In case of severe cough, the patient should take only orange juice and water till the severity is reduced. The procedure is to take the juice of an orange diluted in warm water every two hours during the day. The warm water enema should be used daily to cleanse the bowels. After the juice diet, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for further two or three days.
In case of mild cough, the patient can begin with an all fruit diet for five days or so, taking three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apple, pear, grapes, grape-fruit, orange, pineapple, peaches and melon. For drinks, unsweetened lemon water or cold or hot plain water may be taken. After the all fruit diet, the patient should follow a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on whole grain cereals, raw or lightly-cooked vegetables and fresh fruits.
The patient should drink hot water freely. This will make the secretion thinner and less viscid, thereby loosing the cough. The quantity of water should be considerable so as to cause a feeling of warmth and perspiration. When the skin becomes moist by sweating, the mucous membrane also pours out watery secretion giving much relief.
The patient should avoid meats, sugar, tea, coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods. He or she should also avoid soft drinks, candies, ice-cream and all products made from sugar and white flour.
Several food remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of cough. One of the most effective of these is the use of grapes. They tone up the lungs and act as an expectorant. Simple cold and cough are relieved through its use in a couple of days. A combination of honey with grape juice is a specific for cough.
Almonds (badam) are useful in dry coughs. They should be soaked in water for about an hour or so and the brown skin removed. They should then be ground will to form a fine paste and 20 grams each of butter and sugar added to it. This paste should be given in the morning and evening.
Onion (piyaz) is valuable in cough. This vegetable should be chopped fine and juice extracted from it. This juice, mixed with honey and kept for four or five hours, will make an excellent cough syrup.
It is also useful in removing phelgm. A medium size onion should be crushed, the juice of one lemon should be added to it and then one cup of boiling water should be poured on it. Some honey should be added to taste and it should be taken two or three times a day.
The root of turmeric (haldi) plant is useful in dry cough. The root should be roasted and powdered This powder should be taken in three grams doses twice daily in the morning and evening.
A sauce made from raisins (munaqqa) is valuable in cough. This sauce is prepared by grinding 100 grams of raisins with water. About 100 grams of sugar should be mixed with it and the mixture should be heated and preserved when the bulk has turned saucy. This sauce should be taken in 20 grams dose at bed time daily.
Aniseed (vilaiti saunf) is also useful in hard dry cough with difficult expectoration. It breaks up mucus. A tea made from this spice should be taken regularly for treating this condition.
Other Measures
Other useful measures in the treatment of cough are hot fomentations to the chest and throat and application of frequent chest packs. If the cough is checked while the secretion is abundant, the patient should be made to sit in the tub with a small amount of hot water, and cold water should be poured over his head, spine and chest to induce cough.
This should be followed by vigorous rubbing. The patient should be dried thoroughly and then wrapped in dry blankets in the bed.