7 important single homeopathic remedies for coughs
In homeopathy and
especially in working with homeopathic single remedies, selection based on an
individual's specific symptoms is critical to success. Colds frustrate
selection in that symptoms constantly change as the condition matures. One
important element to examine is the cough. The character of your cough can make
a definable difference in homeopathic remedy comparisons. Does it force you up
at night? Is it dry or wet, rattling or wheezing, or constantly changing? Does
the mucus stay down, gag you or come up easily? Does heat, cold, motion or
lying down aggravate it?
The number of remedies
indicated for coughs is seemingly endless. However, some stand out as suitable
for common coughs and as good examples for what to look for in defining your
cough.
Here are seven. Each one addresses a unique type of cough and set of symptoms that may accompany that cough..
Here are seven. Each one addresses a unique type of cough and set of symptoms that may accompany that cough..
Pulsatilla: Wearying night cough that forces
the cougher to sit up and hold the ribcage. The cough tends to be dry, shaky and
frustrating in the evening and at night– forcing you to sit up over and over
again. In the morning, it starts out dry and very fitful with retching, but as
the congestion matures the thick mucus loosens toward morning. The coughing
spells worsen the dry sore throat and cause soreness in the chest. Related cold
symptoms include sticky eye irritation, nose is stuffy at night and runny in
the morning, minor fevers are chilling, mucus is bland thick and greenish and
like everything Pulsatilla, symptoms are very changeable. Specific people are
most apt to need Pulsatilla. They tend to be ‘soft, gentle, mild, affectionate,
as well as clingy, weepy, moody, sometimes childish’ with a deep need for
security and ever changing moods and symptoms.
Nux vomica: A suffocating cough highlights a restless cold or
flu with extreme chilliness.
The cough is dry, tight and hacking. It oppresses breathing and causes a bruised soreness and often a bursting headache. Cough and other symptoms typically induce Nux's trademark irritability and sensitivity to light, noise, etc. Symptoms feel worse in the morning (possibly starting at 3a.m.) and in cold dry atmosphere. A finished nap and damp weather tend to lessen symptoms a bit. Extreme chilliness makes drafts unbearable. The cold may also have hot irritating mucus that blocks the nose at night and a rough sore throat that sends pain toward the ears on trying to swallow the lump in your throat. On the emotional side, typical adjectives for Nux individuals or states include: competitive, impatient, impulsive, ambitious, aggressive, fastidious, restless. Stress from excess is an important keynote, whether brought on by too much work, food, fun or spirits.
The cough is dry, tight and hacking. It oppresses breathing and causes a bruised soreness and often a bursting headache. Cough and other symptoms typically induce Nux's trademark irritability and sensitivity to light, noise, etc. Symptoms feel worse in the morning (possibly starting at 3a.m.) and in cold dry atmosphere. A finished nap and damp weather tend to lessen symptoms a bit. Extreme chilliness makes drafts unbearable. The cold may also have hot irritating mucus that blocks the nose at night and a rough sore throat that sends pain toward the ears on trying to swallow the lump in your throat. On the emotional side, typical adjectives for Nux individuals or states include: competitive, impatient, impulsive, ambitious, aggressive, fastidious, restless. Stress from excess is an important keynote, whether brought on by too much work, food, fun or spirits.
Kali bich: Stubborn, gagging cough. Thick, ropy, yellow to green, sticky, stringy,
stubborn, smelly mucus is at the heart of what this remedy can treat. The cough
is stubborn, gagging, hacking misery as you try to clear the thick mucus out of
your throat. Mucus crusts up in the nose and fills the sinuses causing choking
post nasal drip, hoarseness and pain especially at the root of the nose. The
cough often starts very dry but over time becomes more productive especially
after a walk in fresh air. When mucus accumulates overnight, morning becomes a
torment of blocked nasal passages with stubborn hacking, hawking, gagging and
coughing. Heat, but not hot weather, can help, but beer and morning are highly
aggravating.
Phosphorus: A hard, dry, tight, racking cough set off by a
tickle in the aching raw throat. The colds Phosphorus treats best move quickly
into the chest. The cough may set the body trembling and cause labored
breathing and tightness across the chest. Cold air, talking and physical
exertion trigger bouts of coughing. A key trait to its fever is great thirst
for cold drinks that are vomited soon after warming in the stomach. Hoarseness
usually results from these colds, but it also helps hoarseness from overuse,
especially in singers. Phosphorus can do the most for excitable, impressionable
often lively individuals who burn the candle at both ends until the energy runs
out; then sadness, anger and even indifference can dominate.
Bryonia: A dry, hacking, painful cough with stitching pains–
worse for movement. Bryonia relieves ailments that approach slowly, linger too long,
are worse for movement and may result from being chilled when overheated or
from fast weather changes. Its slow moving flu and colds are marked by dryness
and body-aching misery. Dry hacking cough causes pain in the sternum and forces
you to sit up especially at night. Hawking will eventually move the mucus.
Eating and drinking aggravate cough as will going into a warm room. Other
symptoms include a bone-aching, chill-ridden fever, great thirst for cold
water, dry throat and a “don’t touch me, leave me alone” irritability.
Hepar Sulph: A dry or rattling cough with chilliness. Chilliness and yellow phlegm also dominate
this cold and there may be sinus pressure with splinter-like sore
throats. Cold dry wind, walking, even exposure of any body part from
under the covers can provoke this changing cough that runs from a barking dry
hoarse cough to loose, rattling/choking coughing. The individuals needing Hepar
sulph most lack internal heat, are easily offended, and get are sensitive to
rudeness or causes. They may become quite sad and highly irritable, especially
at night. Though not highly active, they may speak, eat and act out quickly and
impulsively. In general, if highly sensitive to cold, pain, and touch, you
might want to examine Hepar sulph, especially if cold air feels threatening.
Natrum mur: A dry tickling cough. Dryness underlies many of Nat mur’s
applications. Its colds and congestions have a dry rawness with thickening
clear to whitish mucus. Coughing is dry with rattling in the chest set off by a
tickling the the throat. It can be particularly bad in the morning and very
fitful at night in bed. Cough often triggers a frontal headache that feels as
if the forehead would burst. On the emotional plane, the dryness becomes
idiomatic as Nat mur applies to poorly circulated stress– suppressed grief,
humiliation and heartbreaks. Sadness, irritability, anger, occasional
sleeplessness and haunting memories tend to dominate. Complaints tend to
improve with open air, deep breathing and tight clothing, and worsen with
consolation, more emotion, hormonal fluctuations and sunlight (especially
headaches). A deep crack in the lower lip and a desire for salty foods further
indicate a need for Nat mur.
We hope this helps you
get to know your coughs better. Other cough-clearing remedies to consider:
Drosera, Dulcamara, Gelsemium, Ipecac, Spongia and Sulphur.
