Expectorant Herbs : Loosen Chest Congestion

  • Herb Properties
  • Herbs Alphabetical by Common Name


    • See List Herbs by Botanical Name


Expectorants help loosen congestion in the lungs by reducing the thickness of mucus, making coughing more productive and clearing the lungs. Expectorant herbs are very important in the treatment of coughs, congestion and bronchitis, to the extent that the term is sometimes incorrectly applied to any cough medicine.


    Angelica root Angelica root Angelica archangelica Choraka
    Biennial/Tender Perennial herb : Angelica is a good herb to add to treatments for colds, congestion, and fevers. Angelica root is warming and stimulating to the lungs, helping to ease chest congestion....
    Anise Seed Anise Seed Pimpinella anisum Aniseed
    Annual : Sweet and very aromatic, anise is commonly used to break up congestion, ease coughing and relieve gas and indigestion....
    Benzoin Resin Benzoin Resin Styrax benzoin Friar's balsam
    tree : Benzoin resin has a pronounced effect on congestion, seemingly to melt away blockages. It is an expectorant and increases circulation....
    Beth Root Beth Root Trillium erectum Wake-robin
    : Beth root was used in early American cough and cold syrups as an expectorant. The saponins in beth root have been used as an industrial source for the pharmaceutical industry....
    Black Cohosh root Black Cohosh root Cimicifuga racemosa Black snake root, Squaw Root, Bugbane
    Perennial Herb : You can add a tincture of black cohosh to your cough remedy, or drink black cohosh tea to quiet a nighttime cough....
    Bloodroot Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis L red puccoon blood root, pauson
    Herbaceous Perennial : Bloodroot is found as the main ingredient in many commercially available mouthwashes, toothpastes and cough preparations. ...
    Cajeput Oil Cajeput Oil Melaleuca leucadendron, M. leucadendra Weeping tea tree, weeping paperbark
    Tree : Cajeput is antibacterial and clears congestion making it a good inhalant oil for colds and sinus infections. ...
    Camphor Camphor Cinnamomum camphora
    Evergreen Tree : Camphor acts as an expectorant and helps clear lung congestion. Camphor is a very useful ingredient in inhalations for coughs, colds, and difficulties in breathing. ...
    Cedarwood, Atlas Cedarwood, Atlas Cedrus atlantica Atlas cedar
    Evergreen Tree : Cedarwood is known for use in problem skin, as an insect repellent, and as an inhalent in respiratory complaints....
    Colt's Foot Colt's Foot Tussilago farfara Coughwort
    Perennial herb : Coltsfoot is used as a respiratory disinfectant, expectorant, and cough suppressant and makes an effective tea to clear congestion. ...
    Comfrey Root Comfrey Root Symphytum officinale
    Perennial Herb : Comfrey has a healing and a general soothing effect on the mucous membranes, making it invaluable in soothing sore throats and coughs....
    Couch grass Couch grass Agropyron repens Twitch grass, witchgrass, dog's grass, scutch, quackgrass
    Perennial Grass : Couch grass tea will soothe and coat an inflamed sore throat, and helps clear phlegm. ...
    Elecampane Elecampane Inula helenium Wild sunflower, Horseheal, Yellow Starwort
    Perennial composite plant : Elecampane is used to ease breathing in cases of asthma and bronchitis. The root's chemical constituents helenalin, helenin, and inulin have been shown to have expectorant and antiseptic properties....
    Elm, Slippery Elm, Slippery Ulmus fulva Red Elm, Moose Elm, Indian Elm
    Deciduous Tree : The tree's inner bark is rich in mucilage, a spongy, slippery fiber that soothes and coats the mucus membranes that cause irritation in the throat....
    Eucalyptus Eucalyptus Eucalyptus globulus Eucalyptus
    tree : Eucalyptus opens the lungs and encourages breathing, clears clogged nasal passages and bronchial congestion making eucalyptus one of the best known cold remedies....
    Fennel Seed Fennel Seed Foeniculum vulgare Sweet Fennel, Fenkel
    : Fennel seeds and its essential oil contain chemicals that help to loosen congestion and make coughs more productive. Fennel also calms the dry, hacking cough of bronchitis....
    Garlic Garlic Allium sativum Poor Man's Treacle, Bawang, Bauang
    Monocot Perennial : Garlic and onions have long been used to treat bronchitis, allergies and asthma by helping to open the lungs and ease breathing. The ingredients responsible include mustard oils and quercetin. ...
    Honeysuckle Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum jin yin hua, lonicera
    Vine : In combination with Forsythia fruit, honeysuckle makes an effective remedy against the common cold....
    Horehound Horehound Marrubium vulgare L. White horehound, marrubio
