Cold & cough5 min
Mulethi and mishri for a dry, tickly cough
A small piece of licorice root (mulethi) to suck on, or a pinch of its powder with rock sugar, is the classic Indian remedy for a dry, irritating cough that tickles the throat — especially at night.
The Ayurvedic view
Ayurveda distinguishes a dry cough (vataja kasa: hoarse, tickly, little mucus, worse at night) from a wet one (kaphaja: heavy, productive). For dry cough the aim is to moisten and soothe, not dry out further. Mulethi (Glycyrrhiza glabra, yashtimadhu — ‘sweet stick’) is sweet, cooling and demulcent, and singers have used it for generations to protect the voice. Mishri adds sweetness and soothing.
Ingredients
- A 2-inch piece of dried mulethi root, or ¼ teaspoon mulethi powder
- ¼ teaspoon powdered mishri
- Optionally, ½ teaspoon honey or ghee to bind the powder
How to prepare
- If using the root, wash and dry it. If using powder, mix with mishri and bind with honey or ghee into a small lick.
How to use
- Keep the mulethi stick in the cheek and suck slowly when the tickle starts.
- Or take the powder mix slowly off a spoon, up to twice a day.
- Use for no more than a week.
Helpful habits
- Sip warm water often; dry air and air-conditioning worsen a tickly cough.
- Avoid smoke, dust, strong perfumes and very cold drinks.
Precautions
- Mulethi can raise blood pressure and lower potassium when used for long periods or in large amounts — people with high BP, heart or kidney disease, or on diuretics, steroids or heart medicines should avoid it unless a doctor agrees.
- Avoid in pregnancy. Don't give honey to babies under one year; people with diabetes should skip the mishri and honey.
- See a doctor for cough lasting more than 2–3 weeks, cough with blood, breathlessness, wheezing, chest pain, weight loss, night sweats or high fever.
