Tackling coughs with ivy and thyme

An intro to ivy and thyme

Ivy, the evergreen climber plant and thyme the herb you sprinkle generously on a roast chicken before it hits the oven – right? Well, yes, but did you know that both ivy and thyme are also medicinal herbs – and important ones at that – they could help you to finally overcome that nasty, chesty cough!

The herbs ivy and thyme have been traditionally used for thousands of years to help with respiratory problems and troublesome coughs, but it’s only in more recent years that we’ve started to gain access to some proper, good quality research to back up their traditional use, exciting!

Tackling that cough

Coughs more often than not accompany cold and flu infections. However, the trouble is, they can often linger for up to weeks after all of your other symptoms have already given up the ghost! Then, next issue being, you’re faced with a vast number of different cough products out there to choose from – it can be confusing to say the least, so, where do you start? Well, natural remedies are always a good place to start, but what herbs should you be looking out for when it comes to that pesky cough?

Got the hacking cough?

The hacking cough that’s currently a hot topic of conversation is a specific type of dry cough, not so much the chesty, phlegmy variety we’re discussing here, so, for tackling the hacking cough instead, scoot over to our blog specifically on this topic for our top tips!

What does the research say?

A recent meta-analysis¹ (a large study combining data from a number of smaller studies which were investigating similar outcomes) assessed the results from a number of trials investigating different herbal cough remedy formulations. To be suitable for inclusion in the meta-analysis, the selected studies were required to have been conducted on humans, and the coughs had to be a symptom of an upper respiratory tract infection or common cold, without other chronic diseases being present. Data from over 1,400 patients was pulled together and analysed.

Of particular interest, were four studies that looked at preparations containing ivy and thyme, and it turns out the results were extremely promising. It was concluded that the frequency and severity of these patients’ coughs were significantly reduced. The researchers also found that these herbs, in particular, were able to support the thinning of mucous. This is often the purpose of a cough after all, to get rid of yucky mucous from your airways, so if this is thinner, then your cough will be much more productive and likely to get rid!

As an added bonus, the adverse events after the use of ivy and thyme were mild and no different to those in the placebo groups. This is often a different story when it comes to more synthetic products laden with paracetamol, caffeine or even refined sugar. So all in all, very positive results indeed!

Interestingly, the study¹ also measured the effects of Echinacea on cough symptoms. After analysing the results of the eight studies of relevance, it was concluded that there was no significant evidence to suggest that Echinacea reduced the severity or duration of a cough...

However, interestingly, other symptoms associated with upper respiratory tract infections were significantly reduced. This supports the idea that Echinacea helps the body fight the symptoms of these infections by targeting the underlying problem (be it a virus or bacteria) and by supporting the immune system itself – rather than necessarily having a distinct, physical effect at the sight of the lungs as ivy and thyme are able to do.

So, moral of the story?

Use Echinacea for fending off the root cause of the infection itself, but for specifically targeting that cough as a symptom of the infection, why not opt for the lung-friendly herbs ivy and thyme instead – our Bronchoforce might just do the trick. Use the two together and it’s likely you’ll be back to normal in no time – no more coughs, over staying their welcome, and lingering for weeks on end with any luck!

¹ Wagner L et al. Herbal Medicine for Cough: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Forsch Komplementmed 2015; 22: 359-368