Symptoms:

The sudden involuntary and violent expulsion of air after deep respiration due to irritation.

Cause:

This is often caused by a stomach disorder that comes from overloading the system with food, wherein fermentation in the stomach causes phlegm.  It may also be induced by inflammation in the bronchial tubes due to a neglected cold.  Worms may be the cause.  Many coughs are from a nervous condition, where coughing may eventually become habitual.  Coughs are highly misunderstood.  Usually a sore throat and coughing are caused by the sinuses draining the eustachian tubes, which is like pouring acid down the throat.  A cough usually comes from a lowered vitality in the system from improper diet, loss of sleep, lack of exercise, and fresh air, improper breathing, poor elimination, or improper night clothing and bedding.

Herbal aids:

Acute coughs can often be relieved with a little honey and onion syrup.  When it is the result of an old acute condition, clear out the morbid condition as rapidly as possible without causing irritation.  In old cough conditions, comfrey with vervain or mullein are very good.  The antispasmodic tincture is also excellent, and it is good to massage the chest area across the back with an antispasmodic tincture during attacks of spasms.  Antispasmodic tincture may be used both internally and externally as a liniment on the throat.  If this is due to a neglected cold, any of the diaphoretic herbs are excellent.  To relieve the coughing spasms, use horehounds, comfrey, or a small amount of lobelia.  High enemas of herbal laxatives will relieve congestion of the bowels, and if the cough is severe (asthma, whooping cough) load the stomach with liquids and induce vomiting.

Useful herbs:Althea, anise, arbor vitae, balm of Gilead buds, balsam of fir, balsam of Peru, balsam of Tolu, beth root, black cohosh, blood root, boneset, bugleweed, button bush, cascaras sagrada, catechu, cayenne, cherry bark, chestnut leaves, coltsfoot leaves and root and flowers, comfrey, elder flowers, elecampane root, European centaury, fennel, field scabious flowers, figs, garlic, ginger, great laurel, grindelia robusta, ground ivy, Bart’s tongue, hickory bark, honey, horehounds leaves and flowers, hyssop, ipecac, lobelia, lungwort, maidenhair, malabar nut, Irish moss, Island moss, Jamaica dogwood, licorice root, linden, liverwort, mandrake, marshmallow root, meadow anemone, Mimosa gum, mullein leaves, nutmeg, pimpernel root, plantain, pleurisy root, poplar bark, poppy capsules, raisins, raspberry leaves, rock candy, rue, sacred bark, sage, sassafras, saw palmetto, Seneca snake root, Senegal, slippery elm bark, snake weed, soapwort, spearmint, spikenard roots, squills, storax, strawberry leaves, sundew, sunflowers, swamp cabbage, sweet gum bark, tamarack bark, veronica, violet, wahoo bark and root, white pine, white root, wild cherry bark, wild marjoram, wild potato, wood betony, wood root, yerba santa.