Steam inhalation is one of the best methods of lubricating the respiratory system. You may add a few drops of lemon juice to the water you use for a steam inhalation as lemon juice is acidic in nature and helps to eliminate bacteria and other infectious microbes within your system. To help clear chest congestion, you could breathe in through your mouth instead of your nose while using the steam inhalation method. This will ensure that your throat and lungs are well cleansed. Garlic is very useful in treating a cough and so you can make an excellent phlegm cough home remedy by boiling half a glass of water and dropping two crushed garlic pods in it while the water is still hot. Keep this aside until it is cool enough to drink. Garlic has very potent antimicrobial quantities and will help to get rid of the root cause of the problem which is the infection. You could also use a small piece of fresh ginger in the same manner but make sure that you clean it well before using it. Phlegm cough home remedies like a sugar and onion tonic is easy to prepare and is quite popular with children since it is sweet. You would need to chop an onion and mix a few spoons of sugar with it and keep it aside. Sugar is a humectant which means that it can easily absorb and draw out moisture. When sugar and onion is mixed together it helps to draw out the juices within the onion and this results in a sweet tonic that is excellent for treating a cough.
answered by M W