12 best and effective home remedies for chest congestion

By Cindy Smith from Olwomen

Chest congestion is a very common problem and every one of us, once in a while, has been affected by this. People say that this problem emerges when excessive mucus is build up in the respiratory system. During chest congestion, your chest started feeling tightness and pressure on it. Respiratory system is mostly infected in this condition which leads to difficulty in breathing, in worst cases. Even in its simple form chest congestion is uncomfortable and causes lots of pain to chest. Normally chest congestion is caused by cold, allergies by bacteria and fungus, flu, asthma, bronchitis and heart problems. Since chest congestion is not a very comfortable situation for everyone it is recommended to take all the necessary measures before it gets worse. It is time to see a doctor or take some home remedies if you see some of the following symptoms of chest congestion in you.

Difficulty breathing
Heavy Coughing
Chest pain
Throat pain
Dizziness
People mostly use heavy dose of medicines to fight this problem. These medicines may relief you timely but associated with them different side effects. However some old house and simple methods are also present in your kitchen to fight this problem. These methods are also cheap and guarantees relief in chest congestion. Take a look at some of these home remedies and get relief in the symptoms of chest congestion.

“Take chest congestion seriously and fight it with help of some simple home remedies from nature.”

12. Salt Water
Salt-Water
One of the old and commonly used remedy for chest congestion is gargling with salt water. This effective method helps remove the mucus from your respiratory tube and improves your breathing. This method also helps reduce the itching and swelling in the throat and makes you feel relaxed.

Boil some water in a pot.
Add 1 tablespoon salt in it.
Stir it and then take little amount of water in your mouth.
Gargle for 1 minute but don’t let the water pass your throat.
Repeat the process twice a day for a relaxed effect.
11. Steam
Steam
Whenever I gets cold or have some chest problem my grandmother suggests me to inhale steam. Inhaling steam is a quick but very effective way to get relief from chest congestion and its symptoms. As I have mentioned earlier that the most common cause of chest congestion is cold so steam helps make you warm and relief you by liquefying mucus and its removal from body.

Bowl some water in a pot and add few drops of eucalyptus oil or peppermint oil, depends upon your choice.
Bend a little on this pot and put a towel on your head to cover yourself.
Inhale the vapors for 5 minutes and try to breathe deeply during this process.
Repeat the same process twice a day until you feel completely healthy.

10. Ginger
Ginger
Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties to help in chest congestion. Ginger reduces the inflammation in the respiratory tube and kills the bacteria and other germs that bases chest infections. Ginger also helps release the mucus and soothes the chest. In chest congestion you must not take ginger raw or in hard form but ginger juice or most probably ginger tea helps achieve these healthy results. To make ginger tea you must follow the procedure listed below:

Add some water in a pot.
Add some pieces of chopped ginger in it and let it boil for some time.
Once water absorbs all the properties of ginger and water turned into golden brown in color strain it and pours in a cup to drink.
Drink at least 3-4 cups of ginger tea daily to get relief.
You can also add honey in the tea for sweetness.

9. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple-Cider-Vinegar
The sour in taste apple cider vinegar is also an effective home remedy for chest congestion. Its anti-bacterial properties kill the bacteria in the respiratory tube. It also helps release the mucus which blocks the respiratory tube and disturbs the breathing. So if you want to get rid of chest congestion and wants to breathe better in cold, apple cider vinegar is your natural medicine.

Dilute apple cider vinegar with warm water before drinking.
Drink apple cider vinegar twice a day for better results but don’t over drink it as over drinking can disturb your stomach.
You can also mix honey and apple cider vinegar for better results and taste.

8. Onion
onion
The presence of sulfur and quercetin in onion prevents building of extra mucus and reliefs your chest from congestion and pain. This makes onion another effective remedy for chest congestion. Onion, in chest, also helps prevent different infections because of its anti-bacterial property.

Grind an onion and make its paste.
Press this paste hard to extract onion juice out of it.
Mix this juice with a little water and stir it.
You can add honey or lemon juice for better taste.
Drink this juice thrice a day and your will feel better within days.
You can also eat raw onion or bake it for better mucus flow.

