Chest Congestion: Supporting Your Immune System & Remedies that Soothe

Why a post about chest congestion on a site that focuses on sleep?

I wrote this post and others relating to illness and sleep. However, as an herbalist (and psychotherapist), my primary interest is supporting people with sleep. Most of the work that I offer around sleep involves trauma, grief, calming the nervous system, and addressing stress and anxiety and their impacts on our body-mind-spirit.

I teach people how to develop ways to care for themselves, and sometimes we get sick!

Chest congestion is one thing that inhibits sleep, and I want to offer a resource to support your immune system and to help ease your body. This is sort of a tendril of the deeper work that I provide and I hope it helps you! (Since chest congestion relates to coughs, check out my post that topic here.)

Why the chest gets congested when you’re sick and what it means to support your body.

Mucus is an exit vehicle for pathogens. Our immune system uses mucus in the lungs to fight the virus. You need lubrication in the lungs to move mucus out.

You may experience chest congestion when either your lungs are not moist enough and/or your lungs need help moving accumulated mucus out.

Calming blue background. Text reads Care for Chest Congestion. Image of lungs in center. Bottom pictures of mullein, lemon balm, steam from a pot, rosemary sprig, thyme, essential oil bottle with oregano, marshmallow herb, elecampane.

Selecting herbal remedies to support your lungs with congestion involves understanding what your lungs need.

Four Strategies for Supporting your Body with Chest Congestion

These strategies have some overlap in their purpose. They can support your immune system with chest congestion and help you find more comfort.

Herbal Steams- often very effective
Select Herbs with Expectorant, Moistening and/or Antiviral Properties- helps you choose which herbs can benefit you
Fire Cider Remedies- is easy and fun for some people to work with
Tea Remedies- a familiar, simple remedy

You don’t need to use these all, but you can focus in on what you’re noticing you either most need or are most inclined to try.

Herbal or Essential Oil Steams for Chest Congestion

Perhaps your biggest bang for your effort with chest congestion is preparing and using herbal steam. Herbal steams can support your lungs and immune system on a number of levels and is often called for when you’re dealing with a cough.

Calm blue background. Text reads, Herbal Steams for Chest Congestion. Picture of person over a steaming pot with towel over their head. Eyes closed. Lavender, lemon balm, chamomile, eucalyptus, and thyme surround this picture.

When using herbal steam, you want to make more of a tent than the person depicted in this photo. Have the towel cover more of your head to capture the remedy-filled steam that you will inhale.

Specifically, they can:

Bring the plant remedies in deep where the pathogens are,
Assist the body in removing mucus,
Add moisture to the lungs and
Support your immune system to stop illness that’s affecting the lungs from escalating.

Additionally, if you’re concerned about a secondary infection developing from lung congestion, you can support your body with herbs or an essential oil (see link for safety notes) that have antimicrobial properties.

Herbs or Essential Oils to consider in your steam for chest congestion: Thyme, Oregano, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, or Lavender. See next section to narrow down which to work with.

If using herbs, you can combine them as you like or use just one. If using essential oils, 1 drop should be plenty unless you’re combining two essential oils for specific therapeutic support.

Lavender is antimicrobial but lacks the expectorant property so I’d use to support immunity and pair with another herb. the others may be more effective for supporting the lungs.

For detailed herbal steam directions, see my post on herbal steams here.

Herbs with Stimulating Expectorant, Moistening Expectorant Properties and How to Choose

There are different types of expectorant properties, and some herbs will have properties that overlap.

I’m not including herbs that aid the body with damaged or inflamed lung tissue, but I want you to know that they exist! This would be too long of a post to get into that, and if you’re dealing with anything chronic or long-lasting, you’ll be best supported by bringing a care team on board.

Calm blue background. Text reads, Types of Herbal Expectorants. Icon of person coughing and images of marshmallow, mullein, hyssop and elecampane.

Being precise about herbal properties supports effective use.

For now, I hope these descriptions help you with what you may need from a remedy when your chest is congested.

Stimulating Expectorant- You may cough with some mucus but notice excessive mucus in the chest. The body needs help expelling it.

You might consider an herb with a stimulating expectorant property, such as Elecampane or Hyssoop.

Elecampane

Root remedy is thus most effective when made into a decoction, as opposed to a tea. Avoid during pregnancy and seek guidance of an herbal practitioner during lactation. Excessive consumption can cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Please research this herb or work with an herbal practitioner for dosing. Some people have a hard time getting used to the taste. I find it easier to acclimate to taste when I see the power of a remedy. -Some herbal remedy makers create honey infused with this, and you can see if someone in your local herbal community offers

Hyssop

Hyssop can be used in tea or tincture forms. Please Research dosing, but this is generally a safe herb for short-term use at recommended dosing. It’s also antibacterial and antiviral.

Moistening Expectorant– If you feel chest congestion and you’re coughing without producing mucus, this may be a good time to moisten the lungs. You may have a hacking cough and that doesn’t seem to relent. Your body is trying, trying–but doesn’t have enough lubrication to get out mucus!

Herbs in this category are also helpful if you notice excessive mucus or are too sticky and coughing exhausts you.

Herbs to consider here are Marshmallow (the herb, not the candy) and/or Mullein.

Marshmallow and Mullein

These are soothing expectorants that also help moisten. They can work well together. Two note– Excessive consumption of Marshmallow can cause loose stools in some people. If using tea for Mullein, you may want to strain it through a coffee filter because it has tiny hairs that can irritate the throat.

Fire Cider for Chest Congestion

This is a simple recipe of apple cider vinegar and pungent herbs.

Add herbs that help clear the lungs, such as Thyme, Oregano, Eucalyptus, or Rosemary.
There are plenty of variations of recipes online if you search around
You can add honey to it to also soothe the throat (honey not recommended for children under 2)
Garlic can be added for antibacterial and expectorant properties.
- Some people’s digestive systems cannot tolerate raw garlic and may need to totally omit this or take the remedy with some food.
Even without garlic, if your digestive system is sensitive, you may want to take this with food
- Additionally, if you have acid reflux, vinegar or spicy herbs may not sit well with you.
You can work with this several times a day to keep supporting your lungs and immune system.

Tea for Chest Congestion

I find this form of remedy most useful when moistening the lungs, especially if you have a dry or whooping cough with chest congestion.

Make a therapeutic strength tea where the base of the tea is Mulleine and add some Marshmallow and Fennel.
You can also do this as an infusion.
You can add honey if you like the taste and want to soothe the throat.
- Honey is not advised for children under 2.
Drink a quart or more a day to support your lungs and immune system.

There are a couple of commercial-prepared tea blends (packaged tea) on the market that are useful and convenient for bringing in moisture. Forthcoming blog on how to make a therapeutically strong tea, but for now, know that you should use two or three teabags per cup!

You want to drink at least a quart a day to help your immune system and lungs.

Chest Congestion & Your Care Team

If you don’t know why you have chest congestion, you’re having trouble breathing, or things are not improving in a week, it’s a wise idea to see your nurse practitioner, doctor, or PCP. You may also want to consider working with an herbal practitioner, acupuncturist, nutritionist, and or a body worker to support your respiratory system, especially if you tend to get secondary infections when you have a virus or if your immune system needs support.

Wishing ease to your chest,

Quai

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