There are many remedies to treat bothersome cough. A number of different formulations typically used by people to treat cough include mucolytics such as carbocisteine and suppressants such as dextromethorphan and lagundi.
It is recommended to take the proper medicines to ensure a timely recovery from cough. To further understand the different options, let’s take a look at the popular remedies.
KNOWN REMEDIES
First are home remedies like drinking plenty of water, gargling with warm saltwater, taking honey, and inhaling steam (suob). These may provide temporary relief for some of the discomforts that come with cough, though may not directly address the source of it.
Traditionally, saltwater is gargled to help soothe the throat. Honey, moreover, is known to provide relief from sore throat . While steam inhalation is generally known to help loosen mucus and can reduce congestion , making it easier to sleep.
Second are herbal remedies. Herbals are another known option, with one of the most popular being lagundi (Vitex negundo). Lagundi is commonly found in the Philippines, from Batad all the way to Ilocos. Traditionally, people would boil lagundi leaves and drink it to treat cough, fever, and other respiratory diseases. There are scientific studies that have found the plants’ components to have some medicinal properties, warranting the lagundi an herbal drug registration . Hence, lagundi capsules and syrups are available with a range of P8 to P253 from over-the-counter products.
Now that we know the different traditional remedies for cough, let’s learn more about the possible causes of cough, and what else we can take to treat it.
Often, cough can be caused by infections which lead to phlegm or productive cough. More appropriate for these types of cough are mucolytic medicines like carbocisteine, because it helps in thinning out the phlegm, making it easier to cough out.
It is advisable that cough, which can be caused by viruses, be treated in a timely manner because it could worsen and trigger complications like pneumonia, in COVID-19 patients. Compared to other viruses, SARS-CoV-2 virus has been more potentially life-threatening so we should be more careful with respiratory infections. Hence, it is important to consult a doctor and consider medicine right away to prevent it from getting worse.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT ZINC AND CARBOCISTEINE
A way to get rid of cough with phlegm is to combine a mucolytic, like carbocisteine, with zinc. Zinc is known to shorten the illness in two to three days, making relief from cough faster.
When you have infections like a cough, your zinc levels go down. In order recover faster from cough with phlegm, you need to increase these zinc levels. This is because zinc boosts your immunity to fight the harmful viruses that are usually the root cause of your cough with phlegm. A scientific study has shown that the combination of carbocisteine and zinc has been proven to act on cough by boosting the body’s ability to powerfully fight off viral infections . In addition, multiple studies show that zinc significantly decreases the cough duration!
HOW FAST CAN YOU FEEL BETTER?
Carbocisteine and zinc, when combined and taken 3x a day, showed significant improvement from cough with phlegm, within 3 days, and on the 5th day, there was complete relief from this.
With carbocisteine + zinc, recovery from cough with phlegm is faster, versus when left untreated. One of the latest innovations of Unilab has this formulation: Carbocisteine + Zinc (Solmux Advance).
CARBOCISTEINE + ZINC (SOLMUX ADVANCE) – SUBOK NA!
Read what people have been saying on Carbocisteine + Zinc (Solmux Advance):
It is widely available in all leading drugstores, and even in these online shops below. If you haven’t tried the latest Carbocisteine + Zinc (Solmux Advance), try it out now:
ASC Ref No. U139P052422SS
If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
To know more about the article above, you may read the following sources below:
1. https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/1/e003176
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/best-natural-cough-remedies#salt-gargle
3. https://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/programs-and-services/create-article/6560-lagundi-anti-cough-and-anti-asthma-medicine
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7365891/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16510461/
6. Source: Dy-Agra, G. (2020) Observational Study and Safety of Carbocisteine 500mg + Zinc 5mg (Solmux Advance) in URTI Non-Bacterial Origin.
7. Dela Cruz, et al. (2018). In vitro determination of enhancement in phagocytosis of bacterial respiratory pathogens on Solmux Advance, Solmux, and Zinc
