12 Simple Sore Throat Remedies
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Here are a dozen home remedies to help soothe and get rid of sore throats, these are simple to whip up and treat yourself with–nothing too fancy for ingredients and you likely have many of these items in stock at home.
Chamomile Tea Is One Favorite Remedy To Soothe A Sore Throat
- Cayenne Pepper Gargle: Mix 1/8th of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper with 1/2 cup warm water, gargle with this frequently throughout the day.
- Salt Water Gargle: Add 1 teaspoon of table salt to a cupful of warm water, gargle with this every other hour or so.
- Apple Cider Vinegar Gargle: Mix 2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar with a cup of warm water, gargle every hour.
- Ginger Tea: Make a strong tea with freshly grated ginger (about 3 teaspoons per cup of boiling water), steep for about 5 minutes then stir in a spoonful of honey and sip.
- Thyme Tea Gargle: Sooth a sore throat with thyme tea. Brew 1 tablespoon dried thyme in 1 cup boiling water. Strain then gargle. From 23 Home Remedies From The Spice Rack.
- Honey & Lemon Tea: Mix two teaspoons honey and 1 teaspoon lemon juice with one cup of boiling hot water. Allow to cool a bit then drink.
- Licorice Root Tea: Brew a tea made with licorice roots (one or two pieces per cup) and sip. You can also brew licorice tea bags or chew on a piece of licorice root to help relieve the pain. Licorice root can affect blood pressure if too much is consumed, not recommended for those who are pregnant or have high blood pressure.
- Cloves: Slowly chew on a few cloves.
- Green Tea: Sipping a cuppa green tea can help, but gargling with it is also recommended since it naturally fights infections. See Tipnut’s Guide To Green Tea for more info on the health benefits of green tea.
- Baking Soda & Salt Gargle: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of each baking soda and salt with a 1/2 cup of warm water and gargle a few times each day.
- Chamomile Tea: Best to start sipping this tea as soon as you feel one coming on.
- Hydrogen Peroxide: Gargle 3% hydrogen peroxide to fight the throat infection. If the taste is too much for you, dilute with some water first (about 50/50).
Tips
- Run a humidifier in your room at night to help prevent your throat from getting too dry, a Herbal Decongestant Steam can also help.
- Sucking on hard candies or lozenges helps coat and soothe your throat.
- Throw out your toothbrush and start a fresh one to avoid reinfecting yourself.
- Coughing and sore throats often go hand in hand, see 10 Cough Remedies & Treatments.
Sore throats are a common symptom of a cold or flu developing but they can also be a sign of bacterial infection that can lead to problems if untreated (strep, tonsillitis, etc.). If it doesn’t seem to be getting better after two or three days, make sure to see a doctor since you may need antibiotics to fight the infection.
Note: These are simply remedies I’ve collected, they’re not professional medical advice. Be aware that some spices and herbs may conflict with prescribed medicines–always check with a doctor before treating yourself.
Do you have a tried and true I missed? Feel free to share it below!
Have to say I’m personally a bit skeptical of gargles for sore throat . . . it’s been my feeling (and I’ve read something somewhere, though can’t recall where now) that when you gargle, you kind of close off your throat so the gargling doesn’t actually reach the part that is actually sore. But it doesn’t hurt to try, either!
What is a good sore throat gargle for a child with strong gag reflexes? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Thanks for the suggestions!
I definitely like the idea of coating the throat using any variety of lozenge. They do help.
I also suggest, as simple as it sounds, water. Drink plenty of it to make sure you are well-hydrated. Often, sore throats can be caused when it’s just dry in there, and drinking more water can help that.
I’d also add to maybe avoid dairy products for a while, as they can increase mucus production which may stick in your throat. Then, when this dries out because of too little water…
For me, teas, of all varieties, are so nice in such a situation.
The best remedy for a soar throat is a strong tea of Sage (Salvia Officinalis) with some honey. The Sage is a strong antisceptic so it solves any problem right away. It is nasty and bitter to drink, though, that is probably why the honey is put in it. But honey is also antisceptic, so it doesn’t harm in any way.
I can vouch for the hydrogen peroxide. Swear by it in fact.
I dilute it with water and gargle. I understand bout the solution maybe not getting to throat, but the fact remains, your sore throat will be GONE in 15 minutes.
A 50 cent bottle will keep you ready at the first hint of soreness.
It is also great for removing bodily fluids from clothing. I keep a bottle with a spray by the laundry. When my dog had pups in a pillow bed, got every last dab, of whatever that green stuff was, out.
i use white vinegar for a sore throat. i gargle with it. it works for me.
I read online and found that a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter works. I tried it and its a great help. It lines the throat kinda like a lozenge does.
When attending boarding school, and in grade 8, I had been given the suggestion to use 1 teaspoon of honey 3 times a day for my sore throat. It worked!
Equal amounts of honey and vinegar! mix the two together and have it! it seriously helps the throat! TRY it: 1tsp Honey and 1tsp Vinegar(of any type) in a bowl, mix them and have it!
DONT DRINK WATER IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT AS THE AFFECT WOULD BE REDUCED!
*Please note, every person is different, so the results might differ for you as an individual*
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The peroxide and water 50/50 mixture worked best for me but I found that I could not tolerate the peroxide taste even when diluted, so I added just a little honey didn’t think it would hurt since honey is used in many sore throat remedies! Tasted better and worked well! Hope you feel better soon!
the best gargle I tried was hot tea salt and lemon..let it steep .you will see if you have an infection the tea will become unclear and if you are ok the gargaled tea becomes clear. I used the same treatment for urinary tract infections ,I just washed with it every time I went to the bathroom.
If you won’t to put an end to this nonsense of sore throat concoctions, try the only cure my little wooden head came up with years ago, out of screaming desperation. Take two Nature’s Own (or equivalent) chewable vitamin C tablets and put them on each side of your mouth in the pouches behind the teeth and close your trap. That seals them in for a slow melt, even over night while sleeping, if your not afraid to do so. This remedy has killed even the throat wars from hell. It is not a miracle cure by any means; it still takes time, but far less time than any other remedy out there. Unless you get stone drunk for four days. Good luck. Most remedies insure your going to have a lot of pain, this C tab remedy limits that threshold from a 10 to a 2.
Don’t substitute clove oil for clove buds. I did it. It was a mistake. I spent half an hour puking… o.o