Autumn with its storms and the damp, cold winter bring bothersome colds and respiratory infections. Darkness, dry heating air, little outdoor movement, and as a result dry mucous membranes and increasing winter blues complete the malaise during this time.
But there is relief! Learn more about simple Ayurvedic home remedies for coughs and colds, and prepare wonderfully fragrant steam inhalations for yourself.
The Essentials at a Glance
- Cough can have physical, environmental, and psychological causes.
- Vata, Pitta, and Kapha coughs have different symptoms and treatment approaches.
- Ayurvedic home remedies such as head steam baths and cough balls can help.
- Prana-vaha-srotas are the respiratory channels in Ayurveda.
What is Cough Actually?
"Kasa" – this is the general Sanskrit term for cough. It can be roughly translated as: "forceful exhalation that is accompanied by the sound of a breaking bronze pot". And it really does sound like a nasty cough. Kasa!
Cough as a Protective Function
Although coughing is bothersome because it can be strenuous and painful, it usually serves an important protective function. Our body's protective reflex is designed to expel foreign objects, dust particles, or mucus from the airways. The direction of movement goes upward (udana-vata) to cleanse the respiratory organ of secretions and pathogens.
Healthy Lungs Clean Themselves
The mucous membranes produce – as the name suggests – mucus, which is transported upward by millions of tiny cilia and is either expelled or swallowed and thus destroyed. If the mucous membrane is compromised, for example by invading cold viruses, the natural cleansing system no longer works.
Cough in Ayurveda
In the oldest text of Ayurveda, the Caraka Samhita, various classical causes of cough are described. Interestingly, it appears that there are not only physical and environmental causes for cough, but also psychological ones.
Causes of Cough in Ayurveda
- Dry food, dry climate
- Physical overexertion
- Smoke, pollen, dust, exhaust fumes
- Suppression of natural bodily needs
- Regular, long daytime sleep
- Inhalation of foreign objects
- Trauma and exhaustion
Important: For successful treatment, identifying the cause and, if possible, avoiding it is essential.
The Organism from an Ayurvedic Perspective: Srotas
Ayurvedic medicine describes the body as a psycho-physiological network of relationships. The smallest channels and transport systems in the organism are called Srotas. There are 13 different body channels that run through our body and represent entire organ systems.
These include three channels for the intake and distribution of water, respiration, and food. Seven Srotas for tissues (plasma, blood, muscle tissue, fat tissue, bone tissue, bone marrow, reproductive tissue). As well as three channels responsible for disposing of the body's waste products.
Prana-vaha-srotas: Where the Breath Flows
Ayurvedic medicine describes cough as a functional impairment of the lungs and those body channels that carry breathing air. These respiratory channels are called "prana-vaha-srotas".
Prana is the breath, the life force that flows into the body through the respiratory organs – windpipe, lungs, bronchi, mucous membrane, and cilia. If there is a disturbance in those Srotas, it leads to restricted or increased breathing, pain, or sounds (rattling, crackling, etc.).
An Ayurvedic cough therapy focuses mainly on regulating and cleansing the prana-vaha-srotas.
The Dosha Determines the Type of Cough
The Dosha that dominates the cough determines the form of cough and accordingly the therapy. Like every illness, Ayurvedic medicine assigns a Dosha to each type of cough. The respective Dosha dominates the symptoms and guides the direction of treatment. The goal is to balance the Dosha and not just treat the symptoms.
Vata Cough
- Dry cough, unproductive and painful
- Hoarseness from the unproductive cough
- Headaches and chest pain
- Weakness and feeling of exhaustion
Pitta Cough
- Cough with purulent, yellowish sputum
- Often with fever and head flushing
- Sometimes with blood mixed in
- Thirst, burning in the chest, bitter taste
Kapha Cough
- Cough with very slimy, light-colored sputum
- Rattling breathing, sometimes asthmatic
- Feeling of heaviness throughout the body
- Sticky mucus on the oral mucosa
- Loss of appetite
What to Do About Cough? Ayurvedic Recipes and Home Remedies
Everyone knows the early symptoms: usually a cough announces itself with a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. Then come a few classic cold days with a runny or stuffy nose, sometimes accompanied by a slight fever. Here you should listen to your body's signals, bring rest into your daily life, and take it easy.
Head Steam Bath – General Mucus-Clearing Therapy
Suitable for all Kasa types
General therapy for all Kasa types serves to regulate and cleanse prana-vaha-srota with the lovely old-fashioned head steam bath with Ajowain. It works as a mucus-clearing, anti-inflammatory, and soothing agent.
What You Need
- 1 tablespoon crushed Ajowain (bishop's weed)
- 1 bowl of steaming hot water
Step by Step
- Hold your head over the bowl and seal it with a towel.
- Inhale through your nose and mouth for about 10 minutes. Have tissues ready.
Salt Compress – For Dry Cough
Specifically for Vata Kasa
For Vata Kasa, or dry cough that won't clear, a salt compress applied before inhalation has proven effective.
What You Need
- 2 tablespoons fine rock salt
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Step by Step
- Stir together in a small bowl to form a paste.
- Spread the salt-oil paste on the bronchi (between the throat and breastbone) and place a thin cotton cloth over it.
- Then place a small towel and a warm water bottle on top that is not too full and not too hot.
- Lie down for 10-15 minutes. Then inhale.
Cough Balls Eladi Vati
Suitable for all Kasa types
For all types of cough, homemade cough balls are recommended, which you take throughout the day.
What You Need
- 10 g Cinnamon (Tvak)
- 5 g Cardamom (Ela)
- 15 g Long Pepper (Pippali)
- 5 g Cloves
- 40 g Licorice (Yastimadu)
- 40 g Whole Cane Sugar or Coconut Blossom Sugar
- 40 g Raisins (unsulfured)
- 40 g Soft Dates
Step by Step
- Knead the powder with the finely ground sugar and finely chopped fruits into a paste.
- Then form small balls.
- These can additionally be rolled in a cinnamon-cardamom mixture to prevent them from sticking together.
Dosage: Depending on the size of the balls (0.5-1g), take 5-15 pieces per day.
Tip: For inflammation in the throat and pharynx, you can add 5 g Turmeric to the balls.
Homemade Cough Syrup with Ginger and Lemon
For Vata and Kapha Kasa
For Vata and Kapha cough, the pungent cough syrup is recommended.
What You Need
- 100 g untreated organic lemons
- 100 g fresh ginger
- 3.2 l water
- Sugar (whole cane, date, or coconut blossom sugar) in a 1:1 ratio
- Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper
Step by Step
- Chop lemons and ginger finely and soak in water overnight.
- In the morning, squeeze and pour the liquid through a sieve, then simmer 1:1 with sugar until the water has half evaporated and a thick syrup has formed.
- Season with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and pepper. Pour into bottles, seal well, and store in a cool place.
Pay Attention to Diet and Lifestyle
Generally speaking: Smoking, stress, and exposure to cold are obviously detrimental to recovery. A walk in the forest, breathing exercises, and meditation promote quick recovery. Listen to your body and slow down.
Recommended Diet for Cough
The diet during cough and colds should be warm and contain many spices.
Particularly recommended spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, ginger, Asafoetida, Cubeb pepper, long pepper, Galangal, black pepper, cloves
To avoid: Cold drinks, cold, dry, sour, and heavy foods. Yogurt or hard cheese, for example, are not recommended.
Pranayama and a regular, calm lifestyle are beneficial.
