07/26/2009: Ten-d from Dallas, Texas: "I've been reading these threads and see that there are SO MANY people worried about the heat of the pepper. If you want to use Cayenne Pepper, just start putting in your foods. It tastes great! Obviously don't put it in cereal! But chicken, salads, soups, even certain sandwiches taste better with Cayenne Pepper. CP is a great spice, it assists your body's natural blood flow and helps to carry nutrients via the bloodstream into your body more quickly. Using it all the time will help in your general health - plus because you will have been using it, you will have gotten used to it, and thus, the gargle wont worry you a bit! Give it a try. But I do say get the stuff from the health food store. The name brand stuff just doesn't do the trick, at least for me it doesn't"

10/29/2012: M.akram from Abbottabad, Pakistan replies: "Thanks very much for this post. I have been looking for something like this desperately. Thanks very much for sharing this piece of information."

12/05/2012: Donnie from Chicago, Illinois replies: "Why are you suppose to avoid dairy? My throat has been hurting but I drink one of those instant breakfasts that mix with milk. Should I lay off the milk until I'm better then?"

12/07/2012: P from Middle Of, Fl replies: "I'm late; however aloe juice always helps with vomitting. I've had multiple success with multiple people. Honey and Ginger tea excellent as well. If you're still vomitting now being 2days later (can be something severe) read up on iodine in the above in remedy tab. Hope this helps for future reference."

05/08/2009: Shawnshine from Portland, Or replies: "Unfortunately, sugar lowers your immune system and allows the bacteria in your throat and mouth to breed more rapidly. I would advise against using sugar if you're battling a bacterial throat infection such as Streptococcus."

01/09/2010: Angela from Rock Hill, Sc replies: "Definitely agree. Don't use sugar. I mix mine with real lemon juice, warm purified water (not distilled), and Grade B organic maple syrup. This gives it a warm herbal tea flavor. It is the same as the "lemon juice diet", but I do not fast very often. I like it because it is healthy and I have osteoarthritis that is very painful in the winter and it helps with that a lot."

[YEA]  04/05/2011: Penny from Los Angeles, Ca replies: "For sore throats and sinus problems I add cayenne to a broth of one crushed piece of garlic, one table spoon of ACV, soy sauce to taste, one dash of toasted sesame oil and a teaspoon of honey. I pour boiling water over this mixture in a mug and drink it like a cup of tea. It tastes pretty good. The garlic, ACV and cayenne really help to knock out a cold."

01/13/2013: Tàylor from Tucson replies: "Milk should be avoided during a time of illness but the post about how it makes the heat worse is absolutely untrue. There are proteins in milk that bond to the capsacin sp? molecules in peppers, which are the heat of the peppers, and get washed away."

02/14/2013: Angela from Rustburg, Va, Usa replies: "I tried the Cayanne /ACV/ garlic/broth mix and only substituted hymalayan salt for soy sauce, and it hardly touched my sore throat. The warmth and spice cleared up my nose, and felt pretty good, but it was not the miracle cure I was told it was. Maybe it's just because I have the worst sore throat of my life, that kept me up the entire night... But still. (Don't get your hopes too high. ) On the plus side, it's really pretty good. I had fresh broth, and boiled the garlic just a bit, and it was a very nourishing and tasty soup."

02/14/2011: Gail from Las Vegas, Nv replies: "Let the cayenne and glycerin sit for two days? My throat hurt so bad I didn't have time to wait. I mixed it according to your suggestion and immediately dropped it into my throat. Mixing it with glycerine did produce a sweet flavor. Within in minutes I was able to swallow with much less discomfort.

I'd like to know why I should wait two days before using the concoction.

Thanks"

02/19/2012: I Like Green from Ann Arbor, Mi Usa replies: "I thought that glycerine is bad to suck!"

04/09/2012: Ellen from Rochester, Mn replies: "They put glycerine on pacifiers in the hospital to get newborns to take them."

03/11/2009: Chloe from Amherst, MA replies: "I tried the lemon and honey trick, with about 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, microwaved it for 20 sec, then tried to gargle it and burned my tongue and bottom of my mouth badly. Make sure it's not too hot, or it will just make it worse."

