Homeopathy for Cough. Homeopathic Treatment Guide.

Are you looking for the best homeopathic medicine for cough? Homeopathy can effectively treat dry cough as well as productive cough. The selection of homeopathy remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using holistic approach.

This is the only way through which a state of complete health can be regained by removing all the sign and symptoms from which the patient is suffering.

The aim of homeopathy is not only to treat cough but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility. As far as therapeutic medication is concerned, several homeopathic remedies are available to cure cough that can be selected on the basis of cause, sensations and modalities of the complaints.

For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. There are following homeopathy medicines, which are helpful in the treatment of cough:

Aconite, Belladonna, Natrum mur, Silicea, Bryonia, Rhus tox, Pulsatilla, Antim tart, Ipecac, Spongia, Drosera, Baryta carb, Calcarea carb, Kali bichrom, Natrum sulph, Allium cepa, Rumex, Causticum, Coccus cacti, Cuprum met, Arsenic album, Phosphorous, Hepar sulph, Kali carb, Sambucus and many other remedies.

Cough is a reflex symptom which keeps throat and airway clear, it clears the substances which cause irritation in our air passage or it protects the respiratory system by clearing it irritants and secretions.

When the level of irritants in the air is high or when the respiratory system becomes infected, coughing may become frequent and prolonged.

(A) Acute cough – laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, whooping cough

(B) Chronic cough – pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, chronic laryngitis, lung abscess.

A cough that lasts for less than 3 weeks is an acute cough. A cough that lasts between 3 and 8 weeks, improving by the end of that period, is a subacute cough. A persistent cough that lasts more than 8 weeks is a chronic cough.

Causes of cough

Infections – such as laryngitis, bronchitis, bronchaictasis

Mechanical irritation –

Inhalation of dust
Irritant gases
Chemical fumes
Pungent smell
Tobacco smoking
Foreign body in larynx or bronchi
Compression of air passages
Bronchogenic carcinoma
Pulmonary oedema

Thermal stimulus – inhalation of cold air, especially in asthmatics, and those with intercurrent infections

Habit cough – when a patient has suffered from prolonged illness, in which cough has been a prominent feature, it may at times persist as a habit long after the cause has ceased to operate.

Psychogenic cough– may be a form of obsessional neurosis or co-ordinated tic.

Reflux

– from reflux irritation of vagus –
(a) wax in external ear or otitis media
(b) distension of stomach or rarely of colon.
(c) Liver abscess or sub diaphragmatic abscess.

Types of cough

Dry or unproductive cough
Wet or productive cough

Homeopathic Medicine for Cough

The most useful homeopathy remedies for cough include:

Aconite

Ringing or whistling cough; spasmodic, dry barking; of measles; at night; absence of sputa or sputa thin.

Suffocating cough awakes patient from sleep; amelioration from lying of back; aggravation after eating or drinking; at night, from exposure to dry cold winds, walking in open air, in a upright position, from deep inspiration, from speaking.

Alumina

This homeopathic medicine has coughing with marked dryness of mucus membrane; dry, hacking cough with frequent sneezing; every morning there is a long attack of dry cough, with difficult little mucus.

Dry cough at night with dryness of throat; splinter like sensation in throat when swallowing; hoarseness.

Ambra grisea

This medicine has nervous spasmodic coughing; paroxysm coming from deep in chest, excited by violent tickling in throat; usually at night.

Spasmodic coughing with oppressed feeling of chest, whistling in chest; worse by drinking cold drinks, by speaking.

Ammonium carb

Well known homeopathic medicine for chronic cough of old people; dry cough at night with expectoration only in the morning; incessant coughing, excited by a sensation as if down in the larynx.

Violent cough about 3 or 4 A.M., with spasmodic constriction of chest.

Ammonium mur

Dry coughing from tickling in throat in the morning; worse when turning on side and taking a deep breath; morning cough with expectoration; rawness and soreness of throat; with expectoration of lumpy mucus.

Antim tart

Rattling of cough without expectoration; suffocating attacks of coughing; aggravation after eating, after midnight, damp sellers, lying down, every morning, amelioration from sitting upright, from expectoration.

