A dry cough can be the remnant to an old infection that has been cured. It could signify that mucus and sputum is stuck in the lower part of your respiratory tract. Stuck would be a misnomer, as it is probably dried to a point where it cannot be expelled easily. This is sometimes the case after dehydration. There is also the possibility that you are coughing, because your throat is being irritated by something in the air.
The possibilities are endless and you will have to figure out the cause of the dry cough. Mostly, if you have not had infections recently then you probably are just allergic to some airborne pollutant. Most of the airborne pollutants that irritate people are vehicle exhaust, pollen, dust, household dust mite excrement to name a few. Most of these cannot be detected by the human nose and tend to cause a coughing fit, without any forewarning. It is always important to understand what you are allergic to so that you can stay away from it, or at least be prepared for it when it does come. Infections can also cause a dry cough after the end of an infection. This occurs due the basic process of the immune system. When the immune system detects a foreign organism in the body, it starts an inflammation by discharging mucus, causing a swelling, and increasing blood flow. If you end up with a fever then this is also one of the results of the immune system’s response. When the infection is over and the pathogen is finally out of the system, there can be a residual cough because of some of the mucus that is deeper in the respiratory tract still being stuck there and not being easily expelled. To cure this, have a look deep in your throat and check if there are any protruding blood vessels or if you have pain while swallowing. If this is the case then your inflammation is not yet over or you are having another inflammatory response.
Curing your dry cough requires that you start ingesting the following herbs – ginger, to reduce inflammation – pepper, to irritate your system into coughing out whatever is stuck – and witch hazel as an astringent to reduce mucus production. Witch hazel is optional if you cannot get a hold of the herb. The ginger and pepper preparation can be added to a soup that you should have three times a day until your cough subsides.