“By following these simple tips and techniques you can get rid of chest congestion and enjoy health with its full zest because if not treated timely chest congestion can have worst effects on our health.”

7. Turmeric
Turmeric
Turmeric is most used spice in our homes and it is also considered as the king of all spices because of its many health benefits. Turmeric is a natural antioxidant and contains anti-inflammatory properties to help with different problems. Chest congestion is also one of those problems which can be treated with help of turmeric.

Add 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder in hot water or milk.
Stir it well and then drink it to get health benefits from turmeric.
You can also add turmeric powder in tea with honey to get relief from chest congestion.

6. Honey
Honey
Honey has the solution to all your health problems which also includes chest congestion. Honey has sweetest taste and is very popular as cough medicine. Honey makes the mucus thin and helps it release from the body. It also helps reduce the chest stiffness and cough within some time. Honey is also an effective antibacterial food which helps against infections in chest. You can add honey to everything you eat to get all these health benefits.

At mornings, mix honey in warm water and drink it.
You can also take honey raw with spoon or you can add honey to tea and different juices to drink it.
Avoid giving raw honey to children with age less than one year.

5. Lemon
Lemon
Another food that can help get rid of the chest congestion is lemon. Lemon is considered as best remedy in this state because it helps prevent the mucus thickening in respiratory system and kills the bacteria. Lemon is also rich in vitamin C which improves the immune system of body. If you are suffering from chest congestion, you can use lemon as follows:

Squeeze a lemon to get its juice.
Add lemon juice in warm water and then drink it.
You can also add honey to it.
For good results, drink this juice several times a day.

4. Parsley
Parsley
Nature has answer to all your health problems including chest congestion for which it has parsley. This herb helps the chest against cold and makes the mucus thin so that it can easily exits from the system. You can use it as a pain killer also because of its relieving properties for chest congestion.

Add parsley to different dishes to eat.
Add parsley to your daily drinks to help against chest congestion.

3. Black Coffee
Black-Coffee
Chest congestion causes difficulty in breathing and black coffee is one of the good remedy for this problem. Drink black coffee to overcome the breathing problem and get relief in chest congestion and its symptoms. But black coffee also contains high amount of caffeine which can increase your blood pressure so you must avoid excessive intake of black coffee per day.

“To avoid severe health conditions in chest congestion follow some of these home remedies and enjoy health.”

2. Garlic
Garlic
Spicy food with containment of garlic and chili can help against chest congestion by acting as decongestant. So the next remedy in the list is garlic which has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to help in chest congestion. Garlic fights against the bacterium that causes congestion so it proves to be a shield against chest congestion at first place.

You can chew raw garlic cloves to feel better.
You can also add crushed garlic cloves to the boiled water to make a tea. Add honey to this tea and then drink it twice a day to fight against congestion.
Crushed garlic with lemon juice in hot water is also effective in chest congestion.

1. Licorice
Licorice
Licorice is also an effective medicine which can help against chest congestion. You must consume it and it will reduce the irritation in throat. If you are a patient of high blood pressure, I would suggest you to avoid this remedy. You can make licorice tea as follows:

Add a licorice root to water while it is being boiled.
After 5 minutes strain the water and put it in a pot.
For taste you must add honey to it.
Now, drink this tea twice a day for a soothed throat.
Chicken soup is also effective when it comes to chest congestion because it makes you warm and reliefs from chest pain. If after using these home remedies the symptoms of chest congestion remain present you must know that now is the time to consult a specialist. But I am sure this will not be the case for most of you reading because these natural substances have some magical effects on the health of a person suffering from chest congestion. While adopting some of the home remedies remember some Do’s and Don’ts to avoid harsh circumstances. Following are some Do’s of Don’ts for your consideration that will help you understand the best and worst practices to fight chest congestion.

Do’s:
Increase the take of fluid in your daily routine.
Eat healthy food and add spice to your food.
Steam things up and keep yourself warm.
Get sufficient sleep and rest in chest congestion.
Wash your hands frequently to avoid spread of this disease.

Don’ts:
Avoid food that creates problem like dairy products, sugar and fried food.
Avoid smoking and alcohol.

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