• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Natural Remedies / SSKI: The Best Cough Expectorant You’ve Never Tried

SSKI: The Best Cough Expectorant You’ve Never Tried

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • How to Use SSKI
  • Natural Cough Expectorant
  • Where to Find this Old Time Remedy
  • Lugol’s or (KI) Potassium Iodide is NOT SSKI

Supersaturated potassium iodide, or SSKI, is a safe, effective cough expectorant routinely prescribed by doctors in the last century to open up the airways in the lungs to help clear deep coughs. It was also used for minor cases of asthma. Conventional medicine has all but forgotten about it because it is inexpensive to make with no opportunity for exclusive patenting rights. It is a natural alternative to toxic over-the-counter options for loosening deeply rooted phlegm to rapidly clear hacking coughs.

sski cough expectorant

When my Dad graduated from medical school in the 1950s, the go-to cough expectorant that was prescribed by physicians at the time was SSKI, super saturated potassium iodide. Some physicians refer to it as pima syrup. This is not to be confused with regular KI solution at the health food store.

SSKI was an inexpensive and highly effective tool for deep-rooted congestion that was beyond the reach of the cilia, the tiny hairlike projections that line the upper half of the lower respiratory tract, gently sweeping debris and mucous out of the lungs.

Old-time pharmacists regularly filled prescriptions for SSKI although today, most pharmacists less than about 60 years old would likely scratch their heads should such a script be requested.

SSKI works spectacularly well for thinning and clearing mucous deep inside the lungs so that it is more easily coughed up.  This function is very beneficial because when mucous is rooted deep inside the lungs, coughing is the only way to get it out.

How to Use SSKI

When I was a child, my Dad would give us 4-5 drops of SSKI in a small glass of water or juice at breakfast time. It was only used if we were coughing and had lung congestion that needed to be cleared. The result was truly magical.

Within a few minutes, he would instruct us to take a couple of deep, slow breaths. This would immediately trigger a very productive coughing spell that cleared out the trapped congestion.

SSKI works very very fast to thin the mucus and acts as a natural cough expectorant. As a child, I noticed that it would only take a few minutes and the ease of coughing up any mucous was very noticeable.

4-5 drops per day could be continued for a week or at most two with no ill effect. If a cough was severe, 4-5 drops twice a day could be used for up to a week to clear very thick, infected mucous.

Sometimes, after a few days of using SSKI, I would notice a bit of a metal taste in my mouth. This was the signal to reduce the dose a bit or taper it off if my cough had resolved sufficiently. It goes away immediately when the dosage is reduced or stopped.

Natural Cough Expectorant

For the past 3 decades since leaving my parent’s home for college, I have always kept a small bottle of SSKI in my medicine cabinet. One bottle lasts for 10 years or more. No kidding. I’m literally on only my second bottle since I graduated high school!

You can get it at a compounding pharmacy or order it online here. Use coupon code HealthyHome and get 10% off your order.

Even though I didn’t eat very well in college and throughout my 20s, I credit use of this age-old remedy for keeping me med-free during any bouts with colds or flu.

Other more expensive cough expectorants on the market which contain the drug Guaifenesin don’t work nearly as well as SSKI in my experience. Another downside: these over the counter medicines are loaded with additives and other undesirable chemicals.

SSKI, on the other hand, is just a simple compound consisting of two elements that are actually nutrients too: potassium and iodine.

Nothing else is added!

Where to Find this Old Time Remedy

Next time you need a cough expectorant, why don’t you try SSKI? You can order it online here and get 10% off with coupon code HealthyHome.

It is even more effective when you combine it with elderberry syrup, a scientifically proven remedy for reducing the symptoms and severity of coughs.

No doubt, when you ask your doctor about this simple traditional remedy, you will get a very quizzical look! He/she will likely have no idea what it is if under the age of 70.

It’s time to bring back into popularity some of these old-time remedies that work great, are very inexpensive and have no nasty additives – wouldn’t you agree?

Lugol’s or (KI) Potassium Iodide is NOT SSKI

It is important to note that Lugol’s or the potassium iodide (KI) liquid that you can order online or get at the health food store IS NOT THE SAME THING as SSKI.

It is best to get it at a compounding pharmacy or from a functional physician who can write prescriptions. If your insurance doesn’t cover visits to this type of doctor, consider switching to healthcare sharing.

Alternatively, you can order SSKI kits online here and get 10% off with coupon code HealthyHome.

