dragon breath

I've had a hacking cough for something like four weeks. It drained me of energy. It made me irritable. I wanted it to end. One of my colleagues at work gave me a concoction to eat to "help with the cough." Everyone at work probably was tired of hearing it and worried it was contagious.

It was onions, garlic, lemon juice and some sugar. Wow, it was potent! I was supposed to take a bite every 30 minutes or so. It did clear up the cough, which was interesting to me. But, it had a side effect that I titled "dragon breath." I didn't want to speak with anyone as I was sure the odor coming out of my mouth was something horrific.

Home remedies, what are yours?

NOTE: the next day I also had a strange odor coming out of my skin. I guess it can act as a cough remedy and repellent - a two for one!