How can I get rid of a dry cough?

How to get rid of a dry cough quickly?

• I've had a cold for 3 days now, along with a cough. First it was a wet (productive) cough now it may be a dry cough, very hoarse. My friend was supposed to sleep over tonight, and we're seeing the last performance of my sister's play that I've really been looking forward to. I mean, I don't feel under the weather at all, this cough is just annoying. Plus, I have volleyball tryouts Monday! How should I clear up this cough?

• Answer:

  Drink a lot of warm water during the day to ease cough. You can also drink a mix of lemon juice, honey and warm water at least thrice during the day. Gargles are always effective for easing dry cough. Add some salt to lukewarm water and gargle. Gargling with warm spinach juice is also very helpful in providing relief from dry cough. Also, chewing a piece fresh ginger with some salt sprinkled on it can bring relief from dry cough. If you find it troublesome to chew raw ginger, then it can be helpful to chop it into fine pieces and to add it to a cup of water. Boil this water till only half a cup remains in the pot. Strain this before you drink it. You can add a spoonful of honey to improve the taste. Also, ginger and honey work by coating the throat, reducing irritation and the tickling sensation common to dry coughs. Grape juice with honey can be a useful remedy for treating dry cough. Another effective remedy is to mix half spoon of Cuscus grass in 3-4 teaspoons of coconut milk. Add one teaspoon of honey to it and drink at night before going to bed. Turmeric, with its natural antiseptic properties, can also be of great help in treating dry cough. Add a pinch of turmeric to a spoonful of honey and drink it at bedtime. Almonds can be an excellent remedy too. Soak three or four almonds overnight. In the morning, peel the almonds and grind them to a fine paste. Add a few grains of sugar or a spoon of honey to this and eat this mixture. It can help you feel better in 2-3 days. For 'dry' coughs, try and get a hold of cough lozenges (sold online and in some health-food shops). Made from the bark of the slippery elm tree, these were once medicine-chest staples. Slippery elm is loaded with a gel-like substance that coats the throat and keeps coughing to a minimum. Try to get warm moist water vapor in your lungs by breathing deeply in the shower or put salt in a pot and boil the water and turn off and inhale the steam once it has cooled a bit with a towel over your head.