The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Soup
Posted by Kayla (Spokane, Washington) on 04/01/2007
★★★★★
What works the best for most of my family is just good old Miso soup. the soybean white is the best! My sore throat was going away as i was eating it! try it! You can normally get it in a package at the grocery store and any asian market..
Hot Sauce
Posted by Sam (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) on 03/21/2007
★★★★★
Been using hot peppers for ever, but I just take a very small bite of Tai, Jalpeno, Habanero or whatever hot pepper I have on hand. Your saliva starts to flow like crazy but then just swallow very slowly, letting your choice of pepper ease down the throat. Don't choke and I can eat unusually hot food I am told. But it works like a charm within hours it you can handle the heat.
Pear Juice
Posted by Sean (Chatham, VA) on 03/20/2007
★★★★★
Here is something that gets rid of sore throat pain for a while; Pear Juice. You can get bottled Pear Juice in the baby-food section of a grocery store. OR you can still find some pears canned in their own actual pear juice. (The juice from pears canned in "corn syrup", will not work.) It has to be real pear juice. This is a lot easier for kids to swallow, then something like cayenne pepper. I don't know why it works. I just know it does. I doubt its killing the bacteria/virus causing the sore throat. But it does get rid of the pain for a while.
Pear Juice
Posted by Patty (Chicago, Illinois) on 03/02/2009
This works because with some sore throats your throat is dry, the pear juice is thick and coats your throat and gets the mucas in your throat wet again. it is a quick fix but does not kill the germ.
White Pepper
Posted by Quaker (Easton, MD) on 03/20/2007
★★★★★
A welsh lady told me to try white pepper in hot tea for a sore throat and it works for me. Gargling with warm salt water is also good, as are Fisherman's Friend lozenges which contain capsaicin (red pepper).
Paprika
Posted by Alison (Hull, UK) on 03/17/2007
★★★★★
Sore Throat Remedy: I only had Paprika in my cupboard so I used more - it's working as I type! Mixed it with honey, lemon, ginger, cinnamon and hot water and drank it as soon as I could. Bring it on!!
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Patty (Pine City, MN) on 03/01/2007
I use cayenne pepper too for sore throats, but have found that mixing it in glycerine makes it much easier to take. Take about 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper (I use red pepper from my spice cabinet) and mix with 1 ounce of glycerine. Let sit together (I let sit for 2 days) then strain, using a coffee filter, into a bottle with a dropper. This method makes the concoction taste almost sweet and works great. Just drip onto sore areas of throat.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by I Like Green (Ann Arbor, Mi Usa) on 02/19/2012
I thought that glycerine is bad to suck!
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Ellen (Rochester, Mn) on 04/09/2012
They put glycerine on pacifiers in the hospital to get newborns to take them.
Whiskey
Posted by Fred (MB, South Carolina) on 02/14/2007
★★★★★
I first tried the hot water with Cayenne Pepper,and to no avail it did not work as expected it did however excite other sensory cells in which resulted in desensitizing the sore throat,I then moved to Cayenne Pepper in Apple Cider Vinegar,in which again failed. So I thought I would try the lemon in which did seem to help a small amount,I tried the Pineapple Juice in which seemed to have subsided the pain much better. I also tried using salt in hot water for several days,in which resulted little to no change. There are two types of sore throats one that is Bacterial,and the other is Viral,while Bacterial can often bee cured by antibiotics,Viral sore throats cannot be,and often require a running of its course,it is important to note that Viral sore throats are caused by the bodies immune system during its war, your anti bodies essentially destroy the cold virus via chemical acid,by spraying acid onto the cold virus it also destroys healthy cells in its process,burning the lining in the throat,that is why vitamin c is important in fighting a cold,because the acidity level needs to be high to fight off the cold virus. however a sudden change in your acid levels in your throat can actually irritate the sore throat and make it worse,such as a sudden use of a Zinc supplement. While some success has been met using salt in a hot water mixture,this success is due to the fact that the sensory cells in the throat has already been damaged to a point whereas the salt water actually cures the lining the same process that is used to cure meats,on the other hand a sore throat in which has not been damaged much may get worse using salt,or eating foods such as a salty soup,and crackers. Now comes another fact if the sore throat is Bacterial certain foods should be avoided such as sweets,and high fructose corn syrups,as the bacteria will thrive on such simple sugars. Cough drops should be avoided,as well as certain mouth washes such as plaque controls,or other washes that contain sugars. The best remedy for a sore throat is a good white whiskey,stay away from the dark. Gargle with the whiskey a few times a day until the sore throat subsides,then have you a shot once or twice a week to help stay off any future occurrences.
