Evidence supporting the use of: Alcohol
For the health condition: Cough (dry)

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Synopsis

Source of validity: Traditional
Rating (out of 5): 1

Alcohol has been traditionally used in cough remedies, particularly in homemade or over-the-counter cough syrups. Historically, alcohol was believed to have soothing, sedative, and mild anesthetic effects, which could help ease the irritation of a dry cough and promote sleep. Before modern regulations and the development of more effective cough-specific agents, alcohol was a common ingredient in patent medicines and syrups for this reason. However, scientific validation for the efficacy of alcohol in treating dry cough is minimal. Most modern medical guidelines do not recommend alcohol for cough suppression due to its potential for abuse, side effects, and the availability of safer, more effective alternatives such as dextromethorphan or codeine (in prescription settings). If any benefit exists, it is likely related to the sedative and numbing properties of alcohol rather than a direct antitussive (cough-suppressing) effect. Current cough syrups generally contain little or no alcohol, reflecting a shift away from its use based on lack of strong evidence and safety concerns. In summary, while tradition underlies alcohol's historical use for dry cough, scientific support is weak, and its use is now largely discouraged.

More about Alcohol
More about Cough (dry)

Other ingredients used for Cough (dry)

Acacia
Aconite
Adenophora
Aerva lanata
Agastache
Alcohol
Allium tuberosum
Aloe vera
alpha-pinene
alpinia galangal
ambergris
Anamarrhena
anise
apple
asafoetida
Asam gelugor
Asarum heterotropoides
Asarum sieboldii
atractylodes
atractylone
Baccharoides anthelmintica
bael
balloon flower
banana
Bassia scoparia
bayleaf
bee products
Belamcanda
benegut perilla (proprietary)
Bergenia
bermuda grass
beta-pinene
black currant
black pepper
black salt
black seed
boneset
Bryonia
Buddha\'s hand
burning bush
butternut
cactus
calamus
capsaicin
cat's claw
Chaenomeles lagenaria
Chinese salvia root
cineole
cinnamaldehyde
cinnamon
Cistus
citron
Citrus
Clerodendrum indicum
clove
cowage seed
cowslip
cubeb
Dichrostachys glomerata
diterpenes
dodder
dragonhead
Echinacea
Elder
elderberry
elecampane
ephedrine
fernbush
flavoglycosides
fringed pink
fritillaria
fritillary
fruit
Fumaria parviflora
Gallesia
garlic bulb
ginger
Glehnia littoralis
glehnia root
Glycyrrhetinic acid
Greek mountain tea
green tea
Guava
gum
heartwood
Hedychium spicatum
Hempnettle
honey
honey loquat syrup
hyssop
Ilex
Indian bael
Indian frankincense
Indian tinospora
inula racemosa
Japanese kadsura
Javanese Long Pepper
jujube
Khella
Lactucarium
Large-leaved linden
lemon
licorice root
Ligusticum
Lilium polyphyllum
linden
Lindera
long pepper
loquat
Loranthus
luffa
lungwort
mace
Maidenhair Fern
malabar nut
Marshmallow
Melia
Mentha haplocalyx
Menthol oil
Mucilage
Mullein
Nettle
Nigella seed
Nutmeg
onion
Ophiopogon
ophiopogon root
oregano
Osha
Osmanthus
Palmyra
Paris polyphylla
parsley
pear
Pelargonium
Pepper
Phellodendron
phellodendron amurense
Pimpinella
Piper chaba
pistacia integerrima gall
Platycodon
platycodon root
plum fruit
Polygala
polygala root
polymorpha
pomegranate
poppy
prepared aconite tuber
radish
ravinsara
Rhododendron
Sabadilla
sarsaparilla
Sedanenolide
Sete sangrias
Shogaol
Solanaceae
Stemona
Stephania root
Sundew
sweet flag
Tamarind
Tea
Terpenoids
Theobromine
thyme
Thymol
Thymoquinone
Tonka Bean
Tragacanth
turmeric
Vasicine
Vasicinol
Vasicinone
vitamin C
Vladimiria souliei
Waterhyssop
Wax Gourd
Yerba santa
Zedoary
zhejiang fritillary
Zinc
Zingerone

Products containing Alcohol

We currently have no products on Vitabase that contain this ingredient.