A cough is a protective reflex that is an attempt to expel secretions, mucus, foreign particles, and other extraneous materials from the respiratory tract. A cough should never be suppressed by anti-tussive agents, demulcents, antihistamines, etc., as this merely represses the natural elimination of these products. Cough in itself is just a symptom and may have many causes such as colds, influenza and bronchitis or more serious complaints. A cough can be a sign of a serious chronic disease and TB is all too present worldwide. All such cases should be screened by medical professionals and the patient should be managed accordingly. This material is for the first responder and the treatment of acute diseases and coughs only. In such case some of the following remedies may prove useful.

Materia Medica

Aconite (1): Short, dry or barking cough, arising form constant tickling in larynx, excited by drinking. Stitches in the chest that hinders respiration. Coughs that are caused by cold, dry weather and winds and begin with a sudden invasion of a hot, dry, feverish state. Worse < lying on the side, eating and drinking, from cold dry winds or current of air, walking in open air, when assuming an up right position, deep inspiration and speaking. Great restlessness, fear and worry with tossing about.

Antimonium Tart (2): Cough with great rattling of mucus with little or no expectoration. Profuse mucus in the chest with feeble expulsive power. Violent cough after each meal, ending with vomiting of the food, cough with suffocating attacks, violent sneezing, tickling in air passages provoking cough. Nightly cough with expectoration of thick, yellow, tough mucus. Better > sitting upright, from expectoration, when carried in a upright position. Worse < after midnight, after eating, when angry, sleeping in damp cellars, warm in bed, every morning, rattling of phlegm in chest, lying down, with oppression. Drowsy, sleepy, despondent, fear of being alone but a child will not want to be touched without whining.

Arsenicum (2): Wheezing respiration with cough and frothy mucus. Air passages constricted, can not breath fully. Asthmatic type of cough. Great prostration and debility. Very sensitive to cold. Cough with scanty, difficult expectoration. Anxious and oppressive shortness of breath. Anxiety, restlessness, fussy with thirst for drinks little and often.

Belladonna (2): Dry spasmodic cough, worse < at night, wakes from sleep. Soreness in chest, children cry when coughing, Sensation as if there was down or dust in the throat causes constant tickling, with irresistible desire to cough. Redness and heat of the face, dilated pupil, glistening eyes, burning heat, acuteness of senses, throbbing headache, red injected sore throat. Mental state can be almost frantic, furious, children may strike and bite, or the person may sit calmly with no anxiety and fear.

Bryonia (2): Hard, dry, racking cough. coming from the gastric region, preceded by tickling or creeping in stomach or throat. Cough at night in bed, intense dryness of the mucus membranes and thirst for great quantities of water. Stitches in chest when coughing or breathing deeply (Acon, Bell.) Sensation when coughing as if head and chest would fly to pieces, must press his hand against the sternum for support. Coughs with involuntary discharge of urine, stitches in the chest, small of the back, Worse < by touch, motion, talking, laughing, eating and drinking, cough in bed at night, compelling one to spring up and assume erect posture at once. Better > rest, lying on the painful side. Patient is irritable, wants to be left alone.

Causticum (1): Dryness, rawness, hoarseness, aphonia, cough hard, and racks the whole chest. Chest feels full of mucus, feels as if only they could cough a little deeper it would raise up the mucus, obliged to swallow the sputum raised, inability to expectorate. Cough with involuntary emissions of urine. Much better > drinking cold water. Intensely sympathetic, sensitive, individuals who take a great interest in the welfare of others.

Drosera (3): Spasmodic, nervous and sympathetic cough, deep sounding, hoarse and barking, with pain in the hypochondrium, must hold the part with the hands. Cough with paroxysms following each other very rapidly, can scarcely breath, chokes. Harassing and titillating cough in children that commences as soon as the head touches the pillow at night. Worse < immediately on lying down, after midnight, warmth, drinking, laughing, singing, weeping.

