Primary Remedies

Bryonia

This remedy relieves dry and painful cough, with dry throat and intense thirst. Coughing is triggered by speaking, and the pain is relieved by staying immobile or applying strong pressure to the ribcage.

Phosphorus

This remedy is indicated when a person experiences hoarseness and a tickly cough that hurts the throat, or a cold that travels quickly to the chest. The cough can be aggravated by talking, laughing, and exposure to cold air. The person may feel heaviness or tightness. A thirst for cold drinks (that may cause nausea after warming up in the stomach) is another indication for Phosphorus. A person who needs this remedy is typically imaginative and fearful, and likes the company of others, but tires very easily. This remedy is often used for loss of the voice and laryngitis.

Pulsatilla

This relieves wet cough with thick, yellowish phlegm, aggravated in bed.

Rumex crispus

This remedy relieves dry cough triggered by breathing cold air, with a feeling of scratchy throat, and a tickling above the sternum, between the two collar bones.

Other Remedies

Aconitum napellus

This remedy is indicated when a cough has come on suddenly—often from exposure to cold wind, or after a traumatic experience. The cough is likely to be sharp, short, dry, and constant. It may begin during sleep and wake the person up, or can start when the person goes from a cool place into a warmer one. Restlessness and fear are typical when this remedy is needed. It is often used in early stages of croup and asthma.

Antimonium tartaricum

This remedy relieves wet cough with thick phlegm and difficult expectoration.

Belladonna

A cough that comes on suddenly, often with the feeling of a speck or tickle in the throat, is a strong indication for this remedy. The cough is intense and nagging and the person may feel as if the head is about to burst. Sensations of heat, a reddened face, and dilated pupils are often seen when this remedy is needed.

Chamomilla

A dry, hard, irritating cough that starts after being exposed to wind, or after being overexcited and angry, can indicate this remedy. The cough is often worse around nine in the evening and may continue into the night. The nervous system is hypersensitive, and the person can be extremely irritable and agitated. (Children may even shriek and hit, though they often calm down if someone carries them.) This remedy is also useful in asthma attacks, especially those brought on by anger.

Drosera

This remedy relieves dry cough, worse at night and from the warmth of the bed, triggered by speaking or laughing, with a feeling of tickling in the throat.

Ferrum phosphoricum

This is an excellent remedy for the early stages of many inflammatory conditions, especially colds and allergy attacks. The cough is typically short and tickling, and may be painful. Things are worse in cold air, at night, and in the early morning. The person feels weary, and often has a moderate fever and lightly flushed cheeks.

Hepar sulphuris calcareum

This relieves dry, hoarse cough worsened by cold air and cold drinks, occurring at the beginning and at the end of the night.

Ipecac

This remedy relieves dry, fitful cough triggering nausea, and accompanied by hypersalivation.

Kali sulphuricum

This helps relieve wet cough and nasal congestion with yellow and irritating phlegm. Symptoms are worsened in a warm room.

Nux vomica

Indications for this remedy include a tight sensation in the chest with a dry, hacking, teasing cough—often causing soreness or a feeling that something has been torn inside. Long coughing jags can end in stomach pain and retching, and may make the person’s head ache. A person who needs this remedy is likely to be impatient, irritable, and oversensitive to everything. A feeling of chilliness is typical, and problems are often worse from exertion (both mental and physical) and worse in the morning.

Spongia tosta

This remedy relieves croupy, barking cough, especially after a chill or cold weather, worse when lying down at night.

Sulphur

This remedy is indicated for burning, irritating coughs that get worse at night in bed, as well as for breathing problems during sleep. It can also be useful when a mild cough drags on for a week or more without getting worse, but without much improvement. Burning sensations, redness of eyes and mucous membranes, foul odors, and an aggravation from bathing are often seen in a person who needs this remedy.