Potatoes For Healing

One of my favorite things about living in a foreign land is learning the cultural "remedies" for ailments. Every culture has them (i.e. in America you eat chicken noodle soup when you have a cold or flu, etc.) and they often vary greatly. For instance, last year when Eli had pink eye a Turk told me to use a cotton ball to dab cooled, Turkish tea on his eyes every 3 hours. Sure enough, within 24 hours his eyes were back to normal.

Today I was talking with my friend from Belarus and I was lamenting about this never-ending chesty cough that I have (okay, it's really only been 9 days, but still.). She suggested a "remedy" that is a little out of my comfort zone but interesting enough that I just might try it. Now, please note that we communicate with each other in our second language (Turkish) so there might be something lost in translation.

For a chesty cough she recommends: Buying potatoes. Peeling the potatoes. Boiling the potatoes in water until they are soft enough to mash. Mashing the potatoes. Putting thin cloths on my chest and back and then pressing the potatoes onto the cloths (that are on my chest and back) while the potatoes are still hot. Then I'm to wrap a blanket around my back and shoulders (and by default the potatoes) and wait about 30-40 mins until the potatoes have cooled. When all is said and done the potatoes can be pitched and my lungs should be free of any flem. 

Are there any other "cough-ers" out there who are willing to try this with me?