Viruses & Infections
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
A bacterial infection causing intense coughing fits that can last weeks — managed with rest, humidity, and soothing herbs; antibiotics help most when started early.
Also known as: Pertussis, 100-day cough, Pertussis cough, Pertussis children
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: The bacterium Bordetella pertussis, spread through airborne droplets from coughing or sneezing; Most contagious in the first 2 weeks before the whooping stage begins; Can affect all ages but is most dangerous in infants under 1 year.
First thing to try: See a doctor early — antibiotics in the first 1–2 weeks can shorten the serious coughing stage and prevent infecting others.
See a doctor if: Any infant or young baby with a cough — urgent if it sounds like whooping cough
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- The bacterium Bordetella pertussis, spread through airborne droplets from coughing or sneezing
- Most contagious in the first 2 weeks before the whooping stage begins
- Can affect all ages but is most dangerous in infants under 1 year
Change what you can
- See a doctor early — antibiotics in the first 1–2 weeks can shorten the serious coughing stage and prevent infecting others.
- Use steam inhalation every 2–4 hours — lean over a bowl of hot water under a towel, or run a humidifier.
- Sip warm slippery elm tea with lemon juice freely — it soothes the throat and coats the airways.
- Keep meals small and frequent — avoid big meals likely to be vomited; re-offer food gently 20 minutes after an episode.
- Eat plenty of vitamin A and C foods: sweet potato, carrots, citrus, peppers, kiwi, leafy greens.
- Try a warm foot soak to help ease coughing spells.
- Isolate from others — especially infants and unvaccinated people — until 5 days of antibiotics are completed.
- No aspirin for children or teenagers with any cough or fever illness.
🌿 Then assist nature: remedies & protocols
With the cause being addressed, these are the actual things people do for this — ranked by the community. Vote ▲ on what helped you and ▼ on what didn't, and open How to do it for the steps. Each shows two quick signals: Evidence (how much science backs it) and Gentleness (how safe and in keeping with whole, natural health).
★ Start here — our first-line pick, pinned for safety
Early antibiotics are the one measure that truly shortens the contagious, dangerous stage.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Antibiotics given in the first week or two can shorten the contagious period and ease the illness; natural measures are supportive, but timely professional care is what changes the course, especially for infants.
- Contact a doctor as soon as whooping cough is suspected, especially the early cold-like stage.
- Start any prescribed antibiotics promptly and finish the full course.
- Ask about protecting close contacts, particularly infants.
- Use the supportive measures below alongside, not instead of, medical care.
One appointment, plus the antibiotic course · As prescribed
Caution: Whooping cough is dangerous in infants — seek care urgently for any baby. Supportive remedies do not replace antibiotics.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
Also helps — ranked by the community (vote to reorder)
Re-offer food gently after a fit settles.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Coughing spasms commonly end in vomiting, especially after large meals; smaller portions are kept down more easily, maintaining nourishment and hydration during a long illness.
- Offer small meals rather than large ones.
- Wait about 20 minutes after a coughing fit before offering food again.
- Include vitamin A and C foods: sweet potato, carrots, citrus, peppers, greens.
- Keep fluids up steadily between meals.
Ongoing · Small meals through the day
Caution: Watch infants closely for dehydration and exhaustion. No aspirin for children or teens.
When to get help: For any infant, or if there is bluish color, pauses in breathing, choking, or struggling to breathe during fits — call emergency services immediately.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
Steam before sleep can ease nighttime fits.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Warm moist air thins the thick mucus that triggers the violent coughing spasms and calms the irritated airway lining, making fits a little less frequent and severe.
- Lean over a bowl of hot water with a towel over the head, or run a humidifier.
- Breathe the warm moist air for several minutes.
- Repeat every few hours, especially before rest.
- Supervise children closely around hot water.
5-10 minutes · Every 2-4 hours
Caution: Supervise children to prevent scalds. Stop if it triggers more coughing.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
A gentle throat-coater between coughing spells.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Slippery elm forms a soothing mucilage that coats the irritated throat and airway, easing the rawness left by repeated coughing fits.
- Stir slippery elm into warm water (or steep slippery elm tea).
- Add a little lemon juice.
- Sip slowly and freely through the day.
