Posted on by
On This Page

Herbal ingredients in cough liquids

Coughing can be an annoying symptom to deal with. But you should know that coughing is a natural response to help protect your airways. This uncontrollable cough reflex is triggered when nerves in your airways are stimulated. But while that bit of knowledge doesn’t help you feel better, this bit might: DURO-TUSS has you covered with two formulas of herbal cough liquids to help relieve your cough naturally.

Whether you’re dealing with a chesty cough or a dry cough, it’s good to know that there are over-the-counter products that can help. Let’s take a look at what herbal ingredients you’ll find in these different cough liquids – and how they can help relieve your cough.

Chesty cough

You know that deep, hacking cough when you feel like you’ll cough up a lung? The kind that comes with a heavy, congested feeling in your chest and sometimes even produces some nasty gunk? That’s a chesty cough – this type of cough is your body’s way of trying to clear out phlegm from your lower airways. A chesty cough develops when your body produces more phlegm than normal – the cough is your body trying to clear out the phlegm from your airways.

Cough liquids that help relieve chesty coughs usually contain an expectorant, like Ivy Leaf, to help loosen and thin phlegm (like we mentioned earlier).

Ivy leaf

Ivy leaf (Hedera helix) extract comes from ivy leaves – ivy is a vine that comes from Europe and Asia and its extracts are often used in herbal medicines. Ivy leaf extract contains saponins. These saponins act as an expectorant, meaning it can help loosen and thin phlegm – making it easier for you to cough up and expel the phlegm from your airways.

DURO-TUSS Herbal Chesty Cough Liquid

  • What’s inside contains Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) to help loosen and expel phlegm to clear chest congestion and relieve chesty coughs
  • How does ivy leaf help: makes the phlegm thinner and less sticky to promote removal of phlegm from the airways
  • What’s not inside: free from alcohol, sugar, and colouring
  • What else you need to know: available in Cherry flavour; non-drowsy
  • Dosing: for adults and children over 12 years, 5 mL 3 times a day; for children 6 to 12 years, 5 mL 2 times a day; for children 2-5 years, 2.5 mL 2 times a day

Dry cough

A dry cough – you know, that one where you have a scratchy feeling and tickle in your throat that you just can’t seem to get rid of – is named ‘dry’ because it generally doesn’t produce phlegm. When a cough does produce phlegm, it’s called a wet or productive chesty cough because phlegm is, well, wet. For a dry cough, using a cough liquid containing a demulcent may help. Demulcents are products that form a protective layer over your throat to help provide relief from a dry cough.

Marshmallow root

Marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) is a type of herb that comes from Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. It’s been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years to relieve a range of gut and skin problems. Importantly, marshmallow root is known for its cough-relieving properties, which is due to a gummy, sap-like substance it contains called mucilage. It is believed that the mucilage found in marshmallow root provides a soothing effect by coating the throat and helping to protect it from irritation, in addition to providing an antitussive effect (cough suppression).

DURO-TUSS Herbal Dry Cough Liquid

  • What’s inside: contains marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis), traditionally used in Western herbal medicine to soothe an irritated throat and associated dry cough
  • How does marshmallow root help: form a protective layer to soothe irritation and inflammation of the throat and mouth and relieve dry irritating cough
  • What’s not inside: free from alcohol and colouring
  • What else you need to know: available in Mint flavour; non-drowsy
  • Dosing: for adults and children 12 years and over, 15 mL 3 to 4 times a day; for children 3 to 11 years old,  10 mL 3 times a day

Knowing you can get relief from your cough symptoms can make all the difference when you want to feel better again.  Whatever type of cough is getting in your way, look no further than DURO-TUSS herbal cough liquids to help relieve that cough naturally and get you back to feeling your best!

Always read the product label and follow the directions for use. Individual response varies. Should symptoms persist, please consult your healthcare professional.

When to see a doctor

If you’ve had a cold, your cough should clear up on its own in a few weeks. It is important to see your doctor if you have any concerns about your cough or any other symptoms, or if:

  • Your cough gets worse or lasts longer than 10 days to 3 weeks
  • You have a fever, difficulty breathing, or chest pains
  • You cough up blood, or green or yellow phlegm
  • Your coughing causes vomiting