Coughing can have numerous causes, including allergies. Relieving an allergy cough with at-home treatment is similar to relieving other types of coughs, although you'll want to start by determining the source of the allergy and eliminating it if possible. When you do experience allergy symptoms, a few different home remedies can clear up the cough.
Drink Fluids
Drink plenty of water and other fluids to help clear up coughing, advises the Doctors Book of Home Remedies, with excerpts at MotherNature.com. Keeping your body well-hydrated can help thin the mucus that drains into your throat from your sinuses. Water, fruit juice and clear broth are effective expectorants with the ability to loosen and help expel phlegm. Drinking fluids also helps relieve a dry throat that can cause coughing. You might develop a dry throat if you breathe through your mouth due to a stuffy nose.
Relieve Congestion
Because coughing may be related to nasal irritation, relieving congestion can help reduce coughing. Ways to do this include using a saline rinse or spray for your nose, taking hot showers or baths or carefully inhaling steam from a pan of hot water. Room humidifiers and vaporizers also can help, but be sure to keep them clean. Any mold or bacteria can worsen allergies and coughing.
Drink Honey-Sweetened Beverages
Buckwheat honey was found to be more effective than over-the-counter cough medications in a study published in the December 2007 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The study focused on children with upper respiratory tract infections. Buckwheat honey was even more effective than medicines containing the cough suppressant dextromethorphan. The Allergy Asthma Technology website cites the study for their readers as an alternative remedy to cough suppressants. You can mix honey with warm water or herbal tea and drink it. Children under one-year-old should not be fed honey because it can be harmful to them.
