There are a lot of fancy multi-ingredient cough remedies out there, and while most of them probably work, sometimes you just don’t have the resources or the time to make them. Parents who have small children or those who are too sick to venture out and buy ingredients can agree!

What is the Best Home Remedy for Cough?

You don’t need a whole medicine chest full of herbs to treat an ailment, least of all a cough. If you know what you’re dealing with, just 2 two simple ingredients is all you need to give your immune system the boost it needs so it can fight the intruders causing the cough in the first place.

A lot of people this time of year suffer from coughs that stem from bacteria or a virus that’s being passed from one person to another. They can be croupy sounding or dry and forceful, but they all have something in common; they began with icky germs!

Garlic is probably the best home remedy for cough you can find in your pantry. It’s potent, effective, and actually tastes good enough to give to children when prepared with raw honey or an equivalent all natural sweetener. Garlic’s immune boosting properties allow it to stimulate white blood cells and give them some extra oomf against colds and flu. Its warming nature will break up mucus (especially the clear or white variety) allowing for easy expectoration when the lungs feel boggy and full.

Garlic contains allicin, a powerful constituent that effectively kills bacteria and viruses when taken every few hours. It will help your body fight infection more efficiently, getting rid of the cough as a result.

How to Make the Best Home Remedy for Cough

This remedy is so simple!

Here’s what you’re going to need:

• 1 head of fresh garlic (make sure it isn’t sprouting as this affects flavor)
• 1 cup of raw honey (I like this brand) or equivalent all natural sweetener
• A blender (this one works great for this!) or small food porcessor
• A mason jar to store it in

Loving Preparation- The Best Home Remedy for Cough

• Warm the jar of honey in hot water (do this by floating the sealed jar in a hot water bath)
• Peel the whole head of garlic and set the cloves aside
• Next, pour 1 cup of honey into the blender
• Toss in the fresh garlic cloves and blend until smooth

You can store this for up to 24 hours at room temperature but any longer than that and the garlic will lose its potency. If you need the garlic honey to last longer, simply add peeled whole garlic cloves to 1 cup of raw honey and allow them to "steep" for at least one week. Remove the cloves (you can eat these or use them in cooking) and keep the honey in a cool dark place. it will last indefinitely. The difference is that the cloves where whole and not blended which prevented too much moisture from getting into the honey, moisture is what makes honey go rancid.

To Use-

• Give 1 TB to adults and 1 teaspoon to children 1 year and older every 2 hours as needed
• For best results, stay consistent with dosage, stay hydrated, and rest up!

Raw honey will help soothe and calm all types of coughs, but if you don’t have RAW honey, you can use what you have on hand. I like raw honey best because it has some great enzymes and immune boosting properties.

Some people have used black strap molasses and even maple syrup with great results!

[yumprint-recipe id='20']Can you use dried garlic?

Essentially yes, though it won’t be as effective. Dry ingredients, especially powdered ones tend to lose potency very quickly but they can work in a pinch!

To make this remedy with dry garlic simply blend 3 TB garlic granules/powder in 1 cup of raw honey. Use as described above for best results.

What has been your best remedy for cough this winter?

For more great garlic honey recipes, check out the articles below:

Herbal Remedies for Wet Cough
Herbal Remedies for Dry Cough
How to Get Your Child to Eat More Garlic
Garlic Infused Honey
Immune Boosting Soup

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