Soothe Your Sore Throat Naturally with Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne works! My local co-op has some really hot stuff, with a much higher scoville rating than regular cayenne. At first I gargled by drinking out of a glass however my mouth was on fire! I then thought of this trick: Get a drinking straw and suck up some of the cayenne water, then use your finger to plug the end you drink from, creating a vacuum. The water stays in the straw and you can tilt your head back and bypass your tongue! It worked great and the cayenne has already helped my throat after 15 minutes. I used a little water at a time and swallowed afterward.

Had sore throat from cold. Gargled with the cayenne and instantly felt relief. It took about 3 days for the sore throat to completely go away. I gargled 3-4 times per day.

I had already tried the honey with cayenne and that did not give me any comfort. I did the cayenne ( 1 tsp) in 1 8oz cup of warm/hot water and gargled what I could stand ( it was pretty hot and I am usually not bothered by spicy things). Anyways, the burning on the tongue and lips is pretty intense for about 10 minutes. It did NOT burn my throat, only the hot water did, but not the cayenne. It has been about 15 minutes since I gargled and there is no relief. I still feel the same amount of discomfort that I felt before but now with a burn from the cayenne at the back of my throat and on my lips.

This is a true account on my part: I had been battling a particularly bad case of strep throat with antibiotics and motrin 'round the clock. I had read that cayenne can help strep, but I was skeptical so I didn't even try it.

After a week of continuing to feel miserable, I forced myself out of bed to go with my family out to eat at a restaurant, and for some reason, the vegetable soup sounded like the only thing I wanted. I had never eaten at this restaurant before, so little did I know that the soup was SPICY! I usually don't eat spicy things, but I forced myself to eat the soup...then something magical happened. With each painful bite, I could actually feel my strength returning. As I continued to eat the warm broth, my aches and pains subsided, and I felt better and better...way better than I had in a week! Why was this soup making me feel so good, I wondered? Then I remembered the suggestion to use cayenne pepper...and I wondered if the chef used it to spice up the soup. He insisted that he didn't, instead he used a hot sauce...a lot of it, lol. I asked if I could read what was on the bottle, so he ran to the back and grabbed it for me to read. When I looked at it, low and behold, the first ingredient was...cayenne pepper.

I was sold. This wasn't a case of the placebo effect, as all I wanted to do was eat. I didn't think that this soup would cure me when I ordered it, but in the end, it helped so much that I ended up naming it, the Magic Feel-Better Soup. Ha ha...I wonder if they changed the name after I called it that, but I haven't been back to check.

Dear Patricia,

I have used cayenne pepper in a gargle for a sore throat for a child as young as 9. It worked very well, but she was willing and my family is somewhat used to spicy foods.

If you want to try it, I would mix 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon clove powder in a cup with 4 ounces of water. Have the child put on lip balm first to avoid burning the lips and gargle a couple of times. (Perhaps have him gargle a couple of times with just water first so he knows what to do.)

You should try it yourself first and see how spicy it feels and gauge whether or not to have your child try it. For a child that is not very cooperative or hates spicy foods, this may be the best solution.

~Mama to Many~

Can I use it in my 6 year old daughter?

I had had a chronic sore throat for about a month.. I had tried to kick it with fermented garlic ( which used to help quite a bit) and probiotics, and oregano, but had eventually gone to a conventional route and taken some antibiotics, which helped for a while. However, the sore throat crept back and I didn't want to do another round of antibiotics, so I tried gargling with cayenne ( a tsp) in a cup of warm water with salt- yes, it burned but a day and a half of this, gargling about three times total, has cured me of the sore throat.. Just want to say, thanks, Earth clinic people- you have save me another trip to the doctor!

I had had a chronic sore throat for about a month.. I had tried to kick it with fermented garlic ( which used to help quite a bit) and probiotics, and oregano, but had eventually gone to a conventional route and taken some antibiotics, which helped for a while. However, the sore throat crept back and I didn't want to do another round of antibiotics, so I tried gargling with cayenne ( a tsp) in a cup of warm water with salt- yes, it burned but a day and a half of this, gargling about three times total, has cured me of the sore throat.. Just want to say, thanks, Earth clinic people- you have save me another trip to the doctor!

1 tsp of cayenne with 8 ounce glass of water and my sore throat was gone overnight. What a relief to find this site, I'm so grateful!

I was a little skeptical at first, but I was in such bad pain so I would try anything. So I just add cayenne pepper (powder) in a chicken broth and although it was super spicy I felt better. Good luck!

