# Survival > Bushcraft Medicine >  chest conjestion

## trapper#1

Hi everyone. I'm new to the site, and I was wondering if anyone could recomend a poultice etc. for chest conjestion. Any help would be appreciated. I hope someone can help me.

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## 1stimestar

No but Mucinex, lots of water, and a humidifier works well.

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## canid

mullein by decoction, or commercial medicine.

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## Lamewolf

Hot ginger tea helps, sweeten with honey.

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## aktrekker

Mullein either a tea or smoking. Yes, I've smoked it. When smoking it works mainly like an expectorant. As a tea it works internally but takes longer.

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## Ranger F

Yea,  smoking mullin works,  only need a small amount. Usually one little puff will clear it up.

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## gryffynklm

I have mixed mullin with pipe tobacco for a smoke  and have had tea with honey both help..

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## welderguy

It really depends on what type of congestion your talking about some OTC and home remedies can mask more serious signs such as bronchitis or Pneumonia .

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## tnrick55

i seen Bugs Bunny use a toilet plunger on Elmer Budd face once.sorry couldn't resist.

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## Lamewolf

> Mullein either a tea or smoking. Yes, I've smoked it. When smoking it works mainly like an expectorant. As a tea it works internally but takes longer.


So, you put poison smoke in your lungs to push out the congestion - WOW !  I guess the smoke gets you to coughing so much you hack and puke out the congestion ?

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## Rick

May I suggest you determine the cause of your congestion before self medicating? I mean, it could be anything from a cold to cancer. You might consider seeing a doctor if it's bad enough to come on a forum and ask for assistance from lay people.

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## aktrekker

> So, you put poison smoke in your lungs to push out the congestion - WOW !  I guess the smoke gets you to coughing so much you hack and puke out the congestion ?


Works just like an inhaler. Why is that so surprising?

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## Lamewolf

Its suprising because smoke (all smoke) contains carbon monoxide that is deadly if inhaled enough.  Plus, smoke is a lung irritant, especially if there is infection present.  But then I guess cigarettes can help end the agony sooner for a lung cancer patient huh ?

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## RandyRhoads

> Its suprising because smoke (all smoke) contains carbon monoxide that is deadly if inhaled enough.  Plus, smoke is a lung irritant, especially if there is infection present.  But then I guess cigarettes can help end the agony sooner for a lung cancer patient huh ?


Wtf?....
...

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## aktrekker

So how do you deal with campfire smoke?

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## 1stimestar

Gee Lamewolf, why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel?

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## Rick

Let's agree to disagree on this one.

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## hunter63

Good idea........looks like the OP is long gone anyway.

So, you find a forum  on the interweb....about Wilderness Survival, go thru the sign up process.... on the first and only post, you ask a question about chest congestion?

Kinda make ya wonder if you Google chest congestion.....it pops up WSF?

That's kinda a "lets have a look" question...isn't it?

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## Lamewolf

> So how do you deal with campfire smoke?


Sit upwind !  But I'm just saying, if I got chest congestion, the last thing I want in my lungs is smoke of any kind !  Why irritate them more than they already are ?  Yeah, smoke might get rid of some of the congestion through coughing, but thats gonna make you feel worse in the end !

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## Rick

Let it go, please.

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## Lamewolf

> Let it go, please.


I don't get it ?  This is supposed to be a forum for "DISCUSSION" and whenever there are opposing views, folks get upset about it.  I am on other forums and folks don't seem to get upset when someone disagrees with them - its just another opinion on the matter and thats that.  All I'm trying to do is express my opinion about something that makes no sense to me at all.  I mean, its common knowlege that smoke can and will damage your lungs folks, come on ?

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## gryffynklm

Lamewolf, this is obviously something that you feel strongly enough about to use skillful sarcasm to make your point and continue the discussion. You came across loud and strong with sarcasm and no actual information, view or logic to educate or discourage anyone form the use of the plant. 

" I mean, its common knowlege that smoke can and will damage your lungs folks, come on ? " 

Back to the discussion. 

Lamewolf makes an excellent point in the prolonged and habitual inhalation of smoke can damage your lungs.

I've been channeling the intent of lame wolf. 

Some folks prefer not to inhale smoke because of known and unknown effects it may have upon lung tissues. The effects of cigarette smoking and its negative effects are well documented and frightening. I encourage folks to rethink smoking any substance as a remedy for any illness.

