Homeopathy for Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

Homeopathic remedies will help a child with whooping cough symptoms and shorten the duration of symptoms significantly.
Contact us to learn more!

Note: Whooping cough is serious, especially in young children.

We urge you to consult with a professional homeopath for guidance and correct remedy and dosing.

Read Whooping Cough Recovery Story In 6 Week Old Infant With Homeopathy!
Read the Vitamin C Protocol for Whooping Cough (PDF, 30 page document)
Read About Homeoprophylaxis
Cell Salts for Whooping Cough

Whooping cough is also known as Pertussis.  It is an infection of the respiratory system caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis (or B. pertussis). It's characterized by severe coughing spells that end in a "whooping" sound when the person breathes in. There is not always this sound at the end, so this can be confusing to parents when trying to treat at home with homeopathic remedies.

Symptoms of Whooping Cough

• Whooping cough begins with a cold and a mild cough.

• Coughing bouts will then usually start and the coughing continues until no air is left in the lungs.

• Then a deep intake of breath produces a heaving 'whooping' sound when the air passes the larynx (windpipe). This is why the disease has this name.

• The child eventually coughs up some phlegm and these attacks may be followed by vomiting.
• In children, their temperature is likely to remain normal.
• Whooping cough can be very distressing for both the child and the parents.
• If untreated, coughing attacks may occur up to 40 times a day and the cough can last for up to eight weeks.

Homeopathic Remedies for Whooping Cough

• Aconite
  Best at the beginning of the disease when the cough is dry and whistling, accompanied by fever; the person complains of a burning pain in the larynx, and sometimes points to it with the finger. The child may have been exposed to cold, dry winds right before getting ill.

• Antimonium tartaricum 
  The child is worse when excited or angry, or when eating; the cough culminates in vomiting of mucus and food. There is much rattling of mucus in the chest, but the expectoration is slight. Cough will be worse 10 pm until midnight and after eating and lying down. The cough will be in paroxysms and the person will be breathless and exhausted afterwards. The effort to expel the mucus may result in vomiting. The key indicator for this medicine is that the chest is rattling with mucus, but hardly any comes up.  The child is demanding and will be irritable and cross, and will cry when approached.  The tongue will be white and weakness will be present. If diarrhea is present with great debility and depression of vital forces, or if the child vomits its supper shortly after midnight. It also has marked aggravation form warm drinks.

• Arnica
  Crying before coughing because recollection or previous soreness and pain in present.

• Belladonna
  In sudden violent paroxysms of whooping cough, without any expectoration, and the symptoms of cerebral congestion, Belladonna will be found useful. Epistaxis (bloody nose) may accompany and the person is worse at night. Used mostly in the beginning of the disease or later, if there is fever.  In the beginning of the disease it use will shorten and modify the disease. The attacks terminate by sneezing. The cough is excited by a tickling in the throat, as if from down. Retching and vomiting and pain in the stomach are prominent symptoms. When Belladonna is the remedy the congestive symptoms will be present and active, the onset sudden; the child grasps at the throat and clings to its mother, and is frightened.

• Carbo Vegetabilis
  Early stage of whooping cough. Cough triggered by itching in larynx. Racking cough. Spasmodic cough with bluish face. Gagging, retching and vomiting of mucous with cough. Burning in the chest with cough. Worse for: warmth. Better for: cool air; being fanned. Cold sweat with cough. Vomiting of watery fluid. Lump of phlegm after each attack. Wheezing when breathing. Hoarseness. Wants to be fanned.

• Cina
  This is an remedy in whooping cough that has the same rigidity as Ipecac, where the child stiffness out and there is a clucking sound in the esophagus when the little one comes out of the paroxysm. Grinding of the teeth during sleep will further indicate Cina. It is indicated by symptoms of worms and in children who are predisposed to them.

• Corallium rubrum 
  For severe cases of whooping cough. Before the cough there is a smothering sensation. The child gasps and becomes black in the face.  It is a remedy for that short, quick, ringing cough known as the "minute gun" cough. The smothering shows itself in the form of gasping, crowing inspirations. After each attack of cough the child sinks back exhausted. Constriction of the chest before the attacks.

• Coccus cacti 
  This remedy is for paroxysms of cough with vomiting of clear, ropy mucus, extending in thick, long strings even to the floor. This is sometimes seen in children who cough and cough with this tenacious mucus stringing from mouth and nose, waving to and fro until it finally gives way. The paroxysms come on in the morning, and accompanying them there is often vomiting of a clear, ropy mucus. A useful remedy for the protracted bronchial catarrhs remaining after whooping cough. The excessive secretion of mucus is marked and causes the child to strangle. The choking is characteristic, and so is the strangling.

• Cuprum metallicum
  For whooping cough accompanied with convulsions, or when the paroxysms are long and interrupted. Spasms of the flexor muscles predominate. The cough is very violent and threatens suffocation. This remedy will come after Drosera and do good work. Coughs has tough, gelatinous mucus, there is much rattling in the chest, and the face and lips are bluish. There is relief from a swallow of cold water.  Cuprum is good in cases accompanied with spasms, clenched hands, etc. Violent and long-lasting paroxysms of cough that exhaust the person. Rattling, choking cough. Spasms of muscles and cramps with the cough. Convulsive expectoration of tough, gelatinous mucous during the paroxysm. Rattling of mucous in the chest between attacks. Worse for: being touched; hot weather. Better for: cold drinks. Cough when any part of the body is uncovered. Cough has a gurgling sound. Becomes rigid during the attack and turns purple-black in face as if dead (cf. Corr-r). Convulsions with the cough. Clenched thumbs during the cough. Vomiting after the paroxysm. Bluish face and lips. Anxiety before the attacks. Irritable. Worse for: breathing cold air.