Hepar Sulph (3): Croupy cough, with loose, rattling phlegm in windpipe. Rattling, choking cough, worse < after midnight. Severe laryngeal catarrh, with roughness and pain in the upper part of throat. Can not bear to be uncovered, least exposure of cold excites cough (Rumx). Anxious, hoarse, wheezing respiration. Worse < cold, dry weather. Better > in warm, moist weather. Suits thin, irritable, impatient, chilly, oversensitive individuals

Hyocyamus (2): Dry spasmodic cough, especially at night when lying down, relieved by sitting up, from itching in the throat, as if uvula were to long. suited to hysterical females and young girls.

Ignatia (2): Dry spasmodic cough in the evening, feels as if there is fumes or dust in the throat pit. The longer they cough the more irritation they feel. Suited to nervous, young people or women with hysterical tendencies. Cough due to emotional difficulties such as grief, unrequited love, and sadness.

Ipecac (1): Spasmodic, asthmatic suffocating, shaking, cough with sweat on the forehead. Child becomes blue and stiff, wheezing, rattling respiration, great weight and anxiety in the chest, worse < least motion, better open air. Loss of breath with cough with inclination to vomit without nausea. Intense nausea with chest complaints with clean tongue.

Kali Bich (2): Loose cough, with rattling in chest. Cough with thick, heavy expectoration of bluish, yellow, or white lumpy mucus. Cough with expectoration of tough, stringy, mucus that adheres to the parts and can be drawn out in long strings. Catarrhal laryngitis, coughs have a brassy sound. Suits far, light-haired persons, or fat, chubby, short-necked children disposed to croupy affections.

Kali Carb (2): Cough, wheezing, asthmatic, must lean forward with head on knees. Cough with cutting or stitching in chest with respiration and between the breaths (Bry, stitching on breath only). Sputum of small, white, round lumps that fly from the mouth when coughing or hawking. Edema, above the eyes, morning, disappearing during day, constipation. Suits conservative, rigid, possibly dogmatic individuals, who dislike change. Never quiet or contented, desires to be with people but treats them outrageously.

Nux Vomica (3): Dryness cough, caused by a rough, scraping sensation in throat. Cough, with pain in head, as if skull would burst, or a sensation as if bruised in region of stomach. Constipation, large, hard difficult stools with ineffectual urging. Desires to eat during the cough. After abuse of cough mixtures. Worse < after eating, mental efforts, on awaking, smoking, drinking, eating. Better > warm drinks. Suits anger, impatient, irritable, ambitious driven individuals.

Phosphorus (3): Dry cough, arising from tickling in the throat and chest, excited by reading aloud, talking, laughing, drinking (Bry., Dros., Puls.). Dry tickling in the evening, with tightness across the chest. Trembling of the whole body with the cough. Sputum frothy, bloody, rust colored, purulent, white and tough, cold mucus, tasting sour, salty or sweet. Can not lay on left side or with head low, pains in the chest compel them to sit up. Desire for cold water and cold food. Suits tall, slender individuals, who are open, bright, sympathetic, suggestible, and lively in the beginning of an illness but become slow, tired and apathetic as the disease advances. Worse physical and mental exertion, twilight, change of weather, in evening, lying on left or painful side, during thunderstorm. Better > lying on the right side, cold food, cold open air, sleep.

Pulsatilla (3): Dry cough at night and loose cough in the day, yellowish, greenish, or bitter expectoration. Dry cough at night, going off when sitting up, reappearing when lying down. Dryness of the mouth with thirstless. Suits soft, gentle, sensitive, tearful persons, who crave sympathy and comfort and need reassurance. Worse < in warm, closed rooms and craves open air even if chilly.

Rumex (2): Dry cough from tickling in upper sternal fossa. Laryngo-tracheal cough, with is teasing and persistent, worse < cold, patient must cover the head or mouth with covers and breath warm air to stop the cough. Tickling in the throat pit causing dry, teasing cough. Extremely sensitive to cold air. Worse < lying down, cool, cold air. Better > warmth, keeping mouth covered.

Spongia (3): Cough, dry sibilant, like a saw driven through a pine board, dry barking, rasping, ringing, wheezing, whistling, everything is perfectly dry, no mucus rales. Worse < sweets, cold drinks, smoking, lying with head low, dry cold winds, talking, reading, laughing, swallowing. Better > eating or drinking warm things.

