Care to share the recipe? That sounds excellent!
Here’s my recipe for cough syrup, this recipe makes a lot - about 1 1/2 gallons, but it lasts over a year (so far, never had any go bad), and it works not just for coughs, but reduces head and bronchial congestion, and seems to speed up respiratory infections. Meaning you feel better sooner. I have not found much info about emphysema specifically, will keep looking, but there is a lot of info on the Natural Health thread. Medicated milks are good for lungs, especially Pippali (aka Long Pepper), especially when used regularly.
Wild Cherry Bark Cough Syrup
https://freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3735908/posts?page=1023#1023
And a lot of info about lung health, not just this comment, but others around the thread as well:
Lung and Breathing Support Part 1
https://freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3735908/posts?page=316#316
Lung and Breathing Support Part 2
https://freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3735908/posts?page=322#322
Keep reading down for more herbs and ways to use them for respiratory health.