11 Traditional medicine that helps relieve pneumonia

Pneumonia or pneumonia is an infectious disease that attacks the lungs and causes the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) to become inflamed and swell. Apart from being medical, you can also use herbal ingredients as traditional medicine to help relieve symptoms of pneumonia, such as coughing, shortness of breath, and fever.

What are the folk remedies for pneumonia?

Treatment of pneumonia is done to treat the infection and prevent complications due to pneumonia.

Traditional medicine cannot cure pneumonia completely. However, these herbal ingredients can help reduce the discomfort that arises from pneumonia symptoms.

Here are natural lung inflammation remedies that you can try at home.

1. Salt water

Inflammation of the lungs usually causes a cough that lasts up to 24 hours for days. You can treat pneumonia symptoms by gargling salt water.

How to make salt water is by dissolving 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water. Repeat 3 times a day.

However, according to the Mayo Clinic, children under 6 years of age are not recommended to take this natural pneumonia remedy.

2. Ginger

Ginger is widely used to relieve various symptoms of ailments, including indigestion, nausea, vomiting, coughs, colds, and breathing problems. A study published in the US National Library of Medicine, fresh ginger is effective against viruses that attack the respiratory tract.

Ginger has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties which are useful for reducing pain. These spices can be a traditional medicine for chest pain caused by inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia).

You can chew ginger directly or dissolve it in a glass of warm water 3-4 times a day.

3. Cayenne pepper

In published journals International Journal of Pharmaceutical Science Invention, cayenne pepper or red chilies can reduce chest pain due to persistent cough due to pneumonia.

You can process chilies into traditional medicine for pneumonia by:

• Combine the cayenne pepper and ground ginger, each 1/4 teaspoon
• Add honey and apple cider vinegar, each 1 tablespoon
• Stir with two tablespoons of water

You can drink it two to three times a day.

Even if you have a persistent cough, you shouldn't treat the cough as a whole. The reason is, coughing can help loosen mucus congestion and help clear the infection.

4. Honey

Honey is believed to be a drug that is no less effective than over-the-counter drugs containing dextromethorphan, or a cough suppressant. This natural ingredient mixed with tea or warm lemon water can also be one of the traditional medicines to relieve a cough that doesn't stop due to pneumonia.

You can drink honey before bed to get maximum results. Consuming one teaspoon of honey on an empty stomach can also be useful for clearing mucus and soothing the throat.

5. Peppermint leaves

Peppermint leaves are known as herbs with many properties. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine mentioned that peppermint oil is useful as anti-inflammatory, anti-pain, anti-infective, antimicrobial, antiseptic, to antispasmodic.

Peppermint oil is useful as a traditional medicine that helps relieve headaches that occur when pneumonia, aka pneumonia. Inhaling the aroma of peppermint can also relieve the bacterial, fungal, or viral infection that causes pneumonia. In addition, you can also take advantage of peppermint leaves by making a solution with warm tea.

6. Thyme

Thyme is known as a folk remedy for treating respiratory ailments. The extracted thyme leaves can help relieve coughs. The leaves contain flavonoids that can relax the throat muscles and reduce inflammation.

Here's how to make thyme tea as a folk remedy to relieve symptoms due to pneumonia:

• Prepare 2 teaspoons of crushed thyme leaves
• Dissolve thyme leaves in one cup of boiling water
• Cover the cup for 10 minutes

Thyme can open the airways and make the discomfort from a persistent cough disappear.

7. Turmeric

Turmeric can be a herbal remedy that reduces the discomfort of dry cough due to viral pneumonia. Here are some ways you can take advantage of turmeric:

A mixture of turmeric, black pepper, and cinnamon

You can make a traditional medicinal solution to treat the symptoms of pneumonia by making a mixture like the one below:

• Mix turmeric powder with black pepper, one teaspoon each
• Boil a mixture of turmeric powder and black pepper in half a cup of water
• Add one cinnamon stick and one tablespoon of honey
• Drink it daily until you feel comfortable

Herbal tea

Apart from mixing it with black pepper and cinnamon, turmeric can also be served in other mixed forms. Here's how to make it:

• Put 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder in a cup of water
• Add 1 teaspoon of carom seeds
• Boil the mixture until the water reduces to half a cup
• Add honey
• Drink this solution 2-3 times a day

Turmeric powder

You can also take advantage of turmeric in another way, namely by grinding it. Here are the options for serving powdered turmeric:

• Roast turmeric root and grind it into a fine powder
• Mix with water and honey
• Drink it twice a day

Apart from that, you can also mix half a teaspoon of turmeric in a glass of hot milk. Drink this mixture to treat the discomfort caused by coughing.

