Coughs are huge. They take your breath away. They steal your sleep, your partner’s and the dog’s sleep, and the last of the household goodwill by latest 3 a.m.

If you’ve ever sat upright in bed waiting for the next fit, you know exactly what I mean. In my consultations coughs come up a lot. And if I had to pick one remedy that makes me soft-hearted every time it fits, it would be Drosera.

Why the details matter

In homeopathy we don’t prescribe for a cough but your cough. Dry or loose? Barking or tickling? Worse lying down, talking, cold air, or the slightest movement? Violent fits, or a dry, painful hack that makes you hold still? The devil hides in the details. And to give you an idea, look at the image toward the bottom of the page, this is what I see when I just look under the word cough, there are hundreds of remedy options!

Drosera: my absolute favorite

I cannot tell you how many nights Drosera has saved in my household. This is the remedy I think of when the cough is spasmodic, violent and exhausting. Dry, irritating, barking, painful. Whooping cough like fits, with paroxysms so close together you can’t catch your breath. Sometimes there is choking, gagging or even throwing up, especially in small children. An irritating tickle in the throat is also common.

The last time we used Drosera, my child did not show any symptoms all day long, she seemed totally fine until the moment her head touched the pillow at night. Nonstop coughing, dry, sounded deep and painful. Only sitting up and while sipping water calmed it. Since she told me her throat was the main culprit, I gave her a wrong remedy at first, which brought her no relief. The second night though I realized the throat is not the issue but affected by the cough too, and so Drosera was given. We all slept.

Classic Drosera picture: worse after midnight, worse lying down or as soon as the head touches the pillow. Eating or drinking can set it off too. Some people press their hands on the chest and abdomen for a little relief.

That night-time, lying-down cascade is why Drosera gets my love letter. But certainly, there are plenty of other options capable of bringing magical relief, if they are the one fitting the overall picture.

Bryonia: when everything hurts and motion makes it worse

Bryonia is different. Dry, painful, hacking cough with stitching chest pains, often a headache that worsens with the cough. The slightest movement aggravates. You just want to lie there, be left alone. Deep breathing, eating, or drinking can make it worse. Wanting stillness, a running TV can be too much to bear. They may hold the painful area, lie on the painful side, or apply hard pressure there. Thirsty, often for large amounts, irritable, worried. Dryness shows up everywhere: lips, throat, stools, cough.

If Drosera is the violent night-fit, Bryonia is the “please don’t make me move” cough.

Rumex: the cold-air tickle

Rumex crispus is for the dry, incessant, exhausting cough from a tickle in the hollow at the top of the breastbone. Breathing cold air sets it off or a shift from warm to cooler air. Talking, a deep breath, or pressure on the throat pit aggravates too. Worse in the evening, especially around 11 p.m., and when lying down. Some cover the mouth to warm the air before they breathe it.

Spongia: the barking saw

Spongia tosta is the hard, barking, dry cough that sounds like a barking seal. Or a saw going through wood ringing and metallic. Tickling in the larynx. Classic for croupy pictures. Worse from a deep breath, excitement, talking, lying down, and cold drinks. Better from warm drinks and food, sometimes from bending the head forward. Can wake someone around midnight with a suffocated feeling in the throat.

Phosphorus: the talk-and-laugh cough

Phosphorus often comes with laryngitis or hoarseness and a violent tickle in the throat while speaking. The cough may be dry or loose, painful, with a tight chest that feels like a band wrapped around it. Worse from talking, laughing, eating, breathing cold air, and lying on the left side; often better lying on the right. Chilly, craving ice-cold drinks. Chest pain may ease with pressure.

Hepar sulph: chilly, touchy, and rattling

Hepar sulph is rarely the very first remedy given. By then things have often moved on or just won’t clear up: thick yellow phlegm, rattling or croupy throat cough, choking fits, hoarseness. Extremely sensitive to cold, drafts, and the slightest touch. Wants to be wrapped up, especially by the neck and head. Cough worse from cold air, cold food, wind, deep breathing, and uncovering. Sensation of a splinter in the throat is a classic clue. Irritable and chilly.

When the cough keeps coming back

An acute cough with a clear picture is one thing. A cough that recurs or lingers is another. The problem has become a chronic issue. That’s when we look at the whole person: sleep, energy, temperament, what was going on when it started and choose a remedy for you, not just this week’s cough.

Ready for sleep?

If coughs have been running the night shift in your house, I’d love to hear the whole story.

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