Is there anyway to supress or help speed along coughing without using commercial medicines such as Robitussin?

I've tried every way I can think of to supress or make my cough leave quickly. I've gargled salt water, and ate 50 grams of dark chocolate (Lindt's 85% Cocoa) but, they've only relieve my coughing a bit, but it hurts even more now that I don't gargle salt water regularly, I don't want to use Robitussin because those medicines have never worked for me in my whole life of coughing, and medicine barely responds to my body's problem because it doesn't always travel through my bloodstream.