Homeopathic medicine for cough and congestion. With this remedy the cough sounds loose and the patient feels sure that the next spell will raise the mucus; but it does not, no phlegm is raised.

There is drowsiness accompanying the cough.

The characteristic then are the loose cough, the rattling in the chest and the absence of expectoration.

It is a convulsive, concussive cough, attended with copious secretion of mucus. It is worse at night and in bed. The expectoration when present is either lemon-yellow or blood streaked.

Argentum nitricum

Cough with rawness of throat, irritation of the vagus and sympatheticus: dryness of the throat when beginning to speak; aggravation just before midnight; laughing, and sudden exertion.

Arsenic album

This homeopathic medicine for cough has oppressed feeling in the chest; especially in the night, must sit up as soon as cough commences; aggravates after eating and drinking.

Cough caused by checked or non appearing skin eruptions; breathing arrested with expectoration of frothy mucus; unceasing cough, excited by smoking sensation or as of vapors of sulphur in larynx.

Belladonna

Irritable and inflammatory condition of larynx and trachea; short, dry cough from tickling in the larynx, with stitches in different parts, often induced by talking.

Bryonia

The cough of homeopathic remedy Bryonia is generally dry and concussive. It seems to come from the region of the stomach, and is preceded by a tickling in the epigastrium.

During the attack the patient holds the sides of the chest with his hands, as the sough not only shakes the chest, but also hurts distant parts of the body.

It is induced also by coming from the open air into a warm room and is accompanied by bursting headache. The expectoration is scanty, tough and sometimes bloody.

Dry cough, coming from gastric region, and preceded by a crawling and tickling sensation in epigastrium or in throat, followed by mucus sputa; with involuntary discharge of urine; stitches in the chest and small of the back, aggravated by touch, motion, talking, laughing, eating and drinking.

Cough excited by beer and relieved by warm drinks is another useful indication for this homeopathy medicine.

Carbo veg

Coughing with greenish yellow fetid expectoration; spasmodic hollow cough in short, hard spells, caused by a feeling as of vapors of sulphur; worse evening or before midnight; by going in to cold air or in to cool air from a warm place, with copious sputa night and morning.

Causticum

Catarrhal aphonia; cough relieved by a swallow of cold water; worse from exhaling cold air, from evening till midnight, when awaking.

The quantity of mucus in the throat and chest produces spells of coughing; sensation of soreness down the trachea and under sternum in chest when coughing.

Chamomilla

Excellent homeopathic medicine for cough in children, which is worse at night, from crying, during sleep, and cold air.

Marked irritability and better by being carried or by rocking motion.

Coccus cacti

Homeopathy remedy for cough in drunkards; catarrhs which come on early in fall, upon first change from warm to cold weather, lasting until next summer when weather again becomes warm.

Dry spasmodic allergic cough, worse at night. Homeopathic medicine for allergic cough.

Drosera

Nervous, spasmodic cough; aggravation after midnight, afternoon and evening, by warmth, tobacco, drinking;

Nocturnal cough of phthisical patients, it sounds loose, but nothing comes up; expectoration yellow, offensive, bitter, salty which has to be swallowed.

Dulcamara

Cough caused by exposure to damp, cold weather; after living in damp cold basements; spasmodic cough, with profuse secretion of mucus in the larynx and trachea.

Hepar sulph

A good homeopathic medicine for cough and sore throat. Croupy night coughing, the phlegm is loose and chocking; patient is hypersensitive; it is worse by exposure to chilly night air; and from drinking cold water; severe laryngeal catarrh, with roughness and pain in the upper part of throat.

Hyoscyamus

The cough of this remedy is dry, nervous and spasmodic, occurs at night and ceases after sitting up. This is characteristic of the drug; it may compel the patient to sit up, but no relief is obtained.

This homeopathic medicine has a tormenting dry cough, worse lying down, and worse in the evening and at night. Speaking or laughing also aggravates. The irritation is in the trachea or upper bronchi.

