Bronchitis with a strong cough is annoying and can be quite dragging. You can find out which home remedies can help against bronchitis here.
Home remedies for bronchitis: How does the disease develop?
Acute bronchitis is almost always caused by a virus, so antibiotics are not the solution. Antibiotics only help with bacterial infections. Therefore, home remedies are a popular way to combat early bronchitis symptoms and relieve discomfort. We’ll show you which home remedies for bronchitis really help and minimize the urge to cough.
Important: Home remedies are not always suitable for treating bronchitis. If the disease is severe, a doctor should definitely be consulted and, if necessary, medication should be used.
The 9 best home remedies for bronchitis
These home remedies for bronchitis can relieve the symptoms:
- Medicinal herbal tea: If you have acute bronchitis, you should drink a lot. In addition to water, a good tea made from medicinal plants is best for this. Thyme promotes the breakdown of bronchial mucus and relieves the urge to cough. Both have a positive effect on the airways. Fennel can reduce inflammation and relieve cramps.
- Inhale: Inhale is one of the home remedies most recommended by doctors for bronchitis. You can use essential oils for this, but you can do without them. To inhale, simply fill a bowl with hot water, place a towel over your head and bend over the bowl. Then breathe in and out calmly and deeply. You should repeat the procedure every three hours to treat the bronchitis gently. For a saline solution you use a teaspoon of salt and a liter of water, alternatively chamomile flowers or thyme can also be used as additives. You should not use essential oils in children and generally only allow them to be inhaled under supervision.
- Red light: Local heat radiation with red light is perceived as pleasant by many bronchitis patients. Red light can promote blood circulation, pain is alleviated and the light also works like an expectorant. But: Infrared rays from red light can damage the eyes – even with closed songs. Therefore, when irradiating against bronchitis, you should sit at a distance of at least 30 centimeters in front of the lamp, keep your eyes closed and wear protective goggles.
- Breast rubbing: To loosen stuck mucus in bronchitis, a tried and tested home remedy is to rub the chest. For example, you can use some diluted lavender or thyme oil. Both oils can relieve coughing and have an expectorant effect. The oil is rubbed briefly in the hands to warm it up, then rubbed into the chest for several minutes. Caution: do not apply too much pressure! Then rest well covered for about half an hour. This home remedy can be used two to three times a day. Tip: It can also help to rub your back. To do this, massage in the oil gently along the left and right of the spine.
- Quark compress: You can effectively relieve symptoms of bronchitis with a curd compress. The body is warmed by the wraps, they also have an expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect. You should do the compress once a day and apply it for about 30 minutes until the curd begins to dry. Warm the quark to body temperature beforehand and place it in a cloth.
- Moist and warm chest wrap: A moist and warm chest wrap can loosen mucus in bronchitis. To do this, a clean cotton cloth is rolled up and wrapped in a tea towel. The roll is placed in a bowl of hot water with the ends hanging out. Let it steep for about 15 minutes, then carefully wring it out and wrap the inner cloth tightly around your chest. Two more dry towels are wrapped over this. The wrap should take about 20 to 30 minutes, during which time you rest. Overall, you can use this home remedy twice a day.
- Chicken soup: A classic among the home remedies, which probably every doctor advocates for bronchitis, colds and the like. Chicken soup contains many vitamins and nutrients that have a positive effect on the immune system.
- Onion, ginger and honey: These foods impress with their anti-inflammatory, cough-relieving effects. While onion juice contains essential oils and flavonoids, honey has valuable vitamins, among other things. Dice the onions and bring them to a boil with honey. You let the mixture steep through a cloth or filter and take it in the form of a teaspoon. If you drink fresh ginger as a tea, its pungent substances help quickly against inflammation.
- Mustard flour compress: Among other things, bronchitis can cause narrowed airways, which can lead to pain when breathing. A mustard flour compress can help: Apply 30 grams of mustard flour in a thickness of about two millimeters to a piece of cellulose, fold it and wrap it in a new cloth. Then the compress is poured over with about 38 degrees warm water and should pull briefly. Then the compress is carefully squeezed out and placed on the breast as wrinkle-free as possible. A further cloth fixes the compress. After a short time there should be a slight burning sensation on the skin, then the compress must remain on the skin for another three minutes. Then remove and rub the skin with olive oil, then rest. This is how you get the bronchitis under control!
Bronchitis home remedies: Two more tips
The following tips also help to fight bronchitis:
- Only as a supplement: Even if many home remedies have proven effective for bronchitis, you should only use them as a support. Especially in case of severe pain, you should definitely see a doctor and have the respiratory tract symptoms checked.
- Stress and tobacco: Stress can aggravate acute bronchitis and delay the healing process. A lot of sleep and sufficient rest are essential for the home remedies to work better. Tobacco smoke is also not beneficial for recovery as it increases the cough.
Bronchitis: Home remedies that help children
Not all of the above home remedies should be used on children. The following home remedies are suitable for use in children:
- Fennel tea
- Warm bath, for example with additives such as thyme or fireplace blossoms
- Wraps, for example warm wraps with thyme tea. If you have a fever, cold leg compresses are also suitable.
- Inhale, there are special children’s inhalers in the pharmacy.
Important: Most essential oils are not suitable for use in children or babies in the case of bronchitis. You should definitely speak to a doctor or pharmacist in advance.