Learn how to use black raisins for cough and how this ingredient can be helpful in subsiding cough. Keep reading the article to learn more.
A cough is a rapid expulsion of air from the lungs; it may be voluntary or involuntary, accompanied by a distinctive sound. It indicates an irritant like fluids, foreign particles, mucus, microbes in the throat or airways. The irritant stimulates nerves that send a message to the brain to trigger a cough. Coughs serve a protective function as they dislodge and expel the irritant to clear the airways.
However, prolonged, vigorous, or forceful coughing can lead to sleeplessness, headaches, exhaustion, dizziness, urinary incontinence, broken ribs, or even hernias.
Coughs May Be Classified by Durations
- Acute coughs that last less than three weeks can be caused by Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI). In URTI, it affects the throat, e.g., flu, common cold, or laryngitis. Otherwise, lower Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTI) can also cause cough. LRTI infects the lower airways and the lungs, e.g., bronchitis, pneumonia.
- Chronic cough lasts longer than eight weeks. It can be due to smoking, postnasal drip, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Tuberculosis (TB), or lung cancer.
- Coughing may be accompanied by the expulsion of phlegm via the mouth.
Discharged phlegm is also known as sputum. Phlegm is a by-product of inflammation initiated by the immune system in response to an infection, allergy, or chronic illness. It is produced in the throat and lungs and contains water, antibodies, enzymes, protein, salt, dust, and cellular debris. The color of the sputum can provide a clue to the underlying disease condition.
Yellow/Greenish
Sputum may contain pus and indicate an infection, e.g., pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, bronchitis.
Brown/ Rusty
Associated with dried blood, dust, and chronic lung conditions like lung cancer, tuberculosis, or also chronic bronchitis.
White
Allergies, asthma, or viral infection. It may also indicate a failure in the medical management of a chronic underlying disease like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Charcoal/Grey/Black
Commonly seen among smokers or unmasked workers exposed to smoke/soot in coal mines or factories. A fungal infection by black yeast Exophiala dermatitidis also produces black phlegm.
Red/Pink Tinted Sputum
Blood is the likely cause; it may be due to ulcers, tumors, TB, or an abscess. Coughing up whole blood is an alarming sign like pulmonary embolism, chest trauma. Seek emergency medical help if you have red sputum.
Black Raisins for Cough
The black raisin holds a place of prestige for its manifold health benefits and regenerative abilities. It is a type of raisin that appears dark brown with seeds. It is nutrient-dense, contains the polyphenol- catechin that fights cancer cells.
Herbal medicine research has proved that black raisin is a natural cough suppressant and also a soothing agent with anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties that tackle irritants in the airways.
How to Use
- Make a paste from equal quantities of raisins, black pepper, long pepper, and dates. Eat a teaspoon of this paste daily until the cough subsides.
- Roast 5-8 black raisins and eat along with a pinch of salt and black pepper to relieve cough congestion in the chest.
- Soak a few raisins overnight and grind them to a paste the following morning. Heat it with sugar until it reaches a sauce-like consistency and eat a teaspoon before bed daily.
Other Home Remedies for Cough
- Drizzle honey on a clove of garlic and suck on it for cough relief. Honey smoothens the air passage so that the cough is easy to spit.
- Boil 200ml of milk with a small piece of ginger and drink it before bed.
- Add a teaspoon of salt to a glass of warm water and gargle as frequently as required.
- Boil a glass of milk with a teaspoon of turmeric powder and ground black pepper. Drink it before going to bed to soothe the throat.
- Mix a teaspoon of powdered black pepper, cumin, and jaggery into a mug of warm water and sip slowly.