Turmeric powder can also be used as a traditional mouthwash to treat coughs caused by pneumonia. Here's how to make turmeric mouthwash:

• Prepare one cup of hot water
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• Gargle with the solution to relieve cough

Burned turmeric smoke

Inhaling turmeric burning smoke is also said to be effective in treating coughs. The way to make it is to take dry turmeric, burn it, and inhale the smoke. Other ways you can do this are:

• Place some hot red charcoal in a small pot
• Add some dried turmeric leaves on top of the charcoal
• Add 1 spoon of turmeric powder on top of the leaves
• Blow slowly to ignite the smoke
• Breathe in the smoke emitted

8. Fenugreek

Fenugreek seeds can help break down mucus. Tea made from fenugreek seeds can be a traditional remedy to relieve a persistent cough caused by pneumonia.

Fenugreek seeds have medicinal properties, such as hypercholesterolemia, lactation aid, antibacterial, gastric stimulant, and antidiabetic.

9. Tea tree

Oil tea tree which is used by inhalation can also be used as traditional medicine to relieve symptoms of pneumonia. Tea tree contains antibacterial and antifungal effects, and can strengthen the body's defense system from disease.

Aroma therapy tea tree Can be used with a mixture of lemon, gum, clary sage, eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, to ginger to treat respiratory problems.

10. Lemon

Lemon can reduce the discomfort of a persistent cough caused by pneumonia. Lemon can reduce inflammation, and contains vitamin C which can ward off infection.

Here's how to make herbal remedies to treat the symptoms of pneumonia with a mixture of lemon:

• Prepare lemon juice
• Add 1 tablespoon of honey
• Drink the syrup several times a day

Another way to take advantage of lemon is to mix it with pepper and drink it right away.

11. Shallots

Shallots are a natural remedy that can relieve simple pneumonia symptoms. Traditional cough medicine can be made from the juice of roasted onions and honey.

You can drink it daily to get rid of dry cough due to pneumonia. You can also process it by:

• Prepare 1 1/2 teaspoons of onions
• Add one teaspoon of pure honey
• Drink this mixture at least twice daily to relieve coughs and soothe the throat

Even so, make sure you have consulted with your doctor first before deciding to take various traditional medicines above for inflammation of your lungs. Also make sure you do not replace medical medicines for pneumonia from doctors with natural remedies above.

12. Caffeine

Consuming caffeine such as coffee or black tea and green tea can help open the airways in the lungs. The effect, the airway becomes more relieved.

Caffeine contains substances that are similar to bronchodilator drugs (drugs to improve breathing), namely theophylline. The effect can last for 4 hours.

Although caffeine is useful for treating pneumonia symptoms, you still have to limit consumption every day. Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, the safe limit for consuming caffeine is 400 milligrams per day.

Natural ways to help treat pneumonia in addition to drugs

Apart from taking medical or herbal medicines, the following ways can also help you relieve annoying symptoms and prevent pneumonia:

1. Inhaling warm and humid air

Breathing warm and humid air can be a natural way to treat pneumonia. This method helps the breath feel loosened and overcome the feeling of tightness.

You can do this by inhaling steam from a glass of hot water or inhaling steam from a cup of tea or a bowl of warm soup.

2. Using a handheld fan

A 2010 study found that using a handheld fan can be a natural remedy that helps reduce shortness of breath due to pneumonia.

A cold sensation on the face given for five minutes can relieve symptoms of shortness of breath.

3. Stop smoking

Quoted from the American Lung Association, you are encouraged to find ways to quit smoking if you want to recover from pneumonia. Having pneumonia can be the right reason to stop the habit.

If you don't smoke, you need to try to avoid secondhand smoke to treat shortness of breath that may occur in people with pneumonia.

4. Keeps the body hydrated

When someone has a fever, especially due to pneumonia, the easiest natural treatment is to keep the body hydrated so that the body remains filled with fluids and electrolytes. Consuming lots of fluids can help the body stay properly hydrated.

5. Compressing the forehead with warm water

To reduce fever, you can compress the forehead to help lower body temperature. Compress with warm water Compressing with warm water helps neutralize body temperature gradually.

You can start to compress by:

• Wet a washcloth or cloth in warm water.
• Squeeze the towel until the water is no longer running and place it on your forehead.
• Repeat this several times.

Natural treatment for pneumonia, either with herbal remedies (traditional) or at home methods, cannot replace the medical treatment recommended by a doctor. Research is still needed to test its safety and efficacy, especially for herbal medicine.

However, combining the two can help relieve the symptoms you feel.