Is Hibiscus Causing My Cough???

Chile! I am thunderstruck right now.

Since I talk about almost everything here, I'm sure I've mentioned the persistent cough I've been struggling with. I'm talking about a cough I've had off and on since last summer. It had finally gone away for a while, and I was so relieved. I was able to get more sleep than normal, and my voice was returning to normal. Until... 

Friday, after my dental appointment, I relaxed with a cup of hibiscus tea for the afternoon. I'd been so stressed that my blood pressure was up. That night, I had a little more hibiscus with chamomile.

By the middle of the night, the cough was back. Nothing helped. I spooned down a teaspoon of honey. Nope. I drank some water. Nope. I turned the humidifier from Low to High. Nope. Finally, I just got up and pulled out a new box of Kleenex.

When I was a young lady, I once developed a rash on my arms and across my chest almost overnight. It was a sprinkling of itchy, goosebumps-looking things across the skin. I made it through the workday without alarming anyone with my scratching. When I went to my mother (of course, I did!), she took a look and asked if the rash was anywhere else. It wasn't. She checked the fabric of my blouse (polyester), then she asked what I'd washed it in. And there it was. I had used a scented handwash detergent.

Mom told me that whenever something starts to ail you right out of the blue, to think of anything new or different you are using, eating, drinking, etc. 

When I realized that my cough had gone away then returned - all out of the blue - I took Mom's long-ago advice. My memory is bad (can you tell?), but I knew right off that I'd not been drinking my usual pre-bed hibiscus tea - until I did again...

I did some internet searching and, yeah, it most likely is the hibiscus. I had the same reaction when taking Lisinopril for my blood pressure. So the tea is causing my cough. It has to be the hibiscus tea because the coughing didn't happen when I was drinking green tea or chamomile, or the aronia berry tea (which is also good for my BP). 

Of course, I stopped with the hibiscus. I still have about a quarter pound of the leaves left and those will go to my SIL.  She's had hibiscus tea and it never made her cough. I guess I am glad and mad at the same time. I got the leaves way back in May of last year and paid a little over $9 for a pound. I'm glad I was able to stretch the bag out for this long, and mad that I can no longer enjoy delicious hibiscus...

Maybe this will help someone else. I never would have guessed the hibiscus if not for using Mama's advice. Too bad I didn't think of it sooner.

Peace

--Free