As Delhi’s air quality worsens, use these home remedies to treat a cough or sore throat from smog pollution – Times Now

As Delhi’s air quality worsens, use these home remedies to treat a cough or sore throat from smog pollution&nbsp | &nbspPhoto Credit:&nbspGetty Images

Key Highlights

Smog – which is a mixture of air pollutants, including particulate matter and ozone – can cause or worsen existing heart and lung diseases

Limiting your outdoor activities when the air quality is unhealthy can help minimise health risks

Here are a few home remedies you can take to prevent or cure a sore throat or cough due to air pollution

New Delhi: Delhi’s deteriorating air quality has caused serious health concerns amongst residents, especially those with a pre-existing condition like asthma and heart disease. With no sight of relief from toxic smog which has continued to blanket Delhi and its adjoining areas since Diwali celebrations, people are experiencing various health issues – such as a congested nose, sore throat, coughing, wheezing, eye irritation, chest tightness, and other respiratory problems, etc.

Smog – which is a mixture of air pollutants, including particulate matter and ozone – can cause or worsen existing heart and lung diseases. Prolonged exposure to smog can also lead to lung cancer, and even early death. Limiting your outdoor activities when the air quality is unhealthy can help minimise health risks. Besides taking steps to reduce smog-related ailments, here are a few home remedies you can take to prevent or cure a sore throat or cough due to air pollution.

Home remedies for a sore throat or cough

Honey: Honey can help reduce mucus secretion and treat cough. It is a common household remedy for a sore throat, cough and other respiratory tract infections. One found that honey was more effective in treating nighttime coughs than common cough suppressants. Honey can be consumed on its own or added to tea.

Garlic: Garlic has many healing actions, including antibacterial properties that can help soothe a sore throat and fight off infections. have demonstrated that regularly taking a garlic supplement can help you fight off the common cold virus. Adding garlic to your daily diet is an excellent way of gaining its health-protective properties. Perhaps, your grandmother might have advised you to consume a clove of garlic to soothe a sore throat or a dry cough.

Fenugreek: Fenugreek tea is a common natural home remedy for sore throats. has shown that fenugreek can help relieve pain and destroy bacteria that cause irritation or inflammation. The herb is linked to many health benefits, including improving blood pressure and cholesterol. You can simply consume the seeds, use the topical oil or drink fenugreek tea to treat your cough.

Peppermint: Another powerful herb used to treat sore and other respiratory problems, peppermint tea is a herbal beverage that’s been enjoyed throughout the world both for its flavour and medicinal properties. It is believed that peppermint has antihistamine and antioxidant properties that can ease congestion in the respiratory tract and treat the symptoms of allergic reactions, including asthma and itchy eyes. The menthol in peppermint can help thin mucus as well as soothe sore throat and cough.

Saltwater: Your physician might have told you to gargle using warm saltwater when suffering from a cold or cough – every three hours or so. Gargling with saltwater solution can provide relief from a sore throat. It can also help eliminate excess mucus and kill bacteria in the throat. Gargle it to get rid of a sore throat and fight off the infection in the throat.