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## gryffynklm

> Hi everyone. I'm new to the site, and I was wondering if anyone could recomend a poultice etc. for chest conjestion. Any help would be appreciated. I hope someone can help me.


Consult the advice of a physician.

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## hunter63

This is the ad the shows up on the banner at the top of the page......
http://www.nativeremedies.com/produc...Fc9AMgodUyoAGw

So tell me that these thread are not being watched?....at least by a advertising "bot"....

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## Wildthang

So you are out in the wilderness and you get some bad chest congestioin, and you have no OTC medications with you. It would make sense to me that all you could do would be to boil some water, and slowly breath in the steam, especially if it is winter time and the air is very dry. Maybe some white willow bark tea for fever if you have it. I wouldn't know what else to do but this should help.

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## Lamewolf

> Lamewolf, this is obviously something that you feel strongly enough about to use skillful sarcasm to make your point and continue the discussion. You came across loud and strong with sarcasm and no actual information, view or logic to educate or discourage anyone form the use of the plant. 
> 
> " I mean, its common knowlege that smoke can and will damage your lungs folks, come on ? " 
> 
> Back to the discussion. 
> 
> Lamewolf makes an excellent point in the prolonged and habitual inhalation of smoke can damage your lungs.
> 
> I've been channeling the intent of lame wolf. 
> ...


Thank you - I think ? <grin>  But no, didn't mean to be sarcastic in any way shape or form.  I used to be a heavy smoker and I know what smoking can do to your lungs as I was heading downhill quick from it and finally quit cold turkey on July 4th 1980 and it has turned my life around.  Yes, I do feel very strongly about it as I don't want to see anyone make the mistake of doing needless damage to themselves - even those that do not agree with me !  I have lost both friends and family to things like infazema, copd, lung cancer etc etc and its not a pretty sight to see.  So take my word for it - I care enough to discourage it !

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## Wildthang

So the concensus is that smoking a big ole nasty White Owl cigar would not help with congestion :Smartass:

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## Lamewolf

> So the concensus is that smoking a big ole nasty White Owl cigar would not help with congestion


Makes my eyes water and my throat to get all choked up just thinking about cigar smoke - WHEW !  :no way:

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## gryffynklm

Congratulations Lamewolf!!! 

Post 26# says it all.

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## hunter63

> Congratulations Lamewolf!!! 
> 
> Post 26# says it all.


Plus 1.........
Presentation, presentation, presentation......

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## Rick

We don't discourage discussion but you came off a little heavy handed. We do try to avoid situations where discussions escalate to flaming and it appeared to me to be heading that way. Apparently, I misread your intent. Discuss away.

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## ClayPick

Coltsfoot grows all over the place here. You can make a tonic out of it or even smoke it.

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## randyt

In Michigan we now have legal medical marijuana perhaps that can help with congestion.

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## gryffynklm

Colts foot is just coming up out here.

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## Lamewolf

Just to give you guys an idea of how much I am against smoking of any kind.  A few years ago I lost a good friend to lung cancer.  He was a heavy smoker and started having problems with "chest congestion" and difficulty breathing.  He went to the doctor and was told he had asthma, was given a prescrition for an inhaler, was told to quit smoking and sent home.  His condition went downhill from there and then went to another doctor for a second opinion and was diagnosed with lung cancer.  One evening about a month later he was having severe difficulty breathing and had his wife take him to the ER and was admitted to the hospital for over night observation with a stabilized condition and feeling a little better, told his wife to go home and get some rest.  When his wife got home, she got a phone call to return to the hospital as he had passed away shortly after she left.  The nurse had went into his room to take some blood samples and found him covered in blood around his mouth and nose and not breathing.  The reports showed that an artery that was weakend by the cancer had ruptured and he basically drowned in his own blood.  I know this description is graphic, but now you know why I come on so strong about it - I don't want to see or hear about this happening again if I can help it !

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## ClayPick

My buddy Clarence was a lifelong smoker. We canoed and kayaked most of the major rivers in Labrador and northern Quebec during the 1980s. It was heart wrenching to hear him trying to catch his breath in his later years. It was even harder to make him see a doctor. He finally went when he lost his sight. The cancer traveled from his lungs to his brain and took out his optic nerve. He passed away shortly after, last December. I honor his journey, my only regrets are that he left his wife and children far too early.     
No coltsfoot here yet.  The snow is just starting to fall and the weather man is calling for 18 inches and 60 mph winds.

