10 Home Remedies for Pneumonia

Several well known home remedies may help relieve some pneumonia symptoms, but you'll probably need medical treatment. Pneumonia can be serious, and full recovery can take months.

Home remedies can't treat pneumonia, but they can help you effectively manage its symptoms.

They aren't a replacement for your doctor-approved treatment plan, though. It's important to follow your doctor's recommendations while using these complementary therapies.

Learn how you can use home remedies to relieve your cough, chest pain, and more. If your symptoms get worse or don't improve despite treatment, seek medical advice.

You may develop a cough at the onset of your pneumonia. It can come on within the first 24 hours, or it might develop over the course of a few days.

Coughing helps to rid your body of the infection by removing fluid from your lungs, so you don't want to stop coughing completely. But you may want to reduce how much you cough so that it doesn't interfere with your rest or cause further pain and irritation.

Your cough may continue for some time during and after your recovery, and can sometimes even be present for months after infection.

1. Try a saltwater gargle

Gargling with salt water can help remove some of the mucus in your throat and relieve irritation.

2. Drink hot peppermint tea

Peppermint can also help alleviate irritation and expel mucus. Research suggests that it can be an effective decongestant, anti-inflammatory, and painkiller.

If you don't already have peppermint tea, you can pick up loose or bagged teas at your local grocery or online. And if you have fresh peppermint, you can easily make your own tea.

You may wish to deeply inhale the aroma of the peppermint tea while the tea is steeping. This might help clear your nasal pathways.

With pneumonia, your breathing may suddenly become rapid and shallow, or this symptom could develop gradually over the course of a few days.

You may even experience breathlessness while you're resting. Your doctor may prescribe medication or inhalers to help. Even as you try the suggestions below, make sure you keep up with your physician's instructions and dosages.

If the following suggestions don't help and your breath becomes even shorter, seek immediate medical care.

3. Use a handheld fan

While the evidence is thin, a 2021 review suggests that passing a handheld fan across the face may temporarily relieve breathlessness in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).

While the underlying cause of breathing difficulties is different in people with pneumonia, you might find that using a fan makes it easier to catch your breath.

You can use a handheld fan until your symptoms subside.

4. Drink a cup of coffee

Drinking a cup of coffee may also help relieve shortness of breath. Caffeine may help widen the airways, and a 2021 review even suggested that consuming it could help soothe some COVID-19 symptoms and work against SARS-CoV-2.

Caffeine's half-life is 3-5 hours, meaning that your body gets rid of half the caffeine content in this time. If caffeine helps to widen your airways, this is the amount of time it's likely to have its most noticeable effects.

Chest pain may come on suddenly or over the course of several days. You should expect some chest pain or ache if you get pneumonia. With treatment, any chest pain typically subsides within 4 weeks.

5. Drink a cup of turmeric tea

A 2020 review suggests that a compound called curcumin in turmeric has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial qualities that can help your body defend itself against pneumonia.

Another review from 2018 supported curcumin's activity against pain, meaning that it might provide some relief for pneumonia's sometimes intense chest pain (even though the research didn't focus on chest pain directly).

You can buy turmeric tea at your local grocery or online. You can also make your own tea using turmeric powder.

6. Drink a cup of ginger tea

Ginger has also demonstrated anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties in recent research. As with turmeric, current research on ginger hasn't looked at whether it helps specifically with chest pain, but it's a harmless, hydrating way to try and soothe the uncomfortable effects of pneumonia.

You can find loose or bagged ginger teas at your local grocery or online. Or, you can use raw ginger to make your own ginger tea.

Your fever may develop suddenly or over the course of a few days. With treatment, it should subside within the week.

7. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever

Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers like ibuprofen (Advil) can help to reduce your fever and alleviate pain.

If you can, take any pain relievers with food or on a full stomach. This helps reduce your risk of side effects, such as nausea.

Adults can typically take one or two 200-milligram (mg) capsules every 4 to 6 hours. You shouldn't exceed 1,200 mg per day.

For children, follow the directions on the packaging.

8. Drink some fenugreek tea

Research from 2018 found that fenugreek tea can stimulate sweating when you drink it. As sweat cools you down, this might help provide some relief from a fever.

9. Stay hydrated

Drinking enough water and electrolytes while you have a fever can help you prevent dehydration. Eating homemade popsicles or sipping on chilled beverages also provides hydration as well as cooling you down.

10. Apply a lukewarm compress or take a lukewarm bath

Submerging your body in a lukewarm bath might help you bring down your body temperature.

You can also use a lukewarm compress to help cool your body from the outside inward if a bath is not convenient. Although it may be tempting to use a cold compress, the sudden temperature shift can cause chills. A lukewarm compress provides a more gradual, comfortable temperature change.

Chills may come on before or during a fever. They typically subside after your fever breaks. This may last up to a week, depending on when you begin treatment for pneumonia.

11. Drink warm water

If peppermint tea isn't your thing, a glass of warm water will do. This can help you stay hydrated and warm you internally.

12. Have a bowl of soup

Not only is a hot bowl of soup nourishing, but it can also help replenish vital liquids while it warms you from the inside out.

The typical pneumonia treatment plan consists of rest, antibiotics, and increased fluid intake. You should take it easy even if your symptoms begin to subside.

Depending on the cause of pneumonia, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication instead of an antibiotic.

You should take the entire course of medication even after you begin seeing improvement. If you don't see improvement within 3 days, see your doctor.

Pneumonia isn't always preventable. But by adopting certain lifestyle adjustments or avoiding triggers, you may be able to reduce your risk of experiencing its more severe effects.

Such measures include:

washing your hands thoroughly and regularly to reduce your risk for infection

avoiding cigarette smoke or quitting if you already smoke tobacco

where possible, avoiding areas with high levels of air pollution

eating a nutritious and balanced diet

staying active and exercising regularly

stress relief

maintaining a regular sleep schedule and good sleep hygiene

sticking to any prescribed treatments or interventions from a healthcare professional

Receiving a vaccine can also help reduce your risk for developing pneumonia as a complication of certain infections, including:

chickenpox

COVID-19

haemophilus influenzae type b (hib)

influenza (flu)

measles

pneumococcal

pertussis, or whooping cough

Practicing physical distancing from others is essential for reducing your risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2, as well as passing the virus on to other people if you have it.

With pneumonia, it's important not to let the disease progress if you suspect that your symptoms are getting worse.

Immediate medical attention is necessary if you notice:

breathlessness

a blue tint on your lips and fingertips

chest pain

a high fever

a cough that produces mucous and is getting more severe

It's also important to seek medical care if the following apply to you or a loved one with pneumonia:

you're aged 65 years and over

your child is 2 years of age or under

you have a weakened immune system due to an autoimmune condition, treatment that affects your immune system like chemotherapy, or a disease that weakens the immune response like HIV

you have an underlying health problem

Pneumonia can become life-threatening for people in these categories. It's essential to seek medical care if pneumonia symptoms develop.

Your pneumonia should start to improve steadily once you begin treatment. Pneumonia is serious and may require hospitalization. In most cases, it takes about 6 months before you feel fully recovered.

After your initial diagnosis, it's important to pace yourself and allow your body time to heal. Eating well and getting plenty of rest are key.

After you've had pneumonia once, you're more likely to experience it again. Talk to your doctor about what you can do to improve your overall health and reduce your risk.