Coughs and congestion in kiddos

SEEK MEDICAL CARE IF COUGHS PERSIST, ESPECIALLY IF BREATHING IS LABORED OR INCREASED. SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IF SKIN IS BLUE, THERE IS BLOOD IN MUCUS, LOSS OF WEIGHT OR COUGH IS LASTING LONGER THAT 15 DAYS.

Coughs can come from a variety of situations: exposure to cold air, allergies, infections and more. When approaching a cough for your kiddos you need to determine what kind of cough it is, especially if you’re going to treat it with herbs. Cough qualities can vary from dry, wet, irritable, and harsh/racking.

There are two types of herbal actions that help with coughs really well.

Expectorants

When you hear this word think “expel” or to lift up and out. It will help bring up the mucus that's trapped inside of the respiratory system. These often stimulate or relax the respiratory system by loosening mucus and helping the body cough it out. Some herbs that make great expectorants are:

mullein
anise seed
elecampane
horehound
wild cherry bark
licorice

Demulcents

Demulcents have a very similar quality, but they produce a soothing coating that is anti-inflammatory which helps irritating coughs. This coating is called mucilage and its particularly great for dry irritating coughs. These plants include:

marshmallow root
licorice root
slippery elm bark
plantain

Cough syrups

Figuring out what kind of cough is going on can help determine the right herb for the cough. You can combine any of these herbs to make a wonderful blend in tincture form or even a cough syrup.

A common cough syrup ratio is 1 cup herbs to 1 cups water

Place herbs in a tea bag and bring herbs and water to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Pour liquid into a jar and add 1/4 cup of honey or to taste. (if you have a child under 2 you’ll need to substitute honey with something else, like real maple syrup.)

You can also find our cough syrup kit that has great herbs that can cover a wide range of coughs here.

Herbal baths

One of my favorite things to do with my kiddos is herbal epsom salt baths.

Making a strong tea or even just adding the herb in a tea bag to the bath water. Some of my favorites to use is lavender and elderflower together. Elderflower is phenomenal at opening up the airwaves and the body to help breathing and help release tension being built up in the body.

Homeopathic remedies

Homeopathic remedies are safe for all ages including breastfeeding and pregnancies. Here are some common homeopathic remedies that we have used in our home. You can find this exact kit which has been the perfect starter kit here. And a book by Miranda Castro the help guide you through it all here.

Bryonia: Dry, irritating, racking cough that disturbs sleep. Breathing is fast and one will find that they hold their stomach from coughing, often paired with a headache. Often accompanied by little to no expectoration. Eating or drinking can often make the cough worse.

Drosera: Deep, barking cough that is dry at night. Comes in silent fits, hacking and irritating. Pain in chest when coughs. Worse after drinking or lying down at night.

Hepar Sulph: Dry, croup like barking cough that is often dry during the evening and wet in the morning. A bad cough with irritation in the larynx.

Remember

PNEUMONIA IS NOT ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED BY A COUGH ESPECIALLY WITH CHILDREN. SEEK URGENT MEDICAL HELP IF YOUR CHILD HAS A FEVER AND IS BREATHING RAPIDLY AND SEEMS LETHARGIC.

THIS ENTIRE ARTICLE IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, I’M NOT A DOCTOR (THANK GOD) AND THESE METHODS HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR TESTED BY THE FDA (THANK GOODNESS) SEEK IMMEDIATE PROFESSIONAL HELP IF YOUR MAMA GUT IS TELLING YOU TO AND IF SITUATIONS PERSIST!