    Perennial Herb : Horehound is a well regarded cough and cold remedy. You can still find old fashioned horehound cough drops sold in pharmacies, but homemade ones are best....
    Horseradish root Horseradish root Armoracia rusticana
    perennial plant : Horseradish loosens both chest and sinus congestion, stimulates the nerves, and soothes a sore throat....
    Hyssop Hyssop Hyssopus officinalis
    Woody perennial : Hyssop is a good expectorant and antiviral herb commonly used to treat respiratory conditions such as influenza,sinus infections, colds, and bronchitis....
    Kava-Kava Kava-Kava Piper methysticum Ava. Intoxicating Peper
    shrub : Kava kava can be used as a mild sedative for nervous tension and stress. The active constituents in the roots, kava lactones, have relaxing and intoxicating properties....
    Lobelia Lobelia Lobelia inflata Indian-Tobacco. Pukeweed. Asthma Weed.
    Annual Herb : Lobelia acts as a relaxant in the presence of pain, and is useful in bronchitis and asthma as an expectorant and stimulant of the respiratory system....
    Marjoram,Sweet Marjoram,Sweet Origanum majorana
    perennial herb : Sweet marjoram is a fragrant culinary herb and the sweet, herbaceous essential oil is used in aromatherapy for emotional uplift and soothing nerves...
    Mullein Mullein Verbascum spp. Flannel Leaf, Mullein Dock, Aaron's Rod
    Biennial : Mullein flowers are also used in teas to coat sore throats and calm coughing. Mullein tones and soothes irritated lungs and speeds healing of damaged tissues....
    Myrrh Myrrh Commiphora myrrha
    tree : Used as a gargle myrrh can help with laryngitis and respiratory complaints; it is both expectorant and a stimulant of circulation and finds many uses in the treatment of the common cold....
    Peppermint Peppermint Mentha piperita Yerba Buena
    Perennial Herb : Peppermint is a first herb of choice for treatment of colds and flu because it acts to relieve multiple symptoms at once: congestion, headaches and muscle aches, nausea, and fever....
    Pleurisy Root Pleurisy Root Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly-weed. Swallow-wort, Tuber root, Wind root, Colic root, Orange Milkweed
    Perennial herb : Pleurisy root gets its name from its medicinal uses against a wide range of respiratory and lung conditions specifically pleurisy....
    Red Root Red Root Ceanothus americanus New Jersey tea, Wild Snowball
    Shrub : Red root is an astringent, expectorant and antispasmodic and is used by modern herbalists in the treatment of complaints such as asthma, bronchitis and coughs....
    Sandalwood Sandalwood Santalum album
    tree : Sandalwood is one of the few fragrances equally popular among men and women. Its uplifting scent is often used to treat depression and emotional dysfunction in aromatherapy...
    Soapwort Soapwort Saponaria officinalis Bouncing Bet, Fuller's herb, Sweet William, Bruisewort, Old Maids Pink
    perennial plant, vespertine flower : Taken internally these saponins are a mild irritant to the respiratory and digestive systems making soapwort an expectorant and laxative in small doses....
    Spearmint Spearmint Mentha spicata Spear mint
    : Sweetened spearmint herb tea is an excellent remedy to use in case of colds, congestion, or just as a pleasant beverage....
    Speedwell Speedwell Veronica officinalis common speedwell ,common gypsyweed, Fluellin, Paul's Betony Groundhele
    Perennial Herb : Speedwell can be used in herbal tea cough remedies as an expectorant, and also has diaphoretic (sweat -producing), diuretic and tonic properties....
    Spruce Oil Spruce Oil Picea mariana
    Evergreen Tree : The calming vapors of spruce essential oil break up congestion and improve breathing....
    Thuja oil Thuja oil Thuja occidentalis Arborvitae, tree of life, white cedar, yellow cedar, American cedar
    evergreen coniferous tree : A tea made from the leaves and twigs of Thuja is used as a stimulating expectorant that is useful for treating bronchitis, colds, and other respiratory problems....
    Thyme Thyme Thymus vulgaris Common Thyme, Wild Thyme
    Woody Perennial Herb : Thyme is one of the best herbs to use as a cough and cold remedy, addressing all your cold symptoms in a holistic way. Thyme acts to clear the lungs of congestion...
    Wild Cherry Bark Wild Cherry Bark Prunus serotina Black Cherry, chokecherry
    Deciduous Tree : Wild black cherry is a very effective herbal cough remedy. The main use of the bark is to still irritated, nagging coughs. ...
    Wild Ginger Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
    Herbaceous perennial : Asarum root tea, similar in taste to ginger root was a valued food and medicine in early colonial North America....