Herbal cough syrup

Today, many patients are beginning to give preference to natural remedies, especially in the treatment of respiratory diseases. On the one hand, this is correct - such treatment strengthens the immune system and has a minimum of contraindications. On the other hand, we must remember that herbal cough syrup may not always help. With the infectious nature of the disease, the use of strong antibacterial or antiviral drugs is often required to avoid the development of complications.

Alarming symptoms

Herbal cough syrups are not effective if it is of an allergic nature or is one of the symptoms of chronic diseases of internal organs: cardiovascular failure, reflux disease, cancer, HIV. A cough can be caused by the presence of parasites in the lungs, which must be eliminated by taking appropriate medications.

When treating an infectious or cold cough, the general condition of the body must be taken into account. If the infection is serious (diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles, etc.) or immunity is weakened, herbal syrup will not provide the body with reliable protection and will not prevent the development of complications. In this case, it can be used as part of complex therapy, but not as an independent treatment.

You should immediately consult a doctor for the prescription of stronger drugs if you have three or more of the following symptoms:

body temperature above 39^OWITH;
pus in coughing up sputum;
distinctly audible wheezing when breathing;
chest pain when coughing and taking a deep breath;
severe swelling of the mucous membranes of the throat;
frequent attacks of a suffocating cough;
traces of blood in the expectorated mucus;
enlargement of the cervical and / or submandibular lymph nodes;
a white or purulent coating on the tonsils.

Lack of adequate treatment for these symptoms can lead to the rapid development of serious complications. But correctly selected herbal syrup will help a speedy recovery in this case too.

Expectorant herbs

For the preparation of pharmacy herbal syrups, raw materials are used, collected in ecologically clean areas, dried and thoroughly cleaned from insects and other debris. For homemade syrups, herbs can be bought at the pharmacy, for the pharmaceutical industry they are grown on special plantations and harvested in a mechanized way.

We strongly discourage buying herbs and levies from markets, especially natural ones. You do not know where the plants were collected, how they were dried and stored. Drying in the open sun is several times faster than in the shade, but herbs largely lose their beneficial properties.

All herbs sold in pharmacies have passed radiological and sanitary control, which cannot be said about “grandmother's herbs”.

The most powerful anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties are:

ginger root - expands the bronchi, makes breathing easier, strengthens the immune system, has antibacterial properties;
pine buds - liquefy phlegm, relieve coughing attacks, stop inflammation, make breathing easier;
eucalyptus leaves - a powerful natural antibiotic, antiseptic, quickly restores damaged mucous membranes;
thyme is one of the most effective expectorant plants that helps to get rid of cough in case of respiratory diseases;
elecampane is another universal plant, a decoction or syrup from which helps against many diseases, therefore the name is “nine forces”;
licorice root - contains substances that are detrimental to viruses, therefore, first of all, it is used for ARVI and colds;
mint - helps to significantly alleviate the condition even with a dry, barking cough, soothes irritated mucous membranes, has an anti-inflammatory effect;
marshmallow root - used to prepare cough mixtures for many decades, an excellent mucolytic agent;
mother and stepmother - quickly relieves inflammation, liquefies phlegm and makes it easier to cough up;
plantain - has antiseptic, wound healing, anti-inflammatory properties, is used to prepare many pharmacy syrups.

At home, freshly squeezed juices from cabbage, beets, lemon, onions or garlic can be added to herbal cough syrups. Pharmacy syrups most often contain extracts of five or more useful plants at the same time.

If you are prone to allergies, then when buying such syrups, you need to carefully study their composition in order to exclude individual intolerance.

The best pharmacy syrups

There are not so many completely natural preparations in modern pharmacies. In the absence of preservatives (alcohol, ascorbic acid or other agents may also act in this role), the shelf life of syrups will be minimal. To enhance the effect, bronchodilator components or substances that suppress the cough reflex are often added to the medicine.

The best herbal cough syrup is difficult to determine - it all depends on the nature of the cough and the characteristics of the course of the disease. The most popular herbal remedies are:

Irish Moss. Cough syrup with Icelandic moss, due to its strong anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, perfectly helps with all respiratory diseases, tuberculosis, pneumonia, pleurisy. Stimulates the immune system, significantly speeds up recovery.
"Doctor IOM". It contains 15 plant extracts, due to which the syrup has a complex effect on the body. It has anti-inflammatory, mucolytic and antipyretic properties. Effective for any type of cough.
"Prospan". Expectorant drug with mucolytic effect, dilutes phlegm and promotes its active coughing up. The syrup is made on the basis of fructose, therefore it is not recommended for diabetics. But it has no other contraindications and is allowed even during pregnancy.
Travisil. It is used for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, including those of an infectious nature. Helps to facilitate coughing up phlegm and restore damaged mucous membranes. Great for all types of cough.
"Gedelix". An excellent expectorant drug based on ivy extract, which increases the amount of sputum secreted and promotes its excretion. Facilitates breathing, relieves bronchospasm, eliminates coughing attacks.
"Alteika". A syrup based on marshmallow root perfectly helps with cough not only for children, but also for adults. It has pronounced mucolytic and anti-inflammatory properties, quickly softens cough, facilitates expectoration.
"Liquorice root". A universal natural medicine with antiseptic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties, accelerates the recovery of damaged mucous membranes. Unfortunately, many people are allergic to it.

There are many other cough syrups, which are based on herbal extracts, but they also contain chemical components that significantly enhance the effect of drugs. It is advisable to use such funds only as directed by a doctor.

It is important to understand that pharmacy cough syrups contain a fairly high concentration of plant extracts, so an overdose may cause allergies.

They have herbal syrups and contraindications. For example, Icelandic moss is contraindicated in pregnancy, and plantain syrup is contraindicated for stomach ulcers and pulmonary bleeding.

Preparing the medicine at home

You can make a good herbal syrup at home. Of course, you have to tinker a little, but then you will get a completely natural preparation, which contains only sugar and herbal ingredients. Moreover, having a little understanding of the properties of herbs, you can form the basis of the syrup yourself, including useful and favorite plants in it. And then the healing effect will be enhanced by the positive emotions from taking the medicine.

The technology for making homemade syrup is as follows:

Prepare the plants from which the base for the syrup will be cooked. It can be one or two items or a ready-made dry herbal collection, which is easy to pick up at the pharmacy. The plants must be well dried and undamaged, otherwise the syrup may ferment or mold.
Put dry herbs in a thermos or a saucepan with a thick bottom and pour boiling water in a proportion of 2 tbsp. spoons in a glass of water. Cover with a lid and leave to steam for at least 4 hours (or better overnight).
Pour the steam into an enamel saucepan and put on very low heat. Bring to a boil and then leave to evaporate until the amount of water is halved.
Strain the resulting broth well, measure its amount. Then take the same amount of refined sugar and add to the saucepan. Cook the syrup over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup thickens
Pour the finished medicine into sterilized glass containers with a well-fitting lid. As a preservative with syrup for adults, you can add a little vodka (1:10), a pinch of citric acid or a crushed tablet of ascorbic acid.

Store homemade syrup in the refrigerator and no longer than 14 days. Take as a pharmacy: 1 teaspoon 3-5 times a day, depending on the degree of the disease.

Contraindications to such syrups are completely absent if there is no diabetes and individual intolerance to herbs.

A common mistake many people make is using honey to make syrup. This does not improve the properties of the medicine at all, on the contrary. When heating honey to a temperature above 60^OWith in it, chemical compounds harmful to humans are formed. It is better to eat honey separately or add a teaspoon to warm (not hot!) Herbal tea.