Ipecac

The chest is full of phlegm, suffocative attack of cough, with vomiting and retching; worse from least motion and better in open air.

Kali bi

This remedy has a constant metallic barking and its great characteristic is the presence of a thick tenacious mucus, which is exceedingly difficult to expectorate.

It corresponds well to coughs following measles and to wearisome morning coughs where there is the difficult expectoration. These symptoms distinguish the remedy, together with its amelioration at night in bed.

Cough excited by tickling in larynx; toothache when coughing.

Kali carb

Dry cough after midnight, till 3.00 to 4.00 A.M, in paroxysms; from tickling in larynx, throat and trachea; with vomiting of ingesta.

Lachesis

The homeopathic medicine Lachesis has dry, spasmodic, in suffocative fits, tickling at night. There is but little secretion and much sensitiveness, worse from pressure on the larynx, after sleep and in the open air.

The mucus cannot be brought up it will stick there. Useful in the harassing coughs accompanying organic diseases of the heart.

Phosphorous

The cough of Phosphorus arises from irritation in the trachea. It is made worse by talking or using the voice; in fact, any change in breathing. It is at first dry and tight and then with expectoration of tenacious purulent mucus.

It is worse from a change to cold air, the chest feels dry, and the cough sounds and there is a constriction across the upper part of the chest.

Continued hoarsensess with a distressing, dry cough. It is also a remedy for stomach or hepatic coughs, anaemic coughs, and in reflex coughs.

Rawness of entire respiratory tract; sensation of tightness across the chest; feeling of rawness and soreness in trachea and bronchi.

Nervous cough when anyone enters the room, headache, burning dryness along with cough; pains in chest often compels him to sit up.

Pulsatilla

Cough with sensation of vomiting; dry cough at night, with dyspnoea, loose cough during the day; dry after every sleep, in the evening when lying down.

Rhus tox

Dry cough, caused by tickling in the bronchi; cough with taste of blood; although no blood is to be seen, cough with tearing pain in the chest.

Rumex

This homeopathic remedy has a dry cough from tickling in the supra-sternal fossa. It is a laryngo-tracheal cough which is teasing and persistent, and is aggravated by cold air.

The patient has to cover the head with the bedclothes and breathe warm air for relief. Deep inspiration aggravates it.

It suits incessant fatiguing fatiguing coughs, with soreness behind the sternum, and much tough mucus in the larynx which cannot be hawked up.

It suits the night coughs of consumptives where there are sharp, stitching pains through the lungs in the early stages.

Hoarse, barking cough, in attacks, every night 11. P.M and at 2 and 5 A.M.

Sambucus nigra

Increased secretion of the skin and of the respiratory mucus membrane; sudden nocturnal suffocative attacks from obstruction of thorax.

Sanguinaria

This is one of our best homeopathic medicines in dry and humid coughs following inflammation. It is especially useful in the pre-tubercular stage of phthisis.

It is usually a dry cough excited by tickling in the larynx and upper chest. The expectoration is rust colored and the breath may be offensive.

Again, it may have a loose cough, but the secretion of mucus is expectorated with great difficulty, here being like Kali bichromicum.

Sticta pulmonaria

It is indicated in harsh, racking, incessant, “unprofitable ” coughs of spasmodic type. I

t is particularly adapted to neurotic, rheumatic, and gouty individuals. It is more valuable in sub-acute and chronic cases. It is most suitable to old age.

It allays irritation, soothes irritable tissues, removes hyper-sensitive conditions of the respiratory mucous membrane and promotes sleep.

Spongia

This homeopathic medicine for cough suits a hard, barking, ringing, metallic sounding cough, which is worse from deep breathing and excitement, often arousing the patient out of sleep with a suffocative feeling.

There is usually no expectoration; it suits, therefore, oftentimes the dry, racking cough of chronic bronchitis. Sambucus.

Useful in suffocative coughs of children where there is rough wheezing with great dyspnoea; patient can only breathe with the mouth wide open.

Violent attacks of cough, worse by lying with the head low, the room getting too warm, relieved by eating ever so little.