Tea is one of the best home remedies when you feel under the weather. A piping hot cup of tea can helps soothe throat pain while giving you the fluids your body needs to fight the infection. Not only is tea effective, it’s also delicious! Looking to get your hands on the best tea for a cough?
10 Best Teas For A Cough
1. Licorice Root Tea
Licorice root tea is made from the root of the licorice plant. It’s not the same as those sweet red candies though, think more in terms of black licorice. The flavor is slightly bitter and salty with sweet undertones. Licorice root is a staple of Chinese herbal medicine and one of the best teas you can drink to tackle a cough.
2. Ginger Tea
Like licorice root, ginger has long been used in Chinese and Indian medicine as a natural remedy for a host of ailments. Ginger is an excellent nausea aid, but it can also help alleviate cough thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. The spicy nature of ginger tea helps to open up airways by decreasing inflammation in the chest and throat.
3. Thyme Tea
Thyme tea is one of the best teas for congestion and chest cough. Thyme essential oil can be diffused to open up airways or you can inhale the aromatic scent of a freshly brewed cup of thyme tea.
4. Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is king when it comes to soothing pain. When you’re suffering from the common cold, a cough is often accompanied by a sore throat. The effort of coughing can increase throat inflammation and irritation, resulting in constant pain. Drinking chamomile tea can help decrease the inflammation and lubricate the throat, thus reducing pain symptoms.
5. Honey Tea
Honey tea is simply an herbal mixture of raw honey and warm water. This tea is a natural cough suppressant and offers calming properties that help to minimize throat pain caused by coughing.
6. Hibiscus Tea
Hibiscus tea is a delightful herbal tea with tart and sweet flavor similar to cranberries. It’s made from the vibrantly colored flower petals of the hibiscus plant. Hibiscus tea is effective in treating cough and cold symptoms thanks to its high concentration of vitamin C.
7. Echinacea
Echinacea is one of the most common natural remedies for respiratory tract infections. It’s also a common ingredient in cough drops, drugstore cough syrup, and other cough remedies.
8. Green Tea
Green tea is largely praised as the healthiest tea on the market. In reality, black tea, oolong tea, white tea, and pu-erh tea share many of the same health benefits—there simply isn’t as much research on those teas yet. These teas are known as true teas and come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The difference between these teas arises during the production process where some teas are allowed to oxidize and for differing amounts of time. You don’t have to stick to green tea, sip whichever true tea you find most pleasing.
9. Marshmallow Root Tea
Marshmallow root tea offers similar health benefits as slippery elm tea because it also contains high amounts of mucilage. This tea is a great choice if you need something to help coat your throat to treat a dry cough. This tea can also help decrease pain and treat acid reflux caused by the common cold or digestive issues.
10. Peppermint Tea
Peppermint is another common ingredient in throat lozenges and cough medications. The invigorating aroma of peppermint helps to open up airways and treat respiratory infections. It can also help decrease inflammation and reduce cough. Diffuse the scent in your home or do a steam bath with peppermint tea to help open airways.