Healing A Chest Infection Naturally + DIY recipes

You can feel a chest infection coming on.  It starts off with a little tickle in the throat and builds up to a rampant heaving cough that wracks your body.

That was me one Saturday afternoon about 3 weeks ago.  I noticed a small tickle in my throat and by the next day I was coughing to the point of vomiting.  As usual I didn't want to go to the doctors and be given medication, most likely antibiotics, because I know the human body has the capacity to heal itself.  Also, I strongly believe that allowing my body to heal itself from illness builds up it's natural immune system.

natural home remedies

Usually when I have a cold, flu or tonsillitis I sleep it off for as many days as it takes, making sure to keep my body warm (within reason) because high temperatures kill off viruses.  I've noticed since dealing with illnesses this way I am getting sick less often (my last bout of tonsillitis was over 2 years ago - touch wood). My last chest infection (prior to this one) was over 10 years ago, and the duration of sickness is getting shorter each time.

As soon as I felt that first tickle I got out the usual home remedy supplies: garlic, ginger, honey, peppermint tea, eucalyptus and peppermint oil, lemon; and did as much healing as I could each day.

• A good dose of fresh garlic and ginger in my meals.
• Eucalyptus and peppermint oil in a bowl of hot water, breathing in the steam with a towel over my head - a least once a day.
• Eucalyptus and peppermint oil on a handkerchief that I breathed in regularly.
• Rubbed eucalyptus and peppermint oil on my chest during the day and on the bottom of my feet before bed (add to 20ml carrier oil). Alternatively used JOLI's Natural Chest Rub.
• Heat pack on my chest almost all day (because being cold makes it worse).
• Rug up.  Keeping warm keeps the cough at bay and helps fight the virus.
• Peppermint tea with a teaspoon of honey and a slice of lemon throughout the day (i'm not a fan of sweeteners and yet I went through an entire jar of honey in a matter of weeks).
• Natural cough syrup made with ivy leaf extract - even though over the counter cough syrups are reported to be placebo I still took my syrup three times a day when the cough was at its worst.  (See below for home made cough syrup.)
• I did take the odd lozenge (3 times) but I have to confess they made the cough SO much worse!  Lozenges build up phlem in the throat, so when you're finished sucking on the lolly the cough comes back with a vengence!!!!  100x worse!!!! After taking a lozenge my cough would be wracking to the point I'd almost wet my pants from coughing uncontrollably.
• Sleep, lots and lots of sleep, especially during the early stages.  Sleeping helps the body heal itself.
• Sleep sitting up.  Laying down makes the cough worse.
• Very little talking or laughing, both made the cough worse.  I'm sure it was nice for my family to have me being quiet for a bit ... lol.

Three weeks later the cough is still lingering by way of a small tickle in the throat, yet it has been gradually dying since day one.  I can feel my body healing and getting better each day.

Natural cough mixture #1

cold and flu remedies

Mix one tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of one lemon, one tablespoon of pure honey and one egg white (optional).  Take one teaspoon every two hours.

Natural cough mixture #2

Grate a piece of ginger and squeeze out the juice into a small bowl.  Mix one teaspoon of ginger juice with one teaspoon of honey.  Take that dose three times a day. 

Natural cough drops:

3 tablespoons of sugar

3 tablespoons of honey

1 tablespoon of vinegar

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 drops of eucalyptus oil

Mix ingredients together and warm over low heat.  Pour mixture into a buttered tray, leave to cool, then break into small pieces and store in the refrigerator.