh leaf (or two, if the compress is made for an adult, and the leaves are small). The rest of the cabbage can be used for food or other cough treatments.
The sheets prepared for the compress should be carefully but thoroughly washed with warm water, and then put into an enamel pan and covered with boiling water. After no more than a minute, take out the leaves, put them on a flat surface and dry them (or blot them with paper towels). They will become softer, but will not lose their beneficial properties.
Cabbage Treatment
The simplest and most popular way to use cabbage with honey for coughs is a regular compress. It is very effective, but far from the only one. Below we outline several options for how to use cabbage leaf with honey for coughs:
- Compress. After the cabbage leaf is properly prepared, the compress is almost ready. A thin layer of high-quality liquid honey is applied to the inner surface of the leaf, and the leaf is applied in front of the bronchi or on the back in the area of the lungs (with a strong cough, you can simultaneously from both sides). From above, the compress is covered with cellophane, and then with a terry towel or warm scarf. With such a compress, you need to lie down quietly for at least 2-3 hours, so it is better for a child to do it during nighttime or daytime sleep. After the compress is removed, you need to wipe the skin with a cloth dampened with warm water. It is necessary to repeat the cough treatment several times in a row.
- Cabbage cake. This method works especially well for young children, even babies. Pass the prepared cabbage leaf through a meat grinder. Add a tablespoon of honey and enough flour to the resulting gruel to make a soft dough. Mix everything well, put on a thin cotton cloth and form a cake. Attach it to the body, cover with cellophane and a warm cloth. Keep the cake for at least an hour, and preferably 2-3 hours. It does not irritate the skin at all and helps to relieve even a very harsh dry cough after just a few applications. Adults can add a tablespoon of vodka to the cake while mixing to enhance the warming effect.
Flapjack with mustard and honey. This remedy is able to cope even with advanced bronchitis. It not only perfectly warms up the bronchi, but also expands them, relieving spasm and facilitating breathing and sputum discharge. The recipe is suitable for adults and children over 6 years of age. For cooking, you will need custom flour, dry mustard powder, liquid honey, prepared cabbage leaf, and for children - a tablespoon of ghee. Grind the cabbage leaf in a meat grinder, and stir the mustard powder (1 tablespoon) with liquid honey (2 tablespoons). Combine the ingredients, then add the ghee and the required amount of flour. Mustard causes a burning sensation, so you can keep such a cake for no longer than 40 minutes so that there is no burn or irritation.
Flapjack with mustard and honey. This remedy is able to cope even with advanced bronchitis. It not only perfectly warms up the bronchi, but also expands them, relieving spasm and facilitating breathing and sputum discharge. The recipe is suitable for adults and children over 6 years of age. For cooking, you will need custom flour, dry mustard powder, liquid honey, prepared cabbage leaf, and for children - a tablespoon of ghee. Grind the cabbage leaf in a meat grinder, and stir the mustard powder (1 tablespoon) with liquid honey (2 tablespoons). Combine the ingredients, then add the ghee and the required amount of flour. Mustard causes a burning sensation, so you can keep such a cake for no longer than 40 minutes so that there is no burn or irritation.Cabbage cough suppressants are very mild and can be used daily. The lasting effect of the treatment comes after 2-3 applications. If this does not happen and the disease continues to progress, it is worth looking for more effective ways to get rid of the cough.
Warning!
There are no contraindications to the use of cabbage leaf and cannot be - this is a completely natural remedy that even small children and pregnant women can use. Moreover, in those places where a cabbage compress is applied to the body, the condition of the skin is significantly improved - it becomes smooth, velvety and tender. It is not for nothing that cabbage is also used as the main ingredient in face masks.
It is important to take into account the moment that the cabbage leaf acts only externally when coughing. And this means that it has no effect on pathogenic microorganisms that have penetrated the body and struck the internal respiratory tract.
Therefore, cabbage treatment is effective only if the cough is caused by a common cold. Such a cough should go away within 2-3 days after starting treatment. If this does not happen, then it is of an infectious nature and the body cannot cope with the problem on its own.
To avoid complications, it is best to consult a doctor and start treatment with stronger traditional drugs, possibly antibiotics. A neglected disease easily becomes chronic and can lead to serious complications.