Whiskey
Posted by Fiona (Fife, Scotland) on 01/08/2007
★★★★★
I have a few sore throat remedies to share.
Firstly: Fresh fruit ice lollies (popsicles to Americans?) are excellent soothers, especially for children. Sucking on any ice is helpful to the pain, but the added vitamin C from fresh fruit helps the healing process. If you can't find fresh fruit lollies in the shops (Tesco's Finest do fresh orange ones for UK residents) then just squeeze an orange or lemon into your ice tray and suck on them. Combine them with your favourite pain killer, and the world seems a better place.
Secondly: Gargle with neat whisky. No, this isn't a joke - it's absolutely, one hundred percent my favourite sore throat remedy. (Then again - I am a Scot!). I recommend NOT swallowing every time, unless you're in a party mood, so don't use your best single malt. But gargling with potent alcohol, the stronger the better, not only numbs your throat so you feel no pain, but disinfects it, too. I had a sore throat recently that lasted one single, solitary day. I reckon the whisky killed it stone dead.
Whiskey
Posted by Jeff (Shorthills, NJ) on 01/04/2007
★★★★★
Sip some brandy or whiskey very slowly so that it coats the throat. Be careful it might cause some gagging. Do this very slowly with small amounts of whiskey. Perhaps the alcohol in whiskey kills the germs. But proceed with caution.
Hot Tea
Posted by Michelle (Colorado Springs, CO) on 12/03/2006
★☆☆☆☆
I have had a very bad sore throat going on 10 days now!! I'm 11 weeks pregnant so I unfortunately can't take a lot of medicines. So almost every website I went to said to drink hot tea with lemon and honey. I have been drinking this for 3 days, even trying to change the amount of lemon and honey I put in it and the level of hot I can stand. My throat is still just as sore and wasn't even relieved for a couple minutes. I'm sure it works great for some people but I have not had good luck with it.
Hot Tea
Posted by Ch In Iah (Houston, Tx) on 12/10/2009
To Michelle from Co. Springs: if your sore throat has lasted for 10 days, it is probably more than just a sore throat. You might need a traditional remedy which your doctor can assign or prescribe even while you are pregnant.
Hot Tea
Posted by Saida (Nyc, Ny) on 07/29/2011
are you sure? my mom usually put vicks but I can tell that hot tee is good 4 u because the hot steem will heal him.
Eucalyptus Oil
Posted by Marie (New Providence, NJ) on 11/27/2006
★★★★★
I used to get a sinus infection with every cold I got. then I would take an antibiotic and it would go away. for the last 3 years, I have taken 2 drops of essential oil of eucalyptus directly on my tongue at the first sign of a cold. As a result, I have not had the sore throat and stuffy nose that usually came with my colds AND they have not turned into an infection. I haven't had any antibiotics in 3 years. I recommended this to my sister in law who suffered from the same ailments and she swears by it too.
Turmeric
Posted by Anj (UK) on 10/06/2006
★★★★★
Mum always used this when the cough/cold would not go away. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt with 1 teaspoon of turmeric and couple of drops of water to make this into paste. Wrap cotton wool around your finger or toothbrush and put the paste on the cotton wool and try and paint the inside of your throat as deep down the throat as possible.
Ephedra
Posted by Robert (Ramona, CA) on 06/29/2006
★★★★★
I used to get sinus infections every year in the same month in the spring time. I started taking ephedra supplements and I did not have any more sinus infections. I stopped taking ephedra after the ban and I just came down with another sinus infection.
Ephedra
Posted by Tammy (San Antonio, Texas) on 10/21/2008
I took Ephedra in the whole herb form for about three years to prevent my sinus infections. During that time I never once came down with a sinus infection. After the ban on ephedra I've been battling sinus problems ever since.
Ephedra
Posted by Teresa (Kenedy, Texas) on 10/22/2008
Tammy: Primatene tablets, that contain ephedra, can be purchased through the pharmacy, you will need to sign for these, as they keep a record of how much and how often you are buying it.
Water
Posted by Anonymous (USA) on 04/20/2006
★★★★★
Water! It helps keep your throat moist. Keep water at your bedside for when you wake up and whenever your throat is feeling dry, drink water.
Epsom Salt
Posted by Crystal (North Chicago) on 04/18/2006
★★★★★
I poured Epsom Salts into a nice hot bath to soak the aches away. Soaked a hand towel in the tub with me, then laid back with it laid over my face and neck, with another one behind my neck. When I got out of the tub, not only did my achy muscles feel better, but my throat was no longer hurting at all.
