Coughs are one of the most common reasons mums reach out to me - especially when they linger for weeks, disrupting sleep and leaving families exhausted. But before we dive into what to do, let’s take a step back and understand why a cough happens in the first place.
Coughing Is a Natural Healing Response
Coughing isn’t something that needs to be stopped—it’s a natural function of the body working to clear mucus, irritation, or infection from the airways. When we try to suppress a cough, we interfere with this process, which can often prolong the illness or drive symptoms deeper.
Instead, our goal is to support the body to move through the cough efficiently—without unnecessary suffering—so healing can happen naturally. This is where homeopathy shines.
With homeopathy, you simply use the Guidebook that comes with the Homeopathic First Aid Kit to match the symptoms your child is experiencing to a remedy. If you’re using the Cough Trio, you’ll choose between the Wet, Dry, or Sudden Onset blends.
Single Remedies for Coughs
If you have the Homeopathic First Aid Kit, single remedies are the first place to start. Below are five commonly needed remedies (and remember, more options are in your guidebook!):
- Aconite – Croupy, barking cough that comes on suddenly after being out in the cold. Often wakes the child at night in a panic.
- Drosera – Dry, violent coughing fits, often ending in gagging or vomiting. Can sound like a “machine gun” or a deep tickling in the throat that won’t stop.
- Hepar Sulph – Very sensitive chest & throat, cough is wet but painful, like swallowing glass. Better for warmth & sips of warm drinks.
- Phosphorus – Tickling cough that gets worse with talking, laughing, or lying down. Often accompanied by hoarseness.
- Ant Tart – Rattling, loose cough with difficulty clearing mucus. Sounds like the chest is full, but nothing comes up. Worse when lying down.
Using Your Homeopathic First Aid Kit for Coughs
If you already have my Homeopathic First Aid Kit, you have everything you need at your fingertips.
Step 1: Open the Guide Book – There’s a full section on coughs to help you match your child’s symptoms to the right remedy. Read the remedy descriptions to find the best match.
Step 2: Choose One Remedy & Dose – Based on the descriptions, pick the closest match. Only pick ONE remedy, not all of them.
Step 3: Match Dosing to Intensity –
- For intense coughing fits: Dose every 15 minutes for three doses, then space out to every few hours.
- For mild or lingering coughs: Dose 2-3 times per day as needed.
If there’s no improvement after three doses, reassess and consider switching remedies.
Cough Trio Blends & When to Use Them
If you don't have the First Aid Kit, the blends are an easy and affordable way to get incredibly effective remedies combined together that have show to work time and time again.
Sudden Onset Cough Blend (Aconite, Spongia, Hepar Sulph)
- Cough starts suddenly, often in the middle of the night
- Barking, hoarse, dry cough (think croup)
- Worse from cold air or breathing in
Wet Cough Blend (Ant Tart, Kali Bich, Pulsatilla)
- Rattling, phlegmy, congested cough
- Mucus hard to clear, or child swallows it instead of spitting it up
- Worse in the morning or after lying down
Dry Cough Blend (Bryonia, Phosphorus, Drosera)
- Persistent, dry, tickly, hacking cough
- Worse at night or as soon as lying down
- Coughing fits may cause gagging or vomiting
What If the Cough Has Been Lingering for Weeks?
If your child’s cough has been hanging around for a long time, I often recommend adding:
- Cod Liver Oil (available on my website)– Strengthens the lungs and supports immune function.
- Inbound Nature Anti-Tonic (Quercetin Blend from Inbound Nature) – Helps clear inflammation and lingering irritation in the airways.
What If We’re Not Seeing Improvement?
Some families see immediate results from the very first dose of a remedy. Others may find homeopathy works more gradually, especially during the first few illnesses as the body learns how to heal itself again.
This is particularly true if there is a history of suppression with medication-for example, frequent antibiotic use, steroids, or cough suppressants that have interrupted the body’s natural response over time.
If improvement is slow or not happening, consider:
Is there a deeper blockage preventing healing?
Sometimes, an underlying illness needs to be cleared first. In these cases, a homeopath can prescribe a nosode to help the body resolve the lingering imprint of a past infection.
- Covid-19, RSV, influenza or Whooping Cough nosodes may be needed.
- The Whooping Cough Nosode is available on my website.
Are the symptoms shifting, rather than disappearing?
A change in symptoms (e.g., a wet cough becoming dry, or a cough moving from the throat to the chest) is still progress. It means the body is working through the illness, and the remedy may just need adjusting as symptoms evolve.
Are we matching the right remedy?
If there’s no shift at all after 3 doses, reassess the remedy selection and try again.
Need More help?
I can’t give individual health advice without an acute consultation, but if you need personalized support, you can book one and I’ll guide you to the most appropriate remedy for your child’s symptoms and support you with the confidence you need to support your children naturally.
Trust your intuition, support the body’s healing, and watch how quickly a well-chosen remedy can turn things around.