Buy some REAL horehound drops...many stores have these, and if they are real horehound, it will say so on the package. Buy a pint of Vodka, and pour the vodka in a measuring cup that has a spout. Fill the pint bottle with the horehound drops, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice (this can be fresh or from a bottle), then fill the bottle back up with the vodka. Shake the bottle several times a day until the drops have dissolved. This can take several days to a couple weeks, depending on how often the bottle is shaken. Take 1-2 tablespoonfuls as needed for coughs or sore throat. REMEMBER that this does contain alcohol (as did all the best cough syrups on the market, up until about 20 years ago), so when using this, take care around machinery, etc.

something I have used and love, but it can be difficult to locate, is Bitter Root. It is actually a root that you take a bite off of and chew (do not eat it). You will create saliva and as it goes down your throat it will sooth and cause a wee bit of numbing.

Bitterroot (Apocynum androsaemifolium) grows wild in the Pacific Northwest. The main difficulty in getting it, is the terrain where it grows. I would warn people, though, that this is a member of the digitalis family, and because of that, it lowers blood pressure and heart rate (digitalis is routinely used for sinus tachycardia, or very rapid heart beat), so using too much of it can have deadly consequences. Like all medications, herbs or otherwise, a person should only use the amount that they need.

My last posting on my blog, sufi : taming ego
has some natural cold/ cough remedies

You can find it here : http://peacefulreflections.blogspot.com/
Peace