How to safely treat children's coughs with folk remedies

Cough is one of the common symptoms in children with pharyngitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, whooping cough, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis... with many different causes.

Under normal physiological conditions, coughing is a physiological reflex that protects the body. It is thanks to the cough reflex, by exhaling very strongly, that it helps clear the airways, expel phlegm, secretions or foreign objects that enter the respiratory tract, helping the respiratory cilia to function well. However, excessive coughing becomes an unfavorable condition for the body and forces the patient to use necessary intervention measures.

In traditional medicine, cough belongs to the category of "cough" and is treated with many different methods, including the use of long-standing folk experiences.

Below are some typical ways that parents can use for their children when they have a cough.

- 3 apricots, 5 slices of licorice. Crush both ingredients and suck on them regularly. For young children, you can steep them in boiling water in a sealed container. After 20 minutes, you can use them. Drop 5 drops into the child's throat each time, several times a day.

- 10 fresh chives, enough rock sugar. Wash chives, chop finely, steam with rock sugar, give children 2-3 teaspoons of coffee each time, twice a day. Specially used to treat children with flu, cough, fever, runny nose.

- 3-4 cloves of aged garlic, peeled, crushed, put in a cup, pour about 100 ml of boiling water and soak overnight, the next day take it out and give it to the child to drink 3 times a day after meals, you can add a little sugar to make it easier to drink and reduce the irritation of garlic.

- 6g of Bai bu, 6g of Bach tien, 9g of Sa ginseng, 3g of Chuan fritillary, boil to concentrate, divide into 3 doses to drink per day, use continuously for 5 days.

- Boil 15 marigolds to get the water, add a little brown sugar, divide into 3 doses to drink during the day.

- 6g each of Kinh gioi, fritillary, white money and tangerine peel, 9g of purple gromwell, 6g each of Platycodon grandiflorum and licorice, boil with 1 bowl of water, reduce to half a bowl, divide into several doses to drink during the day, use 1 dose per day. Used for all cases of cough.

- 20g mulberry root (peeled, soaked in honey, fried until golden brown), 20g chives, 20g male papaya flower, 20g ophiopogon japonicus, boil all with three bowls of water, reduce to one bowl, add rock sugar, divide into 3 doses to drink during the day.

- 20g mulberry leaves, 10g mint, 20g gotu kola, 10g lemon root, 10g chives, boil well to get the water, divide into several drinks a day, can add a little rock sugar. Used to treat coughs due to colds and fever.

- 40g fresh ginger, 40g lemongrass, 100g white sugar. Crush both ingredients, squeeze out the juice, mix with sugar and simmer over low heat until candy-like, take a little at a time and suck on it gradually.

- 20g kumquat, rock sugar in sufficient quantity. Wash kumquat, remove seeds, steam with rock sugar, give child 2 times a day, 1 teaspoon each time.

- 12g white bark of mulberry root (soaked in rice water overnight), 12g chrysanthemum, 12g ophiopogon (cooked, core removed), 8g mint, 16g lemon leaves. Boil all with 500ml of water until 200ml remains, divide into several servings to drink during the day.

Use a few drops of oil such as lemongrass oil, cajeput oil, almond oil or peppermint oil in the palm of your hand, rub it evenly and then gently rub the soles of the baby's feet, gently press the point connecting 2/5 and 3/5 of the line connecting the tip of the index finger to the middle point of the back of the heel. Then, rub the interscapular area (between the two shoulder blades) until the baby feels warm.

Finally, perform percussion to loosen phlegm and reduce cough by cupping your hands and patting evenly on the child's back between the shoulder blades while lying or sitting with the head slightly tilted down. Pay attention to do it rhythmically and continuously, do it when the child is hungry, best in the morning when waking up, before eating anything.