Herbs to chase away the coughing

I have now been coughing for 3 weeks, with a cold a few days before that. There are occasional coughing fits when it seems I'll never stop coughing and my eyes water so much it looks as if I have been crying! But when I go for a walk, cycle or kayak, then I only cough occasionally.

As it was still not getting better I thought I ought to have it checked out and went to my herbalist on Thursday.

She has given me some liquid to take in warm water 4 times a day before food (but I'm not to take the last one too close to bedtime). It is an expectorant and antimicrobial containing:goldenrod, mallow root, elecampane root, thyme, wild indigo and hyssop.

She also recommended putting honey on cut-up onions and leaving for 12 hours then having the honey. I am having a spoonful 2 or 3 times a day. Oniony honey is surprisingly nice!

Also herb tea. She mentioned several and fennel is the tea I had, but I've only had it once. I am not a tea drinker and find waiting for tea to cool down a faff - and sometimes forget it and only remember when it's gone cold!

Also a steam bath (bowl of hot water with a towel over my head). Just hot water would be good but she recommended some herbs to add. Lavender from my garden was the only one I had that so I gave it a go earlier. Though my nose doesn't feel blocked up (but my ears do!) I couldn't smell a thing and it doesn't seem to have had much effect.

So I'll stick to the medicine and the onion honey.

lavender & blackberries

I've just picked the lavender on the small bush in the front garden, leaving the new buds.

This year I need to refill some old lavender bags whose scent has completely gone.

Cycling this morning saw a few ripe blackberries on the bushes by the marshes - should be able to pick next weekend, and I've got out my plastic container to put in my saddlebag so I don't forget it.