Drugstore shelves are lined with an array of elixirs designed to cure that nagging cough. Many contain ingredients that coat and soothe the throat. Some contain expectorants, which thin the mucus so that it can be brought up and expelled more easily. Lozenges serve to increase the flow of saliva, making you swallow more frequently and helping suppress the urge to cough. Perhaps the most basic expectorant is steam. Nineteenth-century doctors prescribed steam inhalations of eucalyptus oil for bronchitis and whooping cough. Thyme and chamomile inhalations were also believed to be effective. The Pennsylvania Dutch boiled pine tar on the stove and breathed in the steam. Others cured their coughs simply by sipping hot water. Hot liquids do indeed help dissolve phlegm.

Herbal Remedies

Licorice It contains the ingredient glycyrrhetinic acid, which acts as a cough suppressant. Lozenges made with real licorice extract (not the candy) slowly release a sweet-tasting demulcent that soothes the throat and encourages the expectoration of mucus. Do not take more than a few lozenges a day, since too much real licorice can cause side effects. Slippery elm Lozenges of slippery elm bark, available commercially, release the bark's mucilage slowly to coat the throat. Thyme The essential oil contained in thyme acts not only as a soothing expectorant but also as an antiseptic. To make a tea, mix 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed leaves in 1 cup boiling water, then steep and strain.

Horehound Good for productive coughs, horehound acts as a local irritant to trigger the cough reflex and help bring up phlegm. To make a tea, steep 2 teaspoons leaves or flowers in 1 cup boiling water, then strain. Lozenges are available commercially.

Tip: Mother Was Right

Stewed lemons, with plenty of sugar added, make a tasty old-time cough syrup.