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## trapper#1

In response to Hunter63. I was looking for a natural remedy. Attitude or what!

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## gryffynklm

Coltsfoot is used in commercial cough syrups and teas.

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## hunter63

> In response to Hunter63. I was looking for a natural remedy. Attitude or what!


Sorry you feel like that, but details were pretty slim....I call them as I see them.
Have a nice day.

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## Lamewolf

> My buddy Clarence was a lifelong smoker. We canoed and kayaked most of the major rivers in Labrador and northern Quebec during the 1980s. It was heart wrenching to hear him trying to catch his breath in his later years. It was even harder to make him see a doctor. He finally went when he lost his sight. The cancer traveled from his lungs to his brain and took out his optic nerve. He passed away shortly after, last December. I honor his journey, my only regrets are that he left his wife and children far too early.     
> No coltsfoot here yet.  The snow is just starting to fall and the weather man is calling for 18 inches and 60 mph winds.


The graphic description earlier is not the only friend I lost to lung cancer.  In 1996 I lost another one to lung cancer and only lasted 13 weeks after being diagnosed.  It had moved to his brain, stomach, and into his spine and he lost 60 pounds of his 150 pounds before he passed.  I've lost an uncle to cancer, 3 uncles to infazema, and a cousin at 68 years young to COPD that was a beautiful woman, an aunt to throat cancer, and now my mother in law has COPD with only 10% lung function left.  Its not easy seeing folks you care about drop like flies !

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## Wildthang

Wild Cherry bark has been used for a lot of cough syrups back in the 40's and 50's, which makes me wonder if there would be a way to process it in the wilderness and use it as an expectorant for congestion!

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## towelie

mint, eucalyptus, or anything else with menthol in it can help with coughing. Maybe someone has a wilderness survival recipe for vick's vaporub (essentially just a paste that has a high concentration of menthol) that could be made with a knife, a pot, some water, the proper herbs, maybe some squirrel fat, and a fire?

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## Lamewolf

> mint, eucalyptus, or anything else with menthol in it can help with coughing. Maybe someone has a wilderness survival recipe for vick's vaporub (essentially just a paste that has a high concentration of menthol) that could be made with a knife, a pot, some water, the proper herbs, maybe some squirrel fat, and a fire?


My doctor told me to stay away from the menthol and eucalyptus, said it can cause more harm than good, said it opens up the passages too much which can lead to more mucus which breeds more bacteria.  I was using Hall's cough drops and he said just get some mint candy instead to coat the throat to help curb coughing, so I tried it and it does work.  I guess the main thing is to use something that leaves a coating so the throat doesn't feel so dry.  So, whenever I get a cold, I buy a big bag of Starlight mints and use those and it seems that I get over the cold quicker too as compared to using the menthol and eucalyptus.  Maybe the menthol and eucalyptus was making the colds last longer - makes sense, if you stay sick longer, the companies that make them sells more product !

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## Rick

Seriously? You think Halls intentionally uses a product that increases illness for profit?

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## Lamewolf

> Seriously? You think Halls intentionally uses a product that increases illness for profit?


Well, don't know for sure and thats just a theory of mine after the doc telling me that the compounds used in them can prolong and increase symptoms.  I googled menthol overdose and it mentions shallow and rapid breathing, blood in urine or no urine output, rapid heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, convulsions, and unconsiousness. Hmmm ?  Google eucalyptus overdose and it lists mainly the same sypmtoms.  But menthol is naturally found in things like peppermint - go figure ?

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## hunter63

I can say I have never heard of an overdose of Halls Cough drops.....but then again you can overdose on tap water...... 

All I know, is that the DR's and nurses wanted me to cough, after surgery.... it seems every chance they got.....so I don't think it's so bad.

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## Rick

Did you check to see how much you have to ingest to overdose? If taken according to directions the chances of overdose are...mmm...pretty nil. And mucus doesn't lead to bacteria. In fact, mucus contains antiseptic enzymes your body produces in an effort to rid itself of the virus or bacteria or even irritants like ragweed. It can trap bacteria or viruses and help rid the body of same because you expel the mucus and any bacteria it has trapped. But it doesn't breed or lead to bacteria. It's secreted by mucus cells found throughout the body. In fact, if you didn't produce mucus the bacteria would still be there you'd just have a harder time expelling it.

