How To Cure Your Cough: Ginger, Honey And Lemon Home Remedy

If you have been suffering from cough, you might be taking over the counter medications that have undesirable side effects like nervousness, nausea and drowsiness. So, why not go with a natural home remedy like honey, ginger and lemon for curing cough?

Cough is a common voluntary and involuntary action that clears the throat off the mucous and foreign irritants. Coughing the throat clearly is a voluntary action, although there are a number of conditions that can cause cough.

Generally, a cough that lasts between 3 and 8 weeks is a subacute cough and a persistent cough that lasts for more than 8 weeks is a chronic cough.

What Are The Causes Of Cough

• Bacteria and virus

• Smoking

• Asthma

• Medicines

• Other conditions

How To Treat Cough With Ginger, Honey And Lemon

Ginger, honey and lemon can be used to prepare a cough syrup instead of going for the over-the-counter medications. This combination has been used as a traditional home remedy for treating coughs and has earned a fair reputation in the medical community as well.

Each of these ingredients has its own potent properties to treat cough and when used in combination, the benefits double.

What Are The Properties Of Ginger

Ginger contain chemical compounds such as gingerols, zingerone and shogaol which have medicinal qualities that can actually reduce your cough. The spice is also often used to soothe sore throats and reduce coughing due to its natural analgesic properties.^[1] Ginger has medicinal components which include essential oils, antioxidants and oleoresin ^[2] . Oleoresin is known for its antitussive abilities, which means it can relieve and suppress cough.

What Are The Properties Of Honey

Honey has antibacterial properties that help in eliminating the cough causing bacteria ^[4] . That's the reason why honey is considered a very good medicine to relieve cough more effectively than the over-the-counter medicines that contain dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant^[5] .

What Are The Properties Of Lemon

Lemon is a citrus fruit which is packed full of vitamin C which strengthens your immunity and keeps cold and cough at bay. Lemons have strong antibiotic, antibacterial and antiviral properties that can ward away the bacteria and virus causing cough ^[3] .

When all the three ingredients are combined together, the effect increases as ginger, lemon and honey stimulate the salivary glands and triggers the release of mucous through the airways. This remedy reduces the mucous as well as the antimicrobial and antioxidant effect of honey inhibits the formation of mucous, thereby bringing relief from coughing. It loosens the mucous, soothes the irritating throat and clears the passage ways.

How To Make Ginger, Honey And Lemon For Cough

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• 2 lemons
• 2.5 inch ginger
• 1 cup water

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Quantity: 1 jar

Method

Step 1: Peel the ginger root and chop it into small pieces.

Step 2: Grate the peels of the lemon until you get 1-1.5 teaspoons of lemon zest.

Step 3: Take a saucepan and pour 1 cup of water into it. Then, add the chopped ginger and lemon zest into the water and stir.

Step 4: Boil the liquid and let it simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Step 5: Strain the liquid into a bowl until the saucepan only contains the ginger bits and lemon zest. Keep this aside.

Step 6: Take another saucepan and pour 1 cup of honey into it. Allow this to heat over low flame for the next 8-10 minutes.

Caution: Make sure the honey does not boil, as that will destroy its medicinal properties.

Step 7: Once the honey is hot, pour the previously prepared lemon zest and ginger liquid into it. Then, squeeze out the juice of the 2 lemons and pour it into this mixture. Mix everything well.

Step 8: Over a low-medium flame, keep stirring this mixture for the next 10 minutes, until the liquid starts to bubble and boil.

Step 9: Once the mixture has boiled over, take it off the flame and allow it to cool, until it is just warm to touch. Then, pour it into a glass jar.

Caution: Don't pour hot syrup into a glass container, as that can cause it to crack and shatter. And don't store this syrup in a plastic container.

Storage instructions: Keep it in a cool, dry, and hygienic place, out of direct sunlight, in an air-tight glass container.

Expiry: Use within 3 weeks.

Instructions for use

• Warm up one teaspoon of the syrup before consuming it.

• Don't drink water for the next half an hour.

• Have this syrup three times in a day for at least 3 days to see visible effects.

Who Can Consume Ginger, Honey And Lemon For Cough?

Adults and teenagers both can have this concoction as it's completely safe. For pregnant women and babies, it's better to consult a doctor before having the ginger, honey and lemon drink.