The efficacy of using garlic water to treat cough is not yet clinically clear, therefore, it is not recommended to use garlic water to relieve cough after it occurs, but to go to the hospital for preliminary examination and use medication under the guidance of a doctor. If the cough is diagnosed by a doctor as a cold cough, garlic water can be used to relieve the cough along with medication if the doctor agrees. Cold cough usually has a thin white tongue, or is accompanied by clear phlegm or a stuffy and runny nose, and can be relieved by consuming appropriate warm, cough-relieving foods. From a TCM point of view, garlic is pungent and warm, which has the effect of dispelling cold and can relieve cold cough to a certain extent. The specific method is to put an appropriate amount of garlic patted into a bowl, put it into a steamer, boil it over high heat, then change the heat to low and steam for a while, and take the garlic water to drink; you can also take a decoction of garlic, ginger and brown sugar together. Garlic water is not suitable for coughs caused by some diseases, such as asthma, where garlic is pungent and stimulating and may aggravate the condition. Garlic is warm in nature, and garlic water is also not suitable for coughs caused by yin deficiency and internal heat. For example, patients with red tongue body and yellow tongue coating, or with yellow phlegm, which is sticky and not easy to cough out, mostly have wind-heat coughs, which are not suitable for using garlic water to relieve symptoms, and can appropriately consume foods with heat-clearing and lung-moistening effects, such as winter melon and pear. The antibacterial effect of garlic water is weak, and it usually cannot play a role in treating the cough. Patients are advised to actively seek medical advice. For pharyngitis, bronchitis and pneumonia caused by infectious factors, antibiotics can be taken as prescribed by the doctor. Cough caused by asthma also requires systematic treatment, timely removal of triggering factors, and application of bronchodilators and other medications under medical supervision.