Remedy

Cough and tight chest

Dry tickle vs wet freight-train. Honey and thyme for most. Mullein tea for the dry one. Steam for both.

Blue lips, one-word sentences, a child who is sinking between ribs, or a cough after a bee sting is first aid, not mullein.

Do this

1.Honey (over age one) is the cough medicine with the most honest evidence in a kitchen.
2.Thyme honey by the teaspoon, or onion syrup overnight if that is what you have.
3.Mullein tea, double-strained, for a dry tickle. Steam at night.
4.Sit up to sleep. A dry room in January makes everyone cough — a pot of water on the stove.

Mullein cough tea and steam

Dry, tickly, or tight chest. Strain the wool twice or you will cough more, not less.

Thyme (or garlic) honey

Herb steeped in honey. Spoon for a cough, or into hot water for a sore throat.

Onion cough syrup

The old farm cough pot: sliced onion, sugar or honey, overnight. You already have the onion.

Elderberry syrup

The jar you reach for at the first scratch in the throat. Cooked, honeyed, shelf-stable enough for a cellar.