Hacking cough

Sorry you're feeling unwell Anya. Are you sure you don't need to see the doctor?

My go-to remedies are nothing new so you've probably already tried them. Gargle with salt water (good luck in getting the 10 year old to do!) and hot toddies with lots of lemon and honey. Hot water bottles on the chest.

Hope you feel better soon.

My DH has a really nasty cold at the minute. He NEVER normally gets colds at all. He also has a horrible (hacking) cough.

When I have a bad cough Anya I prop myself up in bed and suck a sweet. (you must be careful not to fall asleep incase you choke) but I find it helps me to relax and does calm down the coughing. If it is a particularly nasty cough is it possible you might have a chest infection? in which case you might need antibiotics?

I also take Covonia linctus, which I quite enjoy find really soothing. They also make a throat spray which although I haven't tried I have heard good things about. Apparently it numbs the throat and fights the infection too.

Meant to add that I hope you and DGS feel better soon.

Join the clan - I have had my cough for 4 weeks - especially at night. And my throat is so croaky - a bit difficult with so many concerts and rehearsals in the run-up to Christmas.

I do hope that you and DGS get some relief soon - I will be following this thread with bated breath! - whilst trying not to cough

Have you tried antihistamines? Piriton might help. The one that makes you drowsy.
I had that cough for months last winter. Thought it might be from the woodburner, or damp mould on a corner wall.

ps central heating dries out the air. As you probably know!

Thank you all. Just heard GD1 is off school too with it.

Never tried this myself, but I have heard that putting vapour rub on the soles of the feet, and then wearing cotton socks, at bedtime works?

Simple Linctus is my go to medicine for a dry cough which I get occasionally it works very quickly.

Wish I knew Anya I'm exactly the same, have tried sleeping sitting up (doesn't work). Feverish sleep resulting in horrendous nightmares.

Hope you & your little GS get well soon.

Tanith it's a very wet cough (sorry TMI I know)

Anya have you tried Buttercup Original Cough Syrup? It's a herbal soothing medicine for cough, colds and sore throats. I saw it in Boots recently (available elsewhere too I expect) and remember it from being about 8 years old. It has squill liquid extract in it, which is why I remember it. Never heard of squill in any other context!

I had an awful night-time cough with a recent cold that wasn't eased by anything, including trying to sleep sitting up. The Buttercup sorted it within a couple of days thankfully. I do hope you and GS feel better soon

I've had it for about 6 weeks. Mine is sometimes 'productive', sometimes not (tmi!!) and I have a really sore throat. Oh, and a headache! I'm pigged off with it so any remedies would be brilliant - thank you!! I do not have the energy to apply vick to my feet and it might give Dh the wrong idea if I asked him to help!!

One of our group on holiday arrived with The Cough. He insisted it was a throat infection and bought antibiotics. Needless to say they had no effect. We all caught it - first a nasty but short-lived head cold which then bounced back as The Cough. I'm living on Lemsip Max Strength which helps as long as I don't move around! Liberal foot anointing with Vick at night does seem to help. My feet seem to appreciate it anyway! I fear it's with me for the winter. (I will look out for Buttercup Cough Syrup).

I have had mine since early November now. It started with a bad sore throat and I was sitting up coughing and practically wheezing during the night. I have no nasty gunge now but still a lot of coughing.

It's not so much the central heating drying the air, it's that the cold winter air holds a lot less general moisture than warm air. Sitting in a warm steamy kitchen would help.

A warning just in case you were thinking of it. Do not make chutney with vinegar when you have a cough like this. It really irritates your airways and I should have known better,
a really bad idea Nelliemoser.

This is one B****r of a virus keep warm.

Swanny Just an aside on squill. When I was in Anglesea early in the year, I was admiring some very pretty blue flowers which were growing on a very exposed hillside overlooking the sea. No one had any idea what they were.

I Googled the plant by it's description and where it had been growing.
I had no idea at all what Squill was but I had heard of it in cough medicine.

It does seem to be doing the rounds, doesn't it? I normally shrug off cold quite quickly but this one is horrendous.

Just tried this....and I had over an hour cough free!

Put one level tsp of course ground black pepper in a mug. Fill with hot water. Add 1-2 tbsp honey and leave to mash for 15 minutes.

Strain and drink.

It's a bit feisty, but I had 90 minutes cough free. Now, can I stand drinking it again???

anya that sounds plausible but how big was the mug? A small bone china tea one or a big brickies' brew beaker?

Nellie thanks for the info. Glad it's pretty, Squill is such a peculiar word I think. For some reason I imagined it a hot Mediterranean plant rather than blustery Angelsey

Brickie's brew sized.

Squill could have been a small sea creature for all I knew.

I remember my mother giving us syrup of squill for coughs. Can't remember whether it was any good! I'd never seen a squill until we started walking the Pembrokeshire coast path. They are all over the place. I find an infusion of fresh ginger and honey useful for coughs. I suppose the effect is the same as your black pepper Anya.

If found this online

"Squill is a cardiotonic similar to digitalis. It also has been used in hair tonics to treat seborrhea and dandruff, as a cancer remedy, and as a rodenticide."

RATS!

I remember having a cough remedy containing oil of squills. This is many years ago. It also contained ipepequana but that won't be the right spelling.

I take honey with propolis when I'm in Portugal, where I can buy it ready mixed over the counter. (Well actually from the market stall of the Bee Man.)
Here I either bring some propolis with me or buy it from a health food shop and drip five or six drops onto half a spoonful of honey and eat it without letting the propolis touch the sides of the spoon. The weird way of eating it isn't compulsory but it makes the spoon much easier to wash up.
It's a strange taste, not exactly horrible, in fact I don't mind it at all now, but it is probably a bit like your pepper drink, not something you would want repeat in a hurry.
The health food shop version has advice of the dosage on the bottle.

Propolis is antiviral and can stop a cough/cold in its tracks if taken early enough. It might help yours clear up quicker.