Home Remedies for Bronchitis

Bronchitis is an inflammation of bronchi, the airway in the respiratory tract that carries air into the lungs. Its main symptom is a persistent cough that produces considerable quantities of phlegm. The other symptoms of bronchitis are coughing up extra mucus, wheezing and difficulty in breathing, apart from hoarseness, pain in the chest and loss of appetite. Bronchitis is usually classified into two types – acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis. While the former is caused by viruses or bacteria and lasts for several days or weeks, the latter is a persistent, productive cough that lasts for at least three months and continues for two consecutive years. Mostly bronchitis is caused by an infection. Allergies and chemical irritations, such as atmospheric pollution and smoke of the cigarettes, are some other contributing factors. However, there are certain home remedies to cure a person of the ailment. Check out how to treat bronchitis naturally.

• Smoking
• Exposure to high levels of second-hand smoke
• Working in a stuffy atmosphere
• Use of drugs
• Weather changes, such as too much pollution, fog or dusty air
• High doze of medicines
• Improper diet
• Unrest
• Stress
• Genetics and heredity reasons
• Improper breathing technique
• Absence of fresh oxygen
• Infections
• Complication of cold or cough
• Allergy

• Inflammation in the bronchi
• Wheezing
• Slight fever
• Difficulty in breathing
• Cough
• Hoarseness
• Pain in chest
• Loss of appetite
• Shortness of breath
• Extreme fatigue
• Thick sputum (mucus), which is hard to cough-up
• Headache
• Chills
• Overall malaise

• The best way to cure bronchitis would be to consume turmeric powder. Put 1 tsp turmeric powder in half a glass of warm milk. Consuming this twice or thrice a day, on an empty stomach, would be beneficial.
• Mix half a teaspoon each of ginger powder, pepper powder and clove powder. Either mix them with 1 tbsp honey or put them in a cup of tea and consume.
• Onions have expectorant properties. Apart from liquefying phlegm, they also prevent its further formation. Intake of raw onion juice, early in the morning, would heal a person suffering from bronchitis.
• Mix 50 grams of fresh spinach leaves, 250 ml of water, a pinch of ammonium chloride and 1 tsp of honey and form a paste. Consumption of this mixture, on a daily basis, would relieve a person of bronchitis.
• Sesame seeds also have properties that can cure bronchitis. Combine a tsp of linseed, a pinch of common salt and a tsp of honey. Have this mixture before sleeping. It would help in the treatment of bronchitis.
• Another way of consuming sesame seeds is to powder half a tsp of it and mix it with 2 tsp of water. Have this two times a day. Yet another preparation would comprise of a decoction of half a teaspoon sesame seeds. Take it regularly, two times a day.
• Make a powder of seven almond kernels and mix it in a cup of orange or lemon juice. Have this emulsion regularly before sleeping. It would act beneficial in curing bronchitis
• Chicory is an herb that is believed to have medicinal properties to cure bronchitis. Grind the dry root of this herb and consume 1/2 tsp of powder, with one tsp of honey, thrice a day.
• Take some hot water, enough to convert one cup of linseed into a moist mealy mass. Wrap it in a thin cloth and apply this poultice on the front and back of the chest. Cover with a bandage.
• Another effective way to cure bronchitis would be to apply turpentine oil on the chest, every night.
• Castor oil can also act beneficially to cure bronchitis. Warm castor oil leaves on a pan. Let them cool down a bit, place them on the chest and keep overnight.
• Consuming fresh cabbage juice, on a daily basis, would be helpful in curing the problem of bronchitis.
• Steep half a tsp licorice root tea in a cup of hot water. After about ten minutes, strain the liquid and drink it, when still warm. Daily intake of this decoction, thrice a day, will show favorable results.