Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. In many people, it's marked by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like "whoop." SymptomsOnce you become infected with whooping cough, it takes about seven to 10 days for signs and symptoms to appear, though it can sometimes take longer. They're usually mild at first and resemble those of a common cold: Runny nose Nasal congestion Red, watery eyes FeverCough After a week or two, signs and symptoms worsen. Thick mucus accumulates inside your airways, causing uncontrollable coughing. Severe and prolonged coughing attacks may: Provoke vomiting Result in a red or blue face Cause extreme fatigue End with a high-pitched "whoop" sound during the next breath of air Infants may not cough at all. Instead, they may struggle to breathe, or they may even temporarily stop breathing. Homeopathic Medicines for CoughThere is a large list of therapeutics for the treatment of cough. Among them, the top-ranked include – Drosera Rotundifolia, Antimonium Tart, and Conium Maculatum. The characteristic features of these remedies are as below: 1. Drosera Rotundfolia – Remedy for a Dry CoughDrosera Rotundifolia is a very effective homeopathic remedy for a cough that is dry. For using Drosera, a dry, irritative (irritant) cough is the chief indicator. The cough comes in attacks that follow each other rapidly. A marked fatigue attends the coughing episodes. Other accompanying symptoms include tickling in the larynx, scraping sensation (like in a sore throat) and fetid breath with the cough. Vomiting with cough may also arise. The cough usually worsens after talking or laughing.Cough that appears during measles or following it is also treated well with this remedy. Drosera is also a well indicated for a cough that begins on lying down. This is also an important natural treatment for cough variant asthma 2. Antimonium Tart – Medicine for a Rattling Cough Antimonium Tart works very well in cases of rattling cough. The patient has a loose, rattling cough and the lungs feel full of mucus. The cough remains constant throughout the day and night. The patient faces excessive difficulty in raising the phlegm. Along with this, difficulty in breathing (most marked at night time) is present. Difficulty in breathing makes a person sit up from a prone position (in which it is worse). In addition to the above symptoms, a burning sensation in the chest may be present. Chest pain on coughing also arises in some of the cases. A cough that worsens after each meal is yet another characteristic feature pointing towards the use of Antimonium Tart 3. Conium Maculatum – Treatment for a Cough Worse at Night Conium Maculatum is useful for a nocturnal cough. The patient has a cough at night on lying down. They are restless at night and tend to sit up many times due to coughing spells. A tickling sensation in the throat pit may be prominently present. A few individuals may complain of an unusually dry spot in the larynx. In some cases, a headache on coughing may arise. 4. Ipecac — For Cough with Difficult PhlegmIpecac is a suitable medicine for a cough with difficult expectoration. The patient has a loose rattling cough with marked difficulty in expectoration. A constricted feeling in the chest and shortness of breath may arise. Suffocative spells may accompany the cough. Nausea and vomiting with a cough are also present in a majority of the cases. 5. Spongia Tosta—For a Cough with Dry Air PassagesSpongia Tosta is a medicine that is highly useful when there is a cough with extreme dryness of all the air passages. The cough is an exclusively dry, barking, hacking type. Chills may attend the cough. Warm drinks may offer a little relief. Along with this, shortness of breath and labored respiration may also be present