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## shiftyer1

I used to get terrible colds and bronchitis,  since I've quit smoking I've had better luck :Smile:   My recipe is a couple shots whiskey and a slug of Nyquil.  It ain't natural and I don't know if it'll help with congestion but you'll get a decent sleep.

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## Rick

You do know Nyquil contains alcohol. So you are adding more alcohol to that you've already consumed. Also, you need to be aware that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is NOT recommended when taking Nyquil since the product contains acetaminophen, which could lead to overdoase. Check the label since there are a couple of different variations of Nyquil.

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## Lamewolf

> Did you check to see how much you have to ingest to overdose? If taken according to directions the chances of overdose are...mmm...pretty nil. And mucus doesn't lead to bacteria. In fact, mucus contains antiseptic enzymes your body produces in an effort to rid itself of the virus or bacteria or even irritants like ragweed. It can trap bacteria or viruses and help rid the body of same because you expel the mucus and any bacteria it has trapped. But it doesn't breed or lead to bacteria. It's secreted by mucus cells found throughout the body. In fact, if you didn't produce mucus the bacteria would still be there you'd just have a harder time expelling it.


No, I saw no indication as to how much is considered an overdose but I assume that what it means is a continued use over time such as in smoking menthol cigarettes on a daily basis and I know of one person that used to eat Hall's cough drops all the time even when he didn't have a cold but kept a nasty cough all the time.  Said he like the way it made his sinuses and throat feel cool when he ate them, but the cough finally went away somewhat when he quit using them everyday.  Like someone here said, you can overdose on water.  And you are right that mucus can help rid the body of certain bacteria.  But when the body is producing too much trying to rid the body of those nasties, the bacteria sometimes wins out and thrives in that warm, wet environment and thats what causes a secondary infection.  The immune system can only do so much.

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## Rick

+1 on that. When I was a kid we used to be bombarded with adverts about how good smoking was for you. When menthol cigarettes came out they were, "soothing to the throat". Recommended by doctors that were paid by the cigarette companies. How easily we bought into the marketing hype.

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## Lamewolf

> +1 on that. When I was a kid we used to be bombarded with adverts about how good smoking was for you. When menthol cigarettes came out they were, "soothing to the throat". Recommended by doctors that were paid by the cigarette companies. How easily we bought into the marketing hype.


I just wonder what the stats are on how many folks have died from marketing hype ?  Tobacco companies will never convince me that they do not add substances to the tobacco that causes addiction.  As I said earlier, I was once a heavy smoker and I have also raised tobacco on the farm in the past and there is no comparison between store bought and fresh raised tobacco.  Fresh raised tobacco is one of the mildest smokes you will ever find to put in a pipe.  No bite to it or bitterness at all as compared to any tobacco bought over the counter.  But I'm glad that on July 4th, 1980 I gave it all up cold turkey !

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## cowgirlup

I've been using fenugreek tea for a few years now whenever I feel a chest cold coming on.  It's worked great for me.  I had walking  pneumonia 2 years in a row and for a year or two after my lungs were weakened and it seemed every cold resulted in chest congestion or bronchitis.  You can buy the tea bags in some health food stores or bulk fenugreek seeds from a spice company.

Here is one link.  Do a search on fenugreek tea and chest congestion or pneumonia.
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/T..._Remedies.html

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## Bluerider

This is an old remedy. If you chop up strong white onion and add honey and put it in a double boiler and heat it until the honey and onion are mixed together. Put this on your chest and place plastic wrap and a hot water bottle over it to keep the plaster warm on your chest. It would be good to eat a bit of the honey as it is good for killing germs. Also simmer some eucalyptus so it evaporates to help prevent others from getting sick. Also a mixture of Fenugreek, Thyme and mullein is great as an expectorant.

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## Chassit

As a life long asthmatic I have had to deal with this for my entire life and in my experience the only thing that really helps sans expectorants and steroids is a LONG< HOT bath.  Keep the steam coming and it WILL help you dislodge that mucus.  It will do nothing for the cause however.

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## Lamewolf

Just so you guys know why I came on so strong in this thread, I was informed yesterday that my closest friend, a heavy smoker now has cancer.  I've lost count of how many friends and family members I've lost because of it - BUMMER !  Quit smoking or don't ever start, it isn't worth it !

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