04/07/2009: Debbi from Delta, CO replies: "I tried the 3 tbsps of honey with 3 tbsps of lime juice, since I didn't have lemon juice on hand. I generously sprinkled cayenne pepper and added a few drops of water. Heated it 20-30 seconds and drank. I tasted pretty good and I could immediately tell that in was "working" on the sore areas of my throat. I immediately got my voice back and am very hopeful that this will give me relief throughout the course of this sore throat. I will repeat as necessary until the sore throat is gone. I speculate that it doesn't cure the sore throat, but numbs it. But that is good enough for me. With the symptoms reduced, I can certainly wait this thing out!"

[YEA]  06/05/2011: Kikiloise from Novi, North Carolina Usa replies: "when I have a cold or a sore throat or I lose my voice I take a tblspoon of honey and apple cider vinegar... works like a charm! The after taste may burn a little bit but not bad."

[YEA]  01/15/2009: Rob from Mount Vernon, NY: "sore throats and acid reflux!

Here's a tip I'd love to share. Last year I dealt with a sore throat for over 3 months! Finally went to an ENT who put the camera up my nose and down my throat and saw that there was no infection. As it turns out he diagnosed it as acid reflux! So he put me on a reflux regimen and started me on AcipHex which I tried for a week to no avail. Then I tried Nexium out of pocket since it was not covered in my insurance formulary, and in about a day and a half, it was gone! Hope this helps someone!"

07/08/2009: Sheri from Winston-Salem, NC replies: "I am a singer, and had lost my singing voice for about 3 months--no pain--just couldnt' sing. Dr. diagnosed me with acid reflux, and put me on Prilosec OTC. I recovered in a short amount of time. Evidently, when we sleep some of the acid comes up in our throats and harms the vocal cords. Interesting stuff--I didn't even know I had acid reflux. hope this helps!"

03/15/2010: Bonny from Nassau, Bahamas replies: "Vocal help suggestions anyone?

3 months ago what I thought was a discomfort in throat & neck from maybe too much singing is still with me after 4 different antibiotics, numerous tests & 2 scopes from ENT doctors. One thought it was acid reflux due to the inflammed appearance where the oesophagus meets the voice box....10 days on omeprazole made me feel worse . The next gave me anti-inflammatories which seemed to help but once stopped, the raw feeling & sensitivity on right side of throat returned. I cannot even speak for long without a strained feeling, nevermind sing.......any suggestions, this is so depressing......."

12/07/2011: Mike O from Blackwood, Nj Usa replies: "Orange Peel Extract is the answer. It is all natural not a prescribed pill... D-Lymonene is what I use take it once in the morning and works like a charm! First few times you will burp up oranges but that means it's working. Good Luck"

03/06/2012: Lou from Tyler, Tx replies: "I had horrible pain seemingly in the thyroid and hoarse voice today and the last few days. Hard to breathe and swallow. I used one of Ted's suggestions. I put 5 drops of hydrogen peroxide (3%) in a bottle of water 16.5 oz. (approx. 1/2 liter) and a little bit of borax (1/8 tsp. ) I feel 100% better now. Drink this slowly over 1/2 of the day."

[YEA]  05/16/2007: Brice from Sringfield, USA: "I've had my fare share of sore throats, and I find that taking one capsule (1 billion count of organisms) of Acidophilus plus one 200mg of Ibuprofen every 4 hours helps with the pain.THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION. This works for me, but may cause further health problems in others. Acidophilus is a probiotic, which means you shouldn't take it with antibiotics. Acidolphilus contains the same Lactobacillus (rod-shaped bacteria) found in milk or cheese. The breakdown of nutrients by Lactobacillus Acidophilus produces lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and other byproducts that make the environment hostile for undesired organisms. Acidolphilus is not recognized by the FDA to cure any disease. Ibuprofen helps in reducing the swelling. Ibuprofen is a blood thinner and shouldn't be used with other blood thinners. Ibuprofen has also been known to cause stomach pains and stomach bleeding. If stomach pains occur, drinking milk may help. READ THE DRUG FACTS LABEL."

08/17/2008: Tamara from Yukon, OK replies: "Acidophilus can actually be taken with an antibiotic and should be taken with an antibiotic. This is why.... antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria. When the good bacteria is killed, it can cause diarrhea or a yeast infection. The probiotic, acidophilus, will help keep the normal flora, or good bacteria intact and help prevent antibiotic associated diarrhea or yeast infections."

