Homemade Chest Rub Recipe for Respiratory Relief
This homemade chest rub recipe for respiratory relief is a gentle and effective way to treat coughs for the whole family! With just a few simple ingredients, whip up a batch of this chest rub recipe.
*I am not a licensed medical professional. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about your health.
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Herbs for Chest Rub
- Onion – Onions have so many medicinal uses because they are a natural antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory, an expectorant, and more! Onions are useful during colds to help the body get rid of phlegm in the lungs and soothe inflammation.
- Elecampane – Elecampane is an excellent herb to treat the lungs and provide congestion relief. It warms the lungs, clear mucus, and soothes the respiratory system.
- Peppermint – Peppermint soothes muscles and helps the lungs to open up, relieving and healing respiratory illness.
How to Use Chest Rub for Respiratory Relief
The key to herbal remedies are to start them EARLY in the illness and use them OFTEN, otherwise you will not have as much success.
As the first sign of a persistent or deep cough, begin rubbing the chest rub on your chest 2-4 times a day and on the bottom of your feet at night. Wear socks so that the salve does not rub off onto the blankets.
Pair this chest rub treatment along with a gentle cough tincture and warm cough tea to quickly kick the cough before it settles deeper into your chest.
When to Use this Chest Rub Recipe?
If you or a child are experiencing excess mucus due to a cold, there is a chance the phlegm will settle in the lungs and cause a cough. If the cough is not treated, it could turn into pneumonia. It is important to nourish and support the lungs as it fights off the illness.
At the first sign of a persistent or deep cough, begin applying the chest rub to your chest and on the bottom of your feet at night along with socks. On small children, I like to also apply the rub to their upper back (behind the lungs) to ensure that the lungs are absorbing the herbal benefits from both sides.
Apply the chest rub 1-2 times a day at the beginning of the cough. If the cough increases, begin applying 3-4 times a day.
Why Does This Chest Rub Work?
This chest rub recipe works because the onion and the elecampane work together to prevent infection in the lungs, expel mucus, and soothe coughing fits. The peppermint is relaxing the muscles and opening up the lungs.
The goal of this chest rub is to make your coughs useful. When you get a cough, your lungs are working hard to get out the mucus that is stuck and has the potential for causing infection.
Sometimes, however, the body can get stuck in these persistent, shallow coughs that don’t accomplish anything or expel any of the mucus.
The herbal blend in this chest rub recipe is designed to prevent infection and produce productive coughs by soothing tight muscles, opening up the lungs, and when a cough does happen, it will actually clear the lungs.
Applying the chest rub directly above the lungs means that the herbal benefits can quickly be absorbed and used in the lungs rather than an oral medication that has to process through the whole body.
Where Do I Source Ingredients?
- Elecampane – Organic elecampane from Elanen Naturals is a great product for this chest rub recipe.
- Peppermint – I love to get organic peppermint from Azure Standard as well as many of my other herbs. Learn more about how to shop at Azure Standard to get the best organic bulk products!
- Onion – A white or yellow onion from your local grocery store or farmers market will work great!
Ingredients for Chest Rub Recipe
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp elecampane
- 2 tbsp dried peppermint
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup beeswax
Equipment for Chest Rub Recipe
How to Make Homemade Chest Salve
- Peel and roughly chop 1/4 cup of onions.
- Put the olive oil, onion, peppermint, and elecampane into a glass jar and screw on a lid.
- Place the jar in a pot of simmering water, and allow the oil to infuse for 2-3 hours. Periodically check the water levels and add more warm water to the pot.
- Take out the jar of oil and strain out the herbs and onion by placing a coffee filter inside of a funnel. Let the warm oil drain through the filter.
- Drain the water completely from the sauce pan and pour the infused oil into the pan.
- Add 1/4 cup of beeswax to the pan and gently warm up the oil on low.
- Stir constantly until the beeswax is completely melted, then take the oil off of the low heat.
- Pour the hot salve into amber glass salve jars.
- Allow the salve to completely cool and harden before putting the lids on.
This chest rub recipe for respiratory relief is a soothing and gentle remedy for the whole family, children and adults alike. Heal the lungs naturally with these powerful herbs throughout cold and flu season.
