COUGH

Coughing is more of a symptom rather than an illness; to better understand the differences between the dry cough, the loose cough and allergic cough or the  cough as a side-effect of medication read our full guide on the subject and see our summary sheet below.

HOW TO TREAT A COUGH

1.
First of all, it is important to find out what kind of cough you have, e.g.

- Dry cough: you cough regularly (for example at night) and the cough does not discharge mucus; this cough is exhausting, phlegm is not produced.

- Productive cough (wet cough): you have expectorations and a productive cough with phlegm.

Find out more: Cough symptoms.

Knowing exactly what kind of cough you have will help you choose the best treatment.

2.
Secondly, depending on the type of cough you have, choose the appropriate remedy (with the help pf your pharmacists or doctor if possible):
- for a dry cough: chose codeine-, dextropetorphane- or antihistamine-based medicines. These are anti-cough medicines.
- for a productive cough: choose N-acetylcysteine- or carbocysteine- based medicines (for other brand names consult your pharmacist).  These are fluidifiers. Using expectorants (like guanifenesine) is also advised. Certain medicinal plants such as thyme can also help treat a loose cough. Find out more: all cough treatments

3.
Finally, you can complement standard treatment with (grandma’s) natural remedies, such as thyme, camomile or eucalyptus inhalations. Some thyme-based herbal teas or ointments can also have a very beneficial effect. Don’t forget to add a little bit of honey or lemon juice to your herbal tea - this will help you treat your cough.
Find out more: all the to tips to beat the cough.

Read on: cough definition

Go straight to:  grandma’s cough remedy – cough tips – cough treatments – medicinal plants for coughs

See also this page in French: la toux, in Italian: la tosse, in Portuguese: a tosse, in German: der Husten