Making a paste of peeled and soaked almonds, sugar and butter can easily alleviate dry cough. A cup of honey mixed with quarter cup of warm water and three tablespoons of lemon juice is an effective remedy for cough. A glass of hot milk with honey at bedtime helps. A petroleum jelly rub with camphor and menthol is effective against cough. Generally, cough lasts for around 10 days. Persistent cough for more than that, calls for guidance from a physician. A wet cough is the body's technique to clear the phlegm. Spitting the phlegm out, when possible, also helps. Cough due to dust, mites, smoking are also common. The source of the cough is identified and removed. Menthol in creams help in relieving pain with camphor, by acting as an anesthetic. Camphor has a cooling action and coconut oil helps in easy application or lubrication. Over-the-counter expectorants fail to heal the underlying problem, but suppress them superficially. Eating hot foods, such as chili pepper helps in phlegm loosening. Fried foods, meat and dairy products are avoided, due to their mucus synthesizing ability.
answered by Dr C