Natural Home Remedies for Coughs and Colds

Traditional remedies can help you feel more comfortable while you’re suffering from a cough or cold. They can improve your wellbeing while you wait for the symptoms to subside. However, to ensure they’re effective, it’s worth understanding how these winter ailments work. These three symptoms are often linked, but they don’t all require the same treatment.

How Does a Cough Work?

A cough is not an illness in itself. It is a defence reflex of our body. Physically, this manifests as a sudden expulsion of air from the lungs, most often following irritation of the airways.⁽¹⁾

At a microscopic level, small receptors located in the mucous membrane lining the trachea and bronchi react to irritants and cause the respiratory muscles to contract. This clears our airways of whatever is blocking them (mucus, foreign bodies, irritants, etc.).

But what, then, is the difference between a dry cough and a chesty cough? In fact, coughs are classified according to two criteria:

By duration:

• Acute Cough: This lasts less than 3 weeks and is most often caused by a viral infection of the respiratory tract or ENT system

• Chronic Cough: This persists for more than 8 weeks and warrants a medical consultation to determine its cause.⁽²⁾

Depending on the type of cough: 

• Dry Cough: This is an irritative cough; it is not accompanied by phlegm or mucus

• Chesty Cough: Also known as a productive cough, it is accompanied by translucent phlegm, which is sometimes thicker and yellowish to greenish in colour

What Is a Cold?

A cold, sometimes known as a ‘brain cold’ or rhinopharyngitis, is a mild illness that often clears up within 7 to 10 days. You can make yourself more comfortable by following a few simple daily steps.

You may need to see a doctor if your symptoms get worse.

Why Do We Get a Sore Throat?

A scratchy or sore throat is a classic symptom that often comes with a cold or cough. It is a temporary condition that home remedies for coughs or colds can relieve, helping you feel more comfortable.

It is also a symptom associated with tonsillitis. If you have a fever or prolonged discomfort, consult your doctor.

Most traditional home remedies will help to make you feel more comfortable while you’re ill. They are based on physiological mechanisms.

• Honey: Its thick texture forms a protective film over the throat’s mucous membrane. This provides mechanical protection for the nerve endings that trigger the cough reflex. In fact, some recipes suggest a mixture of honey, lemon and ginger to provide relief from a dry cough⁽⁴⁾

• Zinc: Known for its immune-supporting properties. Depending on the chemical form of zinc, it may help to reduce the duration of symptoms⁽⁵⁾

• Vitamin C: A study shows that people who took Vitamin C regularly as a preventative measure were able to reduce the duration of cold symptoms⁽⁶⁾

• Saltwater Gargle: Good for a sore throat. Saltwater draws water from the mucous membranes through osmosis, which thins the mucus and makes it easier to clear⁽⁷⁾

• Thyme: As a herbal tea, thyme is traditionally used to treat a productive cough and promote the expulsion of phlegm. It possesses numerous properties, including its ability to thin bronchial secretions⁽⁸⁾

• Chicken Broth: This is an old-fashioned home remedy, yet one study suggests it has inhibitory activity and a mild anti-inflammatory effect that could provide relief from respiratory symptoms⁽⁹⁾

• Garlic: Onions are sometimes mentioned as well, but garlic has antimicrobial and antiviral properties⁽¹⁰⁾

• Steam Inhalation: This will help improve your comfort breathing. Steam promotes vasodilation, which relaxes the mucous membranes and helps mucus to drain.

In all cases, it is important to maintain a varied and balanced diet. If your symptoms worsen, consult your doctor.

Here are a few traditional home remedies for coughs and colds that you can use depending on your symptoms.

As well as traditional home remedies for coughs and colds, a few simple habits can help you breathe more easily every day.

• Ventilate Regularly: Refresh the air in your home several times a day to reduce the concentration of germs in the room and improve air quality⁽¹²⁾ 

• Regulate the Temperature in Your Home: Maintain a temperature of around 18 to 20°C and avoid air conditioners, which dry out the air and your nasal mucous membranes

• Moisturise your Nose: A suitable spray containing saline solution, thermal spring water or seawater helps to thin secretions and keep the mucous membrane moist

• Sleep with Your Head Elevated: This makes it easier for air to pass through your airways and reduces night-time coughing, particularly if you have a productive cough

• Drink Water Regularly: This prevents dehydration caused by a possible fever and helps thin the mucus, allowing it to be cleared more easily

• Adjust Your Clothing: Do not wrap up too warmly if you have a fever; allow your body heat to escape naturally

• Avoid Irritants: Tobacco and even second-hand smoke contribute to slowing down the cilia on the respiratory mucous membranes. This makes it harder for mucus to be cleared

• Wash Your Hands Regularly: This simple step helps prevent the virus from spreading to those around you, while also protecting you from potentially infecting yourself

If your symptoms worsen, consult a healthcare professional.

In most cases, both colds and coughs clear up on their own within a few days to a few weeks. However, there are certain symptoms that mean you should see your doctor straight away.

For a Cold, Seek Medical Advice If:

• You experience severe headaches or vomiting

• You have a temperature above 38.5°C

• You have difficulty breathing or swallowing

• Your symptoms worsen suddenly or do not improve after 15 to 20 days

• You have a chronic condition (diabetes, asthma, COPD) or are immunocompromised⁽³⁾

If you have a cough lasting longer than 3 weeks, or if its nature changes, it is important to see your doctor or arrange a follow-up appointment. If it lasts longer than 8 weeks, it is considered chronic and requires further investigation. Certain signs should prompt you to seek medical advice promptly: 

• You are experiencing chest pain accompanied by breathing difficulties

• You feel as though you are choking

• You have inhaled a foreign body (particularly in children or the elderly)⁽³⁾

This routine, inspired by traditional home remedies for coughs and colds, can be followed regularly to improve your breathing comfort.

Dietary supplements must be used in accordance with the instructions provided for each product. If in doubt, seek advice from a healthcare professional.

Essential oils are powerful natural concentrates. Please refer carefully to the intended uses and precautions for use on each product information sheet. Store them in a suitable glass bottle, away from light and air. Keep out of reach of children. Do not use during pregnancy or whilst breastfeeding, or on children under 6 years of age. Avoid contact with the eyes and mucous membranes. Please consult the general information sheet on precautions relating to essential oils as well as the specific information sheet for each essential oil.

Blow your nose gently, one nostril at a time, to avoid putting extra pressure on already blocked sinuses.

A simple step that’s often overlooked: open the windows for a few minutes every day before going to bed, even in the middle of winter. It’s a simple step that helps to refresh the air in the room and reduce the concentration of viruses.⁽¹³⁾ Include colourful fruit and vegetables in your diet for their antioxidants, and oily fish for omega-3s. Discover the foods that will support your immune system.

Guillaume is a pharmacy technician specialising in dermocosmetics. With more than ten years’ experience in the pharmacy sector, he now supports health and cosmetics brands with writing blog articles. Having studied naturopathy, he takes part in podcasts to explain health and cosmetics in accessible terms.