I have used cayenne for sore throats for many years and I recently found a natural over the counter throat spray made with hot peppers and horseradish. It's great stuff. One spray and my sore throat is gone.

I use cayenne pepper when I first notice a sore throat coming on. I put a little tap on a wet q tip and paint my throat with it, being careful not to get any on my tongue. So far this worked every time.

Have you been tested for b12 deficiency? Burning tongue can be a sign that you need b12 shots to replenish a seriously depleted store of b12 in your body.

I woke up yesterday with a sore throat and looked online for natural remedies. Saw the cayenne pepper cure and tried a few shakes of cayenne in some warm water and then gargling. I felt better immediately, I can't believe it! I gargled 2 more times later in the day and my sore throat disappeared. Yea!!

I woke up yesterday morning with a wicked bad sore throat that has been going around my kid's school. I saw the cayenne cure for sore throats and immediately started gargling with it. Not a fun burn, but it definitely worked! I did it 3 times yesterday - a few shakes of cayenne in hot water - and then once this morning and my sore throat is gone! Hopefully I kicked the virus out of my body too.

I started getting a sore throat yesterday afternoon and promptly looked on Earth Clinic for remedies. I couldn't believe how many people tried gargling cayenne pepper for a sore throat! Amazing. I added a few shakes of cayenne to a small amount of warm water and gargled with it. Spit it out, took a breather and gargled again. My sore throat felt better an hour after that. I did it again last night before going to bed and woke up this morning with no throat pain. YEA!

Mary, are you sure you used 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper or was it 2 teaspooons ? I did not do it because I thought it was a bit too much so I used a teaspoon. Please let me know because I will use the 2T if I have to. Also did you just gargle with it or did you swallow it all. With 2Tlbs. how often did you have to do this. Thank you for your response, Clara

This is almost immediate relief... I have one of the worst sore throats I have ever had. I tried tea with honey, smoothies with lots of antioxidants but the gargle with cayenne, salt and I used some raw honey. I gargled and swallowed.

I had a sore throat for 2 days and I'm finally healed on the 3rd day after reading some of the posts on this site. The gargle-and-sip technique worked for me. I used 1 teaspoon of Cayenne and half a teaspoon of sea salt in 1 cup of warm water. I gargled for 30 seconds, spit it out and sip a little bit of that mixture. I did it again (gargle spit and sip) and lo and behold, my regular voice came back 30 minutes later. Cayenne is so powerful.

*** YOU MUST USE WARM WATER OR ELSE THIS WILL NOT WORK ***

Wow! It worked- cayenne pepper 2 tbsp, 1 tbsp acv, honey and warm water.. 50 min later I feel more alive than I have in the past 2 days being sick--- it burns my chest a little but the sore throat is going away and my energy is going way up!

I've had a killer sore throat--so bad that it kept me up 2 nights back--for a few days now. Honey, hot tea, etc etc have not been working for this one this time. So here I am and found this cayenne tip. WOW! I put 1 tsp in about 8oz of warm water and IMMEDIATELY my pain was gone. It's starting to make a slight return as I expected with this severe of discomfort, but I plan on gargling for a few times every hour until this subsides.

It definitely does not suprise me how well this worked for me today. I have been an all natural freak my whole life and never ended up with something other than a broken nose and folded septum that needed a doctor's attention. (I actually straitened it my self, 2 days later, it required surgery. ) This includes, well, you name it. Cayenne is something I heard about years ago from the mother of a cousin who is 99 years old and can still whoop anyone's ass. I used 1/2 tsp. in a coffee cup of warm water, and pretty much instant relif.

I've used Cayenne for about 5 years for my sore throats but I use liquid and the little bits don't get caught in my throat I dont have to wait for it to disolve and it is a much more pleasant experience. Hope this helps.

For my throat cure I use 2 fresh lemons, cayenne liquid, and I add a bit of agave warm water & it makes a delightful tea that I can sip throughout the day.

You have to use WARM WATER with Cayene pepper Clair xxxxxx It switches on a neouron that lets the body know ITS COMINING!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol xxxxxxxxxxx Its also to do with 'BRAIN CHEMICALS xxxxxxxxx Colds water, negatives the efffect of CAYYENE PEPPER XXXXXXXXXXXXX So do not use COLD WATER it MUST be as hit as you can stand the water xxxxxxxx Love Andrea C