03/19/2009: Ellen from Chicago, IL replies: "Yes I agree, it is a must to take the acidophilus when you are on antibiotic treatment, the key however, is to take it between doses of the antibiotic, for at least as long as you are on the treatment and longer if you desire. If you have been on previous/numerous antibiotics you could take the acidophilus as a daily supplement."

[YEA]  06/18/2013: Sorethroatgone from Denver, Co: "ACV and Cayenne: DUDE!!! This works quickly! ... I woke up this morning at 6 AM with a sore throat, sneezing, and a runny nose... Like the river Euphrates (seriously)... And I just felt "sick"... Like a cold, I guess. I had to blow my nose about 1, 000 times, non-stop. So I did a couple shots (cap-fulls) of Apple Cider Vinegar and then immediately took some pictures of my face to commemorate the event. Then I mixed a quarter (1/4) teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper into a quarter (1/4) cup of water and gargled it in small doses (and spit it out) several times and also drank some (and I took some more pictures of my face). Then I blew my nose another thousand times, non-stop. That was 2 hours ago and my nose stopped running and now it is 95% clear, and my sore throat is 95% gone. And I don't feel sick anymore. Sweet! Now I can go to work! Word of caution: these things are not fun to drink, but it only feels annoying for a few minutes... And well worth it! Don't be a sissy, do it! (Nothing personal against sissies)"

[YEA]  06/08/2012: Rebeccarhae from Los Angeles, California replies: "Last night I sipped 1/2 c. ACV, 1/2 tsp. And 3 T. Honey mixed with warm water until I couldn't drink anymore, then gargled with the rest. When I woke up the pain was nearly gone. Amazing results! Which saved my skin because I started a new job today.

I agree with whoever suggested it tastes like wing sauce. Having that in my head made it more palatable somehow, even though I don't usually seek out spicy food.

I feel sorry for the girl who tried to temper the ACV with apple juice- seems like a mistake to me, like putting blue cheese in milk or RW vinegar in wine. But yes. This totally worked and I will do it again- earlier next time!

Oh, and PS. I bought all the necessary ingredients for around ten bucks, too. Most otc medicines are more expensive than that..."

01/13/2011: Sushilvr from Gainesville, Fl replies: "Vitamin C and Vitamin E

You might want to try this remedy; take 3000 mg of Vitamin C along with one 400 I. U. softgel of Vitamin E.

I'm an R.N. And had not heard of this before until a friend of mine in healthcare mentioned a couple of years ago. Apparently Vitamin E has a synergistic effect on Vitamin C. 3000 mg of Vitamin might sound like a lot; but remember C is water soluble, so what your body doesn't use, you'll pee the rest out. Granted Vitamin E is not water soluble, but I only take this concoction when I begin to feel sick. I'll take it as soon as the symptoms begin, then when I go to bed, when I wake up the next morning, and usually one more dose several hours later. I typically don't need to take it more than that as my symptoms disappear and whatever it was that was starting never culminated into a cold or anything else. You can buy Vitamin C where each tablet is 1000 mg; so you only need to take three of them. They're large and granted Vitamin C is kind of bitter, even if they're flavored tablets and the larger ones tend to be more expensive; but I prefer to do that as opposed to taking several of the smaller ones that are a smaller dose per tablet.

Anyone I've mentioned this to by the way, has eventually gotten back with me telling me that this worked for them.

I've only recently returned to nursing full-time as I had been a FT CSI while working PT as an R.N. For 13 years... So I'm still in the process of building up my immunity level. Most people in healthcare, after working full-time for 6 months, will have never been sicker those first 6 months, and then suddenly, it seems you just don't get anything. In the meantime, I'll stick with C & E regimen. It's worked every time without fail so there has to be something to it. I've been using it for about two years now since my friend told me about it.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this works for anyone else who may try it."

EC: Thanks, Sushlivr! Your feedback has been cross-posted to the flu remedies page.

12/13/2012: Charlie from Jacksonville, Fl replies: "Turmeric powder! Its a miracle worker! Gargle some of this in warm water a couple times and bam! Your sore throat is gone! I swear! Old Indian secret taught to me by a friend."