In cough, herbal preparations have a long tradition for symptomatic treatment of cough.
Many people like to season the food with thyme. But did you also know that for hundreds of years it has been used as medicinal plant as well? In ancient Greece, doctors such as Hippocrates employed thyme, too. And even today, thyme is an important medicinal plant used for symptomatic treatment of cough and bronchitis.*
The secret of thyme
The main ingredients of thyme are essential oils, tanning agents, and flavonoids. Based on empirical evidence from long-standing, traditional use thyme extracts facilitate the clearing of the airways from mucus. In infections of the mouth and throat thyme is used as a gargle or spray. When administered locally to the oral or pharyngeal mucosa based on preclinical studies, this medicinal plant has a disinfectant effect.
Thyme against coughing!
In cough, thyme extracts:
- loosen the viscous sticky mucus which clogs to the airways
- facilitate the coughing up of mucus
Sources: *from Wikipedia: Bown. D. (1995). Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London.// Petkewich, Rachel (2006)."What's that stuff? Marshmallow". Chemical & Engineering News 84 (16): 41.// Gualtiero Simonetti (1990). Stanley Schuler, ed. Simon & Schuster's Guide to Herbs and Spices. Simon & Schuster, Inc. Cavero, R (2 December 2014). "Medicinal plants used for respiratory affections in Navarra and their pharmacological validation". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 158 (Part A): 216–220.// University of Maryland: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/cough.
The leaves, flowers and the root of A. officinalis (marshmallow) all have medicinal properties. These are reflected in the name of the genus, which comes from the Greek, meaning "to heal".*
Marshmallow is traditionally used as a treatment for the irritation of mucous membranes The root has been used since the Middle Ages in the treatment of sore throat.*
Sources: *from Wikipedia: Bown. D. (1995). Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London.// Petkewich, Rachel (2006)."What's that stuff? Marshmallow". Chemical & Engineering News 84 (16): 41.// Gualtiero Simonetti (1990). Stanley Schuler, ed. Simon & Schuster's Guide to Herbs and Spices. Simon & Schuster, Inc. Cavero, R (2 December 2014). "Medicinal plants used for respiratory affections in Navarra and their pharmacological validation". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 158 (Part A): 216–220.// University of Maryland: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/cough.
Ivy is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 20–30m high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, walls) are available. But Ivy extracts are also sometimes part of current cough medicines. In the past, the leaves and berries were taken orally as an expectorant to treat cough and bronchitis.*
Like Ivy, eucalyptus is used in many remedies to treat cold symptoms, particularly cough. It can be found in many lozenges, cough syrups, and vapor baths throughout the United States and Europe. You may also apply ointments containing eucalyptus leaves to the nose and chest to relieve congestion and loosen phlegm.*
Sources: *from Wikipedia: Bown. D. (1995). Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London.// Petkewich, Rachel (2006)."What's that stuff? Marshmallow". Chemical & Engineering News 84 (16): 41.// Gualtiero Simonetti (1990). Stanley Schuler, ed. Simon & Schuster's Guide to Herbs and Spices. Simon & Schuster, Inc. Cavero, R (2 December 2014). "Medicinal plants used for respiratory affections in Navarra and their pharmacological validation". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 158 (Part A): 216–220.// University of Maryland: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/cough.