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.
Cayenne
Posted by Sean (Charleston, SC) on 08/30/2007
★★★★★
Gargling with Cayenne Pepper helped my sore throat immensely. I put together James from Georgia's concoction to further help my throat and and never in my life have I been more afraid to drink something. It does taste like I am drinking the wing sauce straight but it has rid me of much phlegm and aided my sore throat. My throat still burned a bit but once it went away so did most of the pain in my throat as well as some congestion.
Cayenne
Posted by Camille (San Clemente, California) on 08/19/2007
★★★★★
I tried 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper with 1/2 cup warm water gargled and spit six times. The next day my sour throat was almost gone. I didn't even have repeat this again. After one morning it felt good enough to stop. However, I recommend to continue until the pain is completely eliminated. THANKS FOR THIS CURE. ITS AMAZING!!
Cayenne
Posted by Dawn (Wa State ) on 11/17/2021
You answered my question of does it burn yikes 😳
Cayenne
Posted by Patricia (Northampton, UK) on 01/31/2015
Can I use it in my 6 year old daughter?
Cayenne
Posted by Doddie (Lawrenceville, Georgia, Usa) on 04/21/2013
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
Cayenne
Posted by Eddie95 (Liverpool, Uk) on 07/20/2012
★☆☆☆☆
well its a NAY from me, been trying this for a few hours cant say anything is improving except for a burning mouth. I assume this works the same as the salt water trick in that osmosis draws water out of your inflamed throat, reducing the swelling slightly, and temporarily. but it does not "kill the bug", "disinfect the disease" etc.
most of us have flu viruses. You can't kill that with salt or antibiotics or anything. The only thing that really makes swallowing less painful is just to keep eating and swallowing. It only gets really painful if you try and stop swallowing for ages. so the more spaced out your swallows, the more they will hurt.
people are saying this definitely works, because after two days the sore throat has cleared - well duh, it would probably have cleared by then anyway, most sore throats do get significantly better after about 2 days. so you can take whatever you want and give credit to that, or you can just accept your body just got rid of it the underlying cause (because our bodies are actually pretty good at sorting things out themselves! ), and the "remedies" did nothing but maybe fractional temporary relief.
Cayenne
Posted by Lynn (St. Clair Shores, Michigan) on 10/09/2012
Maybe using cold water with the cayenne would be better than warm. Perhaps there would be less burning. I'm trying 1/8 tsp. Cayenne with 1/2 cup of cold water. My sore throat is caused from itching due to allergies and sinus drainage. We'll see how this remedy works for this type of sore throat.
Cayenne
Posted by Andrea C (Cardiff, Wales) on 01/26/2013
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
Cayenne
Posted by Dara (Los Angeles, Ca) on 02/05/2013
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.
Cayenne
Posted by Wplush (Honolulu, Hi) on 05/25/2012
Did you try ACV for your BMS? Where can you get Cayenne Pepper? Do you have any other problems such as digestive or skin issues? Is the Cayenne still working for you?
Cayenne
Posted by Dana (Kennewick, WA) on 09/17/2014
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.
Cayenne
Posted by Anon (Tel Aviv, Israel) on 04/22/2012
★★★★★
Cayenne for sore throat worked perfect for me. Thanks
Cayenne
Posted by Krista (Wolcott, Ct) on 03/07/2012
★★★★★
I occasionally get those horribly painful sore throats where I feel like my throat is swollen way in the back- maybe my tonsils. I usually suffer through it, but the last time I had one, I was staying with a friend and she made me a mixture of hot water, lemon juice, maple syrup (she didn't have honey), and cayenne pepper. There was so much relief from it! The relief didn't last very long after I finished drinking it, though (maybe 20-30 minutes). I believe it shortened the time of my sore throat, though. I was also alternating that with gargling salt water.
