I have two main go-to’s for cough and congestion: potatoes and onions. I don’t know that there is any real evidence for the potato remedy I am about to detail below, if there is I haven’t gone on the hunt for it, but I have seen it work personally so I am a believer. Onions have a long-standing history of helping pull mucus out of the lungs and are medicinal to begin with.
Feet Potatoes
Let’s start here because I love a good potato. I’m not much of a foodie but potatoes are hands-down my favorite food. I have a lot of Irish in my heritage and I figure it’s because of that. “Po-Tay-Toes. Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew”…or on the bottom of your feet!
I heard an old wives tale years ago when my kids were babies and toddlers that putting a slice of a russet potato on the bottom of the feet while you sleep will help lower a fever, help a cough and just over-all help pull toxins out of the body. Maybe this is because potatoes are little sponges that suck things up and the bottom of the feet is where a lot of toxins can exit – I don’t know – but I gave it a try.
Whenever my kids had a cough or any kind of sickness I would slice a thin piece of potato, about an 1/8th of an inch thick, and place it directly against the bottom of their foot and secure it with a sock while they slept. I can’t say it was a cure-all but I did see it affect a cough’s intensity within an hour and improvement in the sickness when my kids woke up.
We still do this today and both my husband and I will do this if we feel the need. It’s worth a shot.
Tips: Buy organic if possible. Potatoes are a heavily pesticide-sprayed crop.
Onion Remedies
- Onions on the feet. Again, you can do the same thing as the potatoes. I feel like potatoes are easier to keep in place than a slice of an onion but I have done both methods.
- Onion Poultice – This will help pull congestion out of the lungs. You lightly sautee two onions, 1/4 cup grated ginger (optional) in some filtered water. Just lightly cooked. Drain off the water and place the warm onions and ginger in a dishtowel. Wrap it up like a burrito and fold in the ends to hold it all together. Place this on the chest. Be careful, it is hot so it may need to cool a bit first. You can also use it on the soles of the feet. Leave it in place for 20 minutes.
Cough Elixer
This comes from Shawna Holman (ALittleLessToxic on Instagram) and it is really helpful for a cough.
2 cups fresh or frozen pineapple chunks
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup raw organic honey
1/2 cup olive oil
1-inch piece fresh ginger
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
Combine all in a blender and blend well. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any fibers from the ginger. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to a week. Take sips as needed for a cough.
Adult Cough Elixer
If nothing else does the trick a hot toddy likely will. This is the only time I drink alcohol. The few times I’ve had such a bad cough that I cannot fall asleep my husband will make me this and it really does work.
You can easily do a Google search for a recipe but roughly this is what we do:
1/4 cup whisky
1 T raw honey
Juice from half a lemon
3/4 – 1 cup hot water
Cinnamon stick
Combine everything, stir well and sip.
As I like to say, food is medicine. Hope you never need these remedies but if you do I hope they help you find relief!