Stannum (2): Loose cough, with heavy, green, sweet or salty sputum. Sensation of great weakness and emptiness in the chest, worse < from talking, laughing, reading aloud, singing. so weak they can hardly talk. Sad, despondent, feels like crying all the time, but cry makes her worse.

Sulphur (2). Night cough, suffocating at night, wants the doors and windows open. Congestion of blood to the head and chest with burning chest, head, face and soles of the feet at night, must stick them out from under the covers. Worse < bathing.

Repertorium

COUGHS - acon., Anti-t., ars., Bell, Bry., caust., DROS., HEP., Hyos., Ign., ip., Kali-b., Kali-c., NUX-V., PHOS., PULS., Rumex., Spong., Stann., Sul.

barking - ACON., anti-t., BELL., DROS., HEP., Kali-b., phos., Rumx., SPONG., stann., sulph.

concomitant -

congestion of blood to the head and chest - Sul.

head and chest, as if, would fly to pieces, must press his hand against the sternum for support - Bry.

head, as if skull would burst, or a sensation as if bruised in region of stomach - Nux-v.

hypochondrium, pain, must hold the part with the hands - Dros.

stitches in the chest, small of the back - Bry.

deep - Dros., HEP., Spon., stann.

dry cough - ACON., ARS., BELL., BRY., caust., dros., Hep., HYOS., IGN., Ip., Kali-b., KALI-C., NUX-V., PHOS., RUMEX., SPONG., Stann., SULPH.

dry cough from tickling in upper sternal fossa. - Rumx.

dry spasmodic cough in the evening - ign.

everything is perfectly dry - SPONG.

hard, dry, racking cough - Bry.

short, dry or barking cough - Acon.

spasmodic, dry cough esp. at night when lying down - Hyos.

eating from - Ant-t., Ars., bell., Bry., Hep., Ip., KALI-B., NUX-V., Rumx., sulph.

expectoration -

inability to expectorate - Ant-t., Caust.

small, white, round lumps - Kali-c.

tough, stringy, mucus which adheres to the parts and can be drawn out in long strings - KALI-B.

yellow, thick, tough mucus - Anti-t.

exhausting - ars., Phos..

hollow - Acon., ant-t., BELL., CAUST., Ign., Ip., nux-v., Phos., SPONG.

loose expectoration - ant-t., Ars., dros., hep., kali-c., kali-bi., Phos, PULS., spong., Stann., sul.

rattling -

great, of mucus with little or no expectoration - Anti-t.

loose cough, with rattling in chest - Kali-b.

loose, rattling phlegm in windpipe - Hep.

mentals -

drowsy, sleepy, despondent - Anti-t.

fearful - Acon.

frantic, furious, children may strike and bite - Bell.

grief, unrequited love, and sadness bring on cough - IGN.

open, bright, sympathetic, suggestible, and lively - Phos.

quiet or contented, never, desires to be with people, but treats them outrageously - Kali-c.

irritable, wants to be left alone - Bry.

restlessness -

fear and worry with tossing about - ACON.

anxiety, fussiness with thirst for drinks little and often. - ARS.

sad , despondent, feels like crying all the time, crying agg. - stann.

soft , gentle, sensitive, tearful persons, who crave sympathy - PULS.

sympathetic - Caust, Phos, Puls.

intensely sympathetic - Caust.

paroxysms following each other very rapidly, can scarcely breath - DROS.

spasmodic cough - bell., DROS., Hyos., Ign., ip.

thirst -

cold water - caust, Phos.

great quantities of water - Bry.

sip, frequent - Ars.

thirstless - PULS.

tightness across the chest - PHOS.

urine, involuntary emission of - bry., Caust.

vomiting - Ant-t., bry., Ip., nux-v., Puls.

weakness and emptiness in the chest, can hardly talk - Stann.

wheezing - ars., kali-c.

respiration with cough and frothy mucus - Ars.

Disclaimer: This information is supplied for educational purposes only. It is not for the treatment of any individual person or disease. If you are suffering any particular complaint please consult a physician or call emergency services.