- Keep it warm, not hot.
A few minutes to prepare · Freely through the day
Caution: Take slippery elm separately from medicines, as it can slow their absorption. Honey may be added for children over 1 year, never under.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
How the numbers work: a weighted voting system — trusted published sources cast endorsement votes for each protocol, and your ▲/▼ adds to them. Not medical advice.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- Any infant or young baby with a cough — urgent if it sounds like whooping cough
- A child who turns blue or briefly stops breathing during a coughing fit
- A cough persisting more than 2 weeks with no other explanation
- Complications: rapid breathing, ear pain, or fever rising again after initial illness
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your whooping cough (pertussis) — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a bacterial illness causing a distinctive, intense cough in waves — often followed by a strained 'whooping' gasp for air. In young children and infants it can be serious. Early antibiotic treatment shortens the illness and prevents spread. Supportive home care — steam, rest, fluids, gentle herbs, and small frequent meals — makes the long coughing phase more manageable. For vaccine schedules and the official package inserts, see our neutral vaccine reference (/vaccines) to review with your physician.
Whooping cough starts like a cold — runny nose, mild cough, watery eyes — and looks harmless for the first week or two. Then the coughing paroxysms begin: intense, rapid-fire coughs followed by a long, strained breath that sounds like a 'whoop.' Vomiting after coughing fits is common. This stage can last 3–6 weeks, and a mild cough may linger for months. The most helpful early step is seeing a doctor, because early antibiotic treatment (within the first couple of weeks) can shorten the severe coughing phase and prevent spread to vulnerable contacts — especially infants, who can become very ill. After the whooping stage is established, antibiotics are less helpful to the patient but still prevent spread. At home, steam inhalation every 2–4 hours soothes the airways and thins mucus. Slippery elm tea with a little lemon juice coats and soothes the irritated throat and airways. A warm foot soak can help ease coughing spells. Keep meals small and light — overfeeding prolongs the illness and vomiting makes nutrition harder. Good vitamin A and C intake through fruits and vegetables supports the immune systemYour body's built-in defense team that fights off germs and helps you heal. More →. Keep the child home and away from others — especially infants — until 5 days of antibiotics are completed or 3 weeks after coughing began.
Common signs
- Initial cold-like stage: runny nose, mild cough, low fever — lasting 1–2 weeks
- Intense rapid coughing fits followed by a high-pitched 'whoop' intake of breath
- Vomiting during or after coughing fits
- Reddish or bluish face from effort during coughing
- Exhaustion after each episode
- A lingering mild cough lasting months
🍃 Supporting foods & habits
The gentle, everyday foods and supports that help in the background — secondary to the active remedies above. Vote on what helped you.
Sip fluids often to thin mucus and stay hydrated through the long illness.1000
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- Small, light, frequent meals
- Vitamin-C-rich fruits and diluted juices in small amounts
- Warm broths and slippery elm tea
- Vitamin-A-rich foods: carrots, sweet potato, leafy greens
Go easy on
- Large meals that could provoke vomiting
- Heavy, fatty, or hard-to-digest foods during the coughing stage
- Dairy that thickens mucus
Feed small and light during the paroxysmal coughing stage — re-feed gently after episodes.
⚖️ Good to know
- Whooping cough in infants under 6 months can be life-threatening — get medical help immediately if an infant coughs heavily, stops breathing briefly, or turns blue.
- Do NOT give aspirin to any child or teenager with a cough or fever illness.
- Adults and older children can have whooping cough without the 'whoop' — a cough lasting more than 2 weeks in an outbreak area should be tested.
- Vomiting that prevents adequate nutrition or hydration needs medical help.
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
Antibiotics (given early) reduce spread; infants need close medical attention.
Commonly offered
- Antibiotics early to reduce spread–
- Supportive care; hospital care for infants–
- DTaP/Tdap vaccination for prevention–
Worth knowing
- Infants are at serious risk — seek care for severe coughing fits or breathing pauses.
- Antibiotics help most when started early.
- Keep unvaccinated infants away from anyone coughing.
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📜 A note from history
Slippery elm tea and steam inhalation have been used to soothe severe coughs for centuries, offering real comfort during the long coughing stage.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
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