References

How to Make and Use an Onion Poultice for Congestion
Natural and Effective Sinus Infection Remedy
Doctor Prescribed Treatment for Healing Croup Naturally
Pottenger’s Remedy for Respiratory Illness
Fast Tip to Prevent Sinus Infections
Power Shot: Best Green Juice for Nasal Congestion

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Natural Remedies
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

colorful cancer ribbons

First in the World, Peer-Reviewed Cancer Protocol Using Generic Anti-Parasitics (available without prescription)

More Photographic Proof Cavities Heal

More Photographic Proof Cavities Heal

The Milk Cure. 10 Days of Raw Milk Fasting

pink sleep mask to use with herbs for great sleep

7 (Best) Sleep Herbs for Better Slumber

Avoid Showerhead Sickness (by doing this regularly)

natural remedy for sore throats

Fast Acting Sore Throat Remedy (antiviral + antibacterial)

Going to the Doctor a Little Too Often?

Get a free chapter of my book Traditional Remedies for Modern Families + my newsletter and learn how to put Nature’s best remedies to work for you today!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Comments (253)

  1. Paul Hardiman via Facebook

    Dec 30, 2013 at 4:41 pm

    We need a DIY version.

    Reply
    • Bob

      Dec 31, 2013 at 11:06 am

      My thoughts exactly Paul. If somebody is making it then, it is make-able. In the end it will be up to the likes of folk like you and me who think along these lines to accomplish this task. Doing for ourselves and loved ones IS the answer and way out of the matrix. Slavery is pernicious and takes many forms. It also exhibits MANY “protective” attributes to maintain it’s primary position in ones life. Even down to the point of the slave asserting that they are not a slave. Like natural medicine, true freedom is hard and never ending work. Being tied to the system means you gotta have an “approved” doc. Making it yourself tells the “system” “I don’t need you, for anything”. And that my friend is the ONLY thing that puts a fright into the “system”. Therefore, it MUST be the right thing to do, yes? FURTHER, if you do it with no profit motive, well,…… the “system” hates you most of all for this. And again, this shows you the right path. Ones fruit and motivation are always showing for those who observe.

      As an aside, I just now noticed the add for Robitussin run below this blog. It’s claim is that “Nothing gives you more powerful cough relief”. In light of the topic being discussed here, am I the only one that finds this curious?…….

    • joe

      Feb 7, 2015 at 2:50 am

      Right on, Bob!!! DIY, avoid the system, and return to FREEDOM!!!

  2. Tom Bolander via Facebook

    Dec 30, 2013 at 3:29 pm

    Iodine, some of us will need to pass on this…

    Reply
  3. Dolores Vasquez via Facebook

    Dec 30, 2013 at 3:24 pm

    Wow, Julie, we need to locate this!!!

    Reply
  4. Mary MacDonald via Facebook

    Dec 30, 2013 at 2:59 pm

    I have an excruciating headache with slight fever and nausea. I haven’t taken any pain reliever in over a year and a half, but I can’t stand this much longer. I can barely drink water. Is there anything you can recommend to help with the headache?

    Reply
  5. Bettye Bagwell Anderson via Facebook

    Dec 30, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    Will a pharmacy mix it without a script ?

    Reply
    • E. Smith

      Dec 30, 2013 at 6:43 pm

      No, it is an Upsher-Smith (Pharmaceutical Company) medication that can only be obtained with a prescription from an MD. My doctor gave me a prescription with a number of refills. It works wonders.

  6. Nancy Ellwein via Facebook

    Dec 30, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    Another traditional remedy for congestion (that my mother, a nurse, used on us) is syrup of ipecac. It’s generally used to produce vomiting, but when just a few drops are used in a glass of water, it serves to help the body expel mucous naturally and safely from the throat, while coughing and clearing one’s throat.

    Reply
  7. Laura Grillo via Facebook

    Dec 30, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    Emily Leach!

    Reply
  8. David Rubino via Facebook

    Dec 30, 2013 at 1:03 pm

    Toxic?

    Reply
  9. Dana Pulak via Facebook

    Dec 30, 2013 at 12:18 pm

    I will have to learn more about this stuff. I like the idea of an aid that helps the symptoms instead of Suppressing. The cough is there for a reason…

    Reply
  10. Lenora

    Nov 30, 2013 at 10:09 pm

    Unfortunately, we do NOT have access to a Dr that can prescribe medication for us. And most medications (both OTC or prescription) we end up having adverse reactions to. 🙁

    What would you suggest from a natural herbal store?

    Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2025 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.