“Is hot tea good for a cough?”

One has to explain what kind of tea. Some cultures use tea (e.g., lemon honey tea, cinnamon tea, clove tea) for cough. The way it helps is that the ingredients are basically antiseptic and when the patient inhales the steam from the hot beverage, it helps dissolve mucous. It helps in symptoms of common viral infection. These infections are short duration and the patient is able to get better after a few days of illness. But if symptoms persist more than 4-5 day, running fever, or shortness of breath, then please seek immediate medical help and evaluation by a qualified health care provider.