Bronchitis is a common disease, manifested by malaise, fever and excruciating cough. It can be both dry, nosad, and with the release of a large amount of sputum from the bronchi. This condition requires treatment, as it can cause dangerous complications (pneumonia, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
For the treatment of bronchitis, a huge number of different folk remedies are known. Each of them has a different mechanism of action on the walls of inflamed bronchi. In some situations, the remedies will be useful, in some they can do even more harm, so a sick person should understand the principle of action of each of them.
The most popular folk remedies for bronchitis
Steam inhalation is widely used to treat the disease. For cooking, herbs containing essential oils are used - eucalyptus, anise, sage, pine. A tablespoon of herbs is placed in a pot of boiling water and boiled for about 1-2 minutes, after which it is infused for another 5-7 minutes. The container with the resulting broth is covered with a blanket, under which a person places his head. When removing the lid, the solution fumes go up to the nasal passages, and from there to the bronchi.
The principle of action is that essential oils have an irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the bronchi, stimulating the discharge of sputum. In addition, warm air helps to relax the respiratory muscles, relieves soreness. Therefore, this type of folk remedy for bronchitis is indicated for dry painful cough, when it is necessary to strengthen the separation of sputum.
Inhalation can be dangerous for people who are allergic to essential oils, causing bronchospasm and an asthma attack. In addition, too high a temperature of the steam can cause a burn of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, so you need to make sure that the solution is not too hot.
The second most popular folk remedies for bronchitis are decoctions of herbs with an expectorant effect. The most effective of them are marshmallow, elecampane, licorice. To prepare a drinking solution, 2 tablespoons of dried grass are poured with 1 liter of boiling water and infused for half an hour. The resulting product should be taken orally 3-4 times a day.
Decoctions of herbs do not have side effects and contraindications, so they can be taken to any person without fear. Licorice is indicated for dry cough, to facilitate the discharge of mucus from the bronchi. Marshmallow and elecampane are consumed with a wet cough in order to accelerate the healing process.
A mixture of honey and onions
Many folk remedies for bronchitis act on the body as a whole, helping it cope with the causative agent of the disease by increasing its own immunity. Such methods include ingestion of mixtures of onion or radish and honey.
To prepare this remedy, you need to take a whole onion, peel it from the husk and grate it on a fine grater. The resulting slurry is mixed with honey in approximately equal proportions. The finished mixture is taken orally at 1-2 tablespoons twice a day for a week.
The healing effect is based on volatile production - substances in large quantities contained in onions. They kill viruses, bacteria and microbes that have invaded the body and cause bronchitis. Honey in its composition has a large number of vitamins that strengthen the immune system.
This tool is not recommended for people suffering from gastritis, colitis, diarrhea or constipation. Onions have an irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines and can exacerbate the course of these diseases.
Black radish with honey
Some folk remedies for bronchitis have been known since ancient times. These include radish juice mixed with honey. For cooking, a medium-sized root crop is taken, and a section with a tail is cut off from it. Then, with a small knife or a pointed spoon, the flesh is cut from the middle. As a result, a container of root vegetables with walls of about 2-3 cm should be obtained. Honey is poured into it about two-thirds of the volume, and is closed with a cut part with a tail. Radish needs to be insisted from 8 to 12 hours, after which the juice released from its walls will mix with honey and will be ready for use.
The main effect of this remedy belongs to essential oils contained in large quantities in radish. They have a detrimental effect on the causative agents of bronchitis (viruses and bacteria), blocking their reproduction and reducing their number in the body. A huge amount of vitamins of this root crop helps the immune system to cope with the infection faster. Honey, which is part of the recipe, has a general strengthening effect on the body.
This remedy has almost no contraindications, with the exception of a food allergy to essential oils in a sick person. Adults are recommended to take 1-2 tablespoon of the finished juice for every 3-4 hours. For children up to 14-15 years old, a single dose should be reduced by half, leaving the number of daily doses the same.
Warming up ways to get rid of the disease
Many folk remedies for bronchitis are based on the need for local warming of the chest. For this, various substances are used - salt, sand, potatoes and some others. The principle of their action is based on the fact that at high temperature, the surface vessels and capillaries of the skin expand, increasing the flow of blood to the chest. It is believed that with blood to the site of inflammation of the bronchi in large numbers leukocytes - immune cells that help destroy the infection.
All types of these methods should be used with caution and in a metered amount. Firstly, prolonged warming will not only dramatically increase blood flow to the bronchi, but can also provoke the spread of the pathogen throughout the body. This often leads to a dangerous complication - sepsis (general infection of the blood). Secondly, too high a temperature of a heated substance can cause skin burns. These methods are contraindicated in the presence of pustules or blackheads on the chest, since heat in this case will lead to the spread of infection and the appearance of boils and skin abscesses in the chest area.
The following methods are used for warming:
1. Salt is the easiest and cheapest filler for a warming compress. It is necessary to take a cast-iron frying pan, put on a slow fire, pour 500 g of salt on it and, constantly stirring, carefully heat it to 50-60 degrees. It is recommended to take an unnecessary sock and pour warm salt into it. The upper part is tied, and the finished compress is alternately placed on different parts of the chest (corresponding to the bronchial tree). Keep salt for no more than 1 minute in one place. The patient must carefully monitor their health, in order to prevent overheating of the skin.
2. Instead of salt, you can use ordinary building sand. Compress is made in a similar way, while remembering that sand heats up faster and holds the temperature longer than salt.
3. As a filler, you can use ordinary potatoes. To do this, it is necessary to weld it, then knead it with a fork, wrap it in a dense fabric and apply it to the chest alternately to the left and right side.
Salt
Separately from all funds, treatment of bronchitis with sea or table salt is allocated. This method is a type of inhalation, but unlike essential oils, this active substance has a delaying effect - removes mucus and sputum from the bronchi. Therefore, this tool is indicated for getting rid of bronchitis in allergy sufferers.
5-6 tablespoons of salt are poured into boiling water with a volume of 1 liter, and the container is tightly closed with a lid. An ill person needs to inhale the solution fumes for 2-3 minutes. To achieve the best effect, it is recommended to make a water bath - cover your head and container with a blanket or blanket so that the vapors more easily penetrate the respiratory passages.
There are folk remedies for bronchitis, which are highly effective and help a sick person recover faster. However, in the treatment of this disease, it is first necessary to use the prescriptions of a doctor who prescribes expectorant, antipyretic and general strengthening drugs. Neglect of specialist advice and self-medication can worsen the course of the disease and lead to complications (pneumonia, chronic obstructive disease).
