5 Respiratory Health Herbs ~ to Relieve Coughs, Congestion and Help You Breathe Easier!

Helpful Herbs for Fighting Bacteria, Soothing Coughs, Clearing Congestion & Improving Your Respiratory Wellbeing!

Every year it seems the ‘cold & flu’ season is projected to be worse. Through the media and in the workforce, everyone is encouraged get vaccinated against the influenza virus and if it still hits them (we won’t go there about the efficacy of vaccinations!) the encouragement is to reach for over-the-counter medications to help get back on track and ‘soldier-on’.

Not only does this seasonal flu epidemic cause illness and discomfort for those who ‘catch what’s going around’, it has a real economic impact – estimated one year to have cost the US Economy alone, around $80 Billion!

Countless people within the Savvy Team & Friends Community have been able to greatly decrease their incidence of infections and the incidence of catching the flu, by learning how to optimise their immune system and the overall wellbeing of their body.

Now they simply rarely get sick and are even involved in our outreach programs to help others!

I guess it has to be said – since our education and solutions help countless people avoid illness . . .  we are collectively saving the health care system and economy a veritable fortune!

OK, sometimes despite our very best efforts, with all the bugs floating around we’re bound to catch something! However what we’ve found is that most people who’ve taken the steps to optimise their immune system, will almost always find the duration and severity of their infections much reduced.

Plus – it’s handy to know what natural herbs you can reach for, to help you though any of those unexpected ‘sick-days’!

Here’s 5 Respiratory Health Herbs ~ to Relieve Coughs, Congestion and Help You Breathe Easier!

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Boneset

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) has a long history of being used effectively in cases of influenza and fever and was a Native American herbal remedy that was adopted by early settlers to America. The Natural Remedies Encyclopedia points out that boneset can be used very effectively internally to treat fevers. Traditionally boneset has been used to treat fever, influenza, respiratory allergies, chills, rheumatism, bruises, broken bones, urinary tract infection and jaundice.

The herb’s common name of ‘boneset’ was derived from its ability to break intense fevers associated with influenza. These fevers were so severe that they were described as ‘going to the bone’ or as ‘bone fever’.  Only the advent of aspirin displaced boneset as the popular choice for home remedies. Boneset is still one of the best herbal remedies for the flu and fevers, and to help relieve any fever induced ‘aches and pains’.

The nutritional profile of boneset is also powerful – containing at least 23 nutrients such as: calcium, chromium, iron, magnesium, niacin, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc.

Snakeroot

Snakeroot (Polygala senega) has been cultivated for medicinal use since the middle ages and was also in use in early America as an adjunct to quinine to promote perspiration and break fevers, plus even treat snakebites!

About 1735, Dr. John Tennent, a Scottish physician living in Pennsylvania, was introduced to the use of the root by the Seneca Indians for curing rattlesnake-bite. As the symptoms were similar to those of pleurisy and the latter stages of pleuropneumonia, he experimented with it in those diseases with great success and as a result the herb was accepted in Europe and cultivated in England in 1739.

As a stimulating expectorant, Snakeroot is especially useful when one’s coughing power to eject or expel matter, from the throat or lungs is reduced. If you have a respiratory problem like bronchitis, you’re going to need to expectorate a lot. So it’s particularly useful in the second stage of acute bronchial catarrh or even more severe chest infections and pneumonia. It has been used also in croup, whooping-cough, and rheumatism.

The herb became very popular in the form of a ‘expectorants’ and was generally included in most cough syrups as well as other preparations for treating colds and coughs. However by the 1960s, the herb lost its popularity in general use. Nevertheless, contemporary herbalists still hold this herb in high esteem especially for treating bronchitis and asthma.

Horseradish

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) has been used for both medicinal and culinary purposes. Yes – you may have eaten this, as the most common culinary use for horseradish is to cut up the roots and mix them with vinegar, cream or mayonnaise to make horseradish sauce. In the past, early physicians and healers would recommend horseradish for everything from a sore throat to digestive upset.

Whether it’s fighting the flu and respiratory disorders or combating tonsillitis and urinary tract infections, horseradish whether used in a supplement or as a condiment – can help keep you healthy!

Horseradish has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments over the centuries and nearly every part of the horseradish plant seems to have some medicinal value. Tea made from its root has been used as an expectorant, while tea brewed from its flowers can be used to fight the common cold. In addition, raw leaves of horseradish also fulfill a purpose as a natural analgesic and they have been used for headache pain, by pressing the leaves against the forehead. Furthermore, Horseradish has known antibiotic properties, which have even been proven effective against pathogenic fungi.

Horseradish promotes persipiration to ‘sweat it out’, loosens both chest and sinus congestion, stimulates the nerves and soothes a sore throat. Containing good amounts of Vitamin C, Horseradish may be one of the fastest ways to clear congested sinuses and its antibiotic properties helps to heal the root causes of infection as well . . . so it’s an ideal herb as part of an all-purpose cold and cough remedy!

Mullein

Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus) has been used for centuries because of its outstanding medicinal qualities, especially with respiratory disorders.

Native Americans used the leaves of the mullein plant to ease respiratory discomfort. Mullein has shown to be effective in treating all types of respiratory issues as well as other types of conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and allergies. It is also effective in treating sore throats and coughs – as it has anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties.

Mullein’s anti-bacterial properties make it effective in treating infections . . . and here’s what one research paper reported:

“Extracts of the mullein leaf have also been shown in laboratory studies to possess anti-tumor, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and – most interestingly for the purpose of this paper – antibacterial properties.”

The authors also observed that mullein had been shown in trials to significantly improve ear pain. It rivals a popular pharmaceutical in controlling Klebsiella pneumoniae, and it is reported that many of mullein’s historical uses have proven to be true.

White horehound

White horehound (Marrubium vulgar) is one of the oldest known herbs used in cough remedies. It was one of the herbs in the medicine chests of the Egyptian Pharaohs and was an accepted medicinal plant in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia until 1989. It is still endorsed in Europe as an effective cold medicine. Horehound has long been noted for its efficacy in lung troubles and coughs and its extract can still be found in some cough drops and lozenges.

Horehound has certain antibiotic and antimicrobial properties that make it a natural wellness booster and great for the immune system. By protecting the immune system from pathogens and foreign agents, horehound can reduce the stress on your immune system and keep it prepared for more important health concerns.

It’s one of the best herbal remedies to eliminate severe mucous congestion of the respiratory passages and is a very effective remedy to rapidly loosen the impacted and accumulated phlegm in the lining of the throat, in the lungs and in the sinuses. This herb is also very effective in helping relieve much of the misery resulting from a headache induced by infection in the sinuses.

In his 1597 book on the history of plants and their uses, the respected British herbalist John Gerard recommended horehound for those with respiratory problems.

English physician Nicholas Culpeper echoed Gerard’s promotion of horehound in his 1652 book for physicians, stating, “There is a syrup made of this plant which I would recommend as an excellent help to evacuate tough phlegm and cold rheum from the lungs of aged persons, especially those who are asthmatic and short winded.”

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[Want some actionable tips for boosting immunity and beating the ‘winter bugs and blues’? Download the Special Report – ’11 SUPERFOODS & Herbs for Defending Yourself Against theWINTER Bugs & Blues!’ ]

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