Clove
This popular herb possess mucus clearing property. It is thus an effective remedy for asthma and bronchitis. A teaspoon of decoction prepared by boiling 6 cloves in 30 ml of water makes an excellent expectorant medicine. It should be taken with honey three times daily for treating this condition. Cloves are used as a table spice. They are mixed with other spices in the preparation of curry powder. They are also used to flavour the betel quid (paari).
Endive
The juice of this vegetable is a valuable food for clearing mucus. Its use has been found especially beneficial in the treatment of asthma and hay fever. For better results, this juice should be combined with the juices of celery and carrot. This will serve as an excellent medicine, provided milk and foods containing concentrated starches and sugars such as white rice, white flours, macaroni, sweets, pastries and cakes are eliminated from the diet. The powder of the dry root is a very useful expectorant in chronic bronchitis. It should be given in doses of half a teaspoon, mixed with honey, thrice daily.
Fennel
The leaves and seeds of fennel possess mucus clearing properties. They promote the removal of catarrhal matter and phlegm from the bronchial tubes. They are thus beneficial in the treatment of respiratory disorders like asthma and bronchitis. The juice of the leaves may be given for treating these diseases. Eating fennel seeds with figs is also a good medicine for cough, bronchitis and lung abscesses.
Figs (Dry)
Dry figs help clear mucus from bronchial tube and are therefore a valuable food remedy for asthma. Phlegmaticcases of cough and asthma can be treated with success by their use. It gives comfort to the patient by draining off the phlegm. Three or four dry figs should be cleaned thoroughly with warm water and soaked overnight. They should be taken first thing in the morning, along with the water in which they are soaked. This treatment may be continued for about two months.
Garlic
Garlic is an excellent mucus clearing food. It is an effective expectorant and helps remove mucus from the bronchial tube Allicin, which gives garlic its flavour, is converted in the body to a drug similar to S-carboxymethylcysteine (mucodyne), a classic European lung medication that regulates mucus flow.
Egyptians and Romans in ancient times and Arabs and Persians in medieval times, all used garlic to treat asthma. Even conventional physicians in Germany and United States used it as a remedy for asthma in the first half of the twentieth century. The biochemical mechanism involved may be that garlic affects substances called prostaglandins in the body. To derive this benefit, garlic must be heated or cooked. An effective method to take garlic in asthma is to boil three cloves in 30 ml. of milk and take once daily. Steaming ginger tea with minced garlic cloves in it can also help keep the problem under control and should be taken both in the morning and evening.
For a catarrh, garlic works wonder. Raw garlic will clear even the most intolerant choking mucus within a few hours only. It appears to do this by drying up the secretions and by killing the infections that are causing the mucus.
Ginger
Ginger is an expectorant food It helps deal phlegm from the bronchial tube and is thus valuable in asthma, bronchitis and tuberculosis of the lungs. A teaspoon of fresh ginger juice, mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey to taste, is an excellent medicine in treatment of these conditions. The decoction of fenugreek is prepared by mixing one tablespoon of fenugreek seeds in a cupful of water. This mixture of ginger juice and fenugreek decoction should be taken both in the morning and evening. A specific remedy for treating bronchitis is a mixture of half a teaspoon each of the powder of ginger, pepper and cloves. This mixture should be taken thrice daily. It may be licked with honey or taken as an infusion.
Holy Basil
The leaves of holy basil possess expectorant properties. They help remove catarrhal matter and phlegm from the bronchial tubes. They are thus useful in respiratory system disorders. Their decoction, with honey and ginger is an effective remedy for bronchitis, asthma, influenza, cough and cold. A decoction of the leaves, cloves and common salt also gives immediate relief in case of influenza. They should be boiled in half a litre of water till only half the water is left.