• Drosera
  The remedy is for cases with a barking cough in frequent paroxysms that impede catching the breath. Worse in the evening. Efforts to raise the phlegm end in retching and vomiting. The attacks are especially worse after midnight; the child holds its epigastrium while coughing. The child cries a great deal. Drosera acts better in pure, uncomplicated whooping cough. Drosera is the one.

• Hepar Sulphur
  The person is worse in the evening until 12 am and worse from cold, dry air. Irritable, chilly and want warm wraps because they have no endurance in cold.  They may have the covers drawn round them in bed and do not want them moved. They are oversensitive to everything: touch, noise, pain and will get angry as a result.

• Ipecac
  Convulsive cough, where the child stiffness out and becomes blue or pale and loses its breath. Great nausea and relief from vomiting are prominent symptoms for Ipecac. A "gagging cough" is a good indication for the remedy. The discharge of mucus is copious and tenacious, and the person is very weak after the attacks. Violent shattering coughs following each other in quick succession, not permitting recovery of breath, indicate Ipecac. he child is limp and weak, and there is free perspiration.

• Kali bichromicum
  This is a remedy cases where there is a hoarse cough. Child breathes superficially and rapidly to prevent attacks of coughing. It is a coarser cough than that of Hepar. Cough is worse from eating and on inspiring deeply. Thick mucus in the nose, throat and frontal sinus. Expectoration is yellow, tough and stringy, differing from that of Coccus cacti in being yellow.

• Kali Sulphuricum
  Later stages if whooping cough. Cough with retching but no vomiting. Mucous rattles in chest. Yellow, slimy expectoration or profuse watery expectoration. Deep-yellow expectoration. Tongue coated with yellow. Weeping with the cough. Feels hot and sweaty. Easily angered and irritable. Fair complexion and tendency to obesity. Worse for: evening; becoming warm; warm room or air. Better for: cool, open air.

• Ledum
  The cough has a spasmodic racking cough, and should be thought of in connection with this affection.

• Magnesia phosphorica
  The remedy is used for whooping cough which begins as does common cold. The attacks are convulsive and nervous, ending in a whoop. The indications may be stated as cough in severe paroxysms, with blue or swollen and livid face, with a severe whoop.

• Mephitis
  This remedy is useful in a cough with a well marked laryngeal spasm, a whoop. Cough is worse at night on lying down, there is a suffocated feeling, and the child cannot exhale.  The catarrhal symptoms  are slight, but the whoop is prominent. The smothering comes on with cough, while with Corallium rubrum it comes on before the cough, and is followed by great exhaustion. There is not much expectoration with Mephitis. There are many spasmodic symptoms with this remedy, such as cramping of the legs at night.

• Naphthalin "is used when the cough is very dry and catarrhal symptoms not pronounced, the paroxysms of extreme length and the constriction of the chest are present. It is a remedy that is especially suitable to whooping cough in adults.

• Pertussinum
  This is the nosode of whooping cough. A spasmodic hacking, deep-sounding, croupy cough with coryza and difficulty in getting the breath are the indications.

• Phosphorus
  Dry, hacking, exhausting cough. Tightness of chest with racking cough. Trembling of body with cough. Hoarseness and almost total loss of voice. Cough triggered by strong odors. Worse for: lying on left side; cold air; talking. Useful in the end stages of whooping cough. Cough from tickling in throat or chest. Must sit up when coughing. Unable to talk from pain in larynx. Expectoration of transparent mucous on rising in the morning. During the day, expectoration of tough, whitish mucous. Expectoration of rust-colored, purulent or bright, red, frothy, bloody mucus. Deep sleep by day but restlessness with clammy sweat at night. Worse for: reading aloud; laughing; going into a warm room from the cold; lying on back.

• Sanguinaria
  Spasmodic cough. Useful when there is hoarseness, rawness in the throat and larynx, and headache. Cough that remains after whooping cough infection. cough that returns with every cold. Flushing of the face. Cough with chest pain, worse on the right side. Dry cough, waking from sleep and not eased until the person sits up and passes flatus both ways. Chest pains also improved by belching or passing gas (flatus). Hacking cough from dryness in the larynx, worsened by lying down. Must sit up to cough. Cough from tickling in the throat or trachea. Metallic cough, as though coughing through a metal tube. Tough, offensive, rust-colored expectorant.

• Sulphur is an excellent remedy for vomiting after the paroxysmal cough.

Cell Salts for Whooping Cough
Read more about Cell Salts and Dosing Here

• Calcarea Phos #2: in weak individuals, or in teething children, and in stubborn cases with emaciation.

• Ferrum phos #4:  if vomiting of blood. During the inflammatory catarrhal stage.

• Kali mur #5: if a white-coated tongue and a thick white expectoration; short, spasmodic cough.

• Kali phos #6: if very nervous, timid sensitive children and when exhaustion sets in.

• Kali sulph #7: if there is yellow slimy expectoration.

• Magnesium phos #8: if there are convulsive fits of nervous cough, ending in a whoop.

• Natrum mur #9: if the mucus is frothy, clear and stringy.

"Let Miracles Find You!"  Empowering Women and Their Families in the Homeopathic Lifestyle.
Homeopathy For Women - Alternative Health Experts, LLC.  Copyright 2005 - 2024.  All rights reserved.  Disclaimer.  Site Map.