by Diamond Channing

Created on: June 29, 2010

Home remedies for coughs can be made as an infusion or a decoction.

An infusion is a tea made from herbs. In order to prepare an infusion, you need to make a fresh cup for every dose. An infusion should be taken on an empty stomach. It is best to take them one hour prior to a meal. Sip the infusion slowly and do not gulp it. Be sure to swish it around your mouth before swallowing it. This will mix the infusion with the enzymes in saliva and help the herbs to enter the blood stream quicker.

With an infusion remedy, it is best to take four cups every day. Always steep an infusion with the chosen herb for fifteen to thirty minutes and always cover. Strain the herbs from the liquid and rink it warm. To make an infusion, the general recipe is to add one teaspoon of the herb or herb mixture to one cup of boiling water. There are exceptions to every rule so follow the instructions for the specific recipe.

A decoction is a concentration of an herb. One tablespoon of the herb's bark or roots to one quart of water is the standard recipe for decoctions. Boil the liquid covered until half of it has evaporated. Strain the herbs from the liquid and put it in the refrigerator until it is needed. To make a dose of a decoction, add two to three tablespoons of the liquid to one cup of warm water and drink.

The symptoms and duration of an illness such as those associated with having a cough can be minimized by using infusions and herbal decoctions. Various chronic conditions which produce a cough can also be helped and many times, eliminated with the use of infusions and decoctions.

For a bronchial cough, mix one tablespoon of Irish moss, one tablespoon of comfrey, one tablespoon of lobelia, one tablespoon of wild cherry bark, one tablespoon of verbena, and one tablespoon of aniseed in one pint of water. Boil this down to half of the liquid. Strain the herbs from the liquid and add one pint of honey. Bring the mixture back to a full boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for fifteen minutes. Remove it from the heat again and add two tablespoons of raspberry vinegar. Mix it together well and store this in the refrigerator. Take one to two tablespoons on an as needed basis.

For a stubborn cough, pour two cups of boiling water over three tablespoons of agronomy flowers and two tablespoons of dried parsley. Cover and allow the mixture to steep until it is cool. Strain the herbs from the tea and take three tablespoons every morning and night. A very good expectorant

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