Today I woke up with a sore throat and at lunch time I went to the store to get lemons, honey, and cayenne pepper. I've drunk two mugs of it (one whole lemon's worth) so far. The first time I put too much cayenne pepper in it. You really only have to put in enough so that you feel a tingle in your throat but not a burning. I'm not sure if it's all due to the cayenne pepper. It might be the combination with the lemon and the honey. But it really does work.
Cayenne
Posted by Alecia (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) on 04/04/2012
How much of everything are you supposed to put for the hot water, lemon juice, honey(maple syrup), and cayenne? I would like to try this but don't want to end up more sick than I started :)
Cayenne
Posted by Marianne (Los Angeles, Ca) on 09/08/2012
Have the same question as Alecia. How much of everything do we use?
Cayenne
Posted by Barb (Waterford, Mi) on 02/23/2012
★★★★★
I was suffering from a severe sore throat and was willing to try anything to relieve it... Even water was torturous to drink... So I tried cayenne pepper every 15 min. for an hour as suggested. Each time was extremely painful as I gargled with it and for about 30 seconds afterward... It offered about the same relief as a saltwater gargle after that. I kept it up for a day and did not experience any healing from it.... Don't put yourself through the agony of the gargle... it's gonna take a few days to get better inspite of anything you do.
Cayenne
Posted by Sickly (Los Angeles, Ca) on 02/29/2012
★☆☆☆☆
Did not work for me, my throat burns really badly, not strep, no fever, but so much pain in my throat and congestion in head. I tried this last night and today, it did not work. I did the amounts mentioned here with warm water and poured it into the back of my throat and gargled 15 seconds, repeated until I finished the glasses. It felt better for a few minutes, which happens when I gargle with hot salt water anyways, and then mostly my mouth just hurt from the spice and my throat is still in the same amount of pain. It did not help for more than a few minutes, even gargling a glass every 15 minutes for an hour didn't do anything besides clear up my sinuses for a bit.
Cayenne
Posted by Chloe (Rochester, Nh, Us) on 05/23/2012
While possibly an effective method for curing sore throats due to colds, etc. , I would NOT recommend this to anyone who suffers from soreness due to something like chronic tonsilitis. For a condition such as this, the cayenne acts purely as an irritant.
Cayenne
Posted by Someone (Somewhere, Magic Fairy Land) on 02/04/2012
★☆☆☆☆
DO NOT USE!!!!! I tried this, with warm water and about a tsp of cayenne, and now not only does my throat hurt more than it did before, but my mouth is on fire too!!!!! Once again I repeat, DO NOT USE!!
Cayenne
Posted by Cory (Oakville, Washington) on 03/16/2012
Anyone who puts a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a cup of water will most definitely feel like dying! I put a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in my taco recipe and with a pound of meat, it was still too hot! For those who try the cayenne, which really does work for most people, if done right, please, please use the cayenne SPARINGLY! I am talking like a tiny sprinkle to start, so you hardly even taste or feel anything!!
That said, my favorite remedy depends on what sounds the best at the moment. Hot water with cayenne and a dash of apple cider vinegar, hot water with lots of lemon and some honey, dill pickle brine... Also, the different remedies seem to work best when paired with the "right" sore throat. In other words, the reason I have the sore throat may be different from one time to the next (a cold, strep, just a post nasal drip without the cold... ) and sometimes one remedy works better than another. I haven't figured out what remedy goes with what cause, but who cares, as long as I can get rid of the sore throat!
Cayenne
Posted by Nikoo (Chronic Coast, California Usa) on 12/29/2011
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
I dont like doctors/hospitals and avoid at all costs. I have had a terrible misreable sore throat for almost a week. Felt like daggers when I swallowed.
Tried Cayenne pepper in warm water, cayenne in tea w lemon and honey, cayenne on my mashed potatoes, ACV cayenne lemon honey in hot water -- NOTHING WORKED. I had temporary relieve but sore throat would just not vanish. I think the remedies helped because I was hacking up all kinds of mucus but the pain did not go away. So finally as a last resort I went to see a doctor and she told me I had strep throat -- unfortantly this homeopathic cure could not overcome that kind of infection.
So I rate this remedy as a Kind of worked/temporary relief.
Will try again if I get a sore throat and post results then.
Cayenne
Posted by Davers84 (Mattoon, Il) on 01/04/2012
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
I have to admit I'm a bit surprised this was going to even work. But after reading all these responses, I figured the worst that would happen was I was going to throw up (which didn't happen). This remedy worked for me for about 6 hours. My throat has been like daggers though for the past 5 days, so it may be more sore than most that have been using this. However, it did numb the pain for some time and I was able to eat comfortably.
It did come back later though. And gargling more pepper water didn't do the trick. Since I was unable to eat a normal meal, I went out and bought two big cans of chicken noodle soup. I had always heard to eat this stuff when you are feeling sick. And I have to say, this worked better than the pepper water. I ate both cans (that's A LOT of soup but it worked for me) and more throat feels like it's back to normal and it's been about 8 hours now. Guess I'll find out tomorrow morning if it comes back or not.
So the cayenne pepper water does work, but only as a temporary relief for me. I can see it working for a minor sore throat completely though :)
Cayenne
Posted by Zertu (Multicultural Paradise, Ct) on 09/08/2012
Work wonders, I gargled 3 times for 1 minute. I used a quarter of a tbsp, a lot of lemon juice and a hint of salt. All a small glass of warm water I. E. like 2shots quantity...
Cayenne
Posted by Donald (Mount Sterling, Oh Usa) on 12/22/2011
Will Cayenne pepper capsules cure the sore throat? Can you take the medicine out of the capsules and mix with water and drink it that way? Or gargle with it?
Cayenne
Posted by Francisca (Zug, Zug, Switzerland) on 12/23/2011
Donald, cayenne pepper in the capsules must be the same you use in the kitchen, it is not a medicine as such! You can buy the powder in the supermarket or in an Indian shop, for example, and it will cost a lot less! Be careful taking those capsules as when you take the powder, or better, mix it with your food your stomach is already expecting it when it goes down as it felt the heat first in the mouth. If you take the capsule the stomach gets a punch when it finally arrives and that can leave you feeling really bad!
Cayenne
Posted by Kat (Comox, Bc) on 12/24/2011
I also have used cayenne. I found out it is best and recommended to pre mix the powder in warm water and drink, this way you avoid any stomach issues from a capsules dissolving in the stomach. It has so many uses... There's a book called " Left For Dead ' -anyone who is having heart issues, it's a great read.
Cayenne
Posted by Matt (Melbourne, Australia) on 06/03/2012
★★★★★
Amazing stuff, provided all most instant relief! I use to gargle alcohols which seem to work as well. But this seems to have done the trick! Thanks internet!
Cayenne
Posted by Queenvashti40 (Rock Hill, Sc) on 03/16/2012
I wish I would have read this two days ago. This remedy WORKS!!!! The worst part is the mild burning on the tongue and lips... Keep in mind I'm the exception; I eat absolutely NO hot or spicy foods. Give this a try and save yourself a copay and reduce the time you're in pain!!!
Cayenne
Posted by Shelaine (Vancouver, Washington) on 12/02/2011
★★★★★
Ok, this is working for me so far... Just tried it with 1t. In 8oz warm water. Did the gargle/swallowing the spit method. My only little issue is now my lips are on fire! I recommend some lip balm/petro jelly on thick before the gargle if your lips are sensitive or chapped.
Cayenne
Posted by Jamr (Fort Polk, Louisiana) on 12/12/2011
Can I use chili powder in place of cayenne?
Cayenne
Posted by Coloradopanic (Ft Collins, Co Usa) on 11/21/2011
Just tried the cayenne & warm water mixture... hot damn!! How are you supposed to possibly gargle something that is that hot??? Is it really supposed to work?? I'm desperate.
Cayenne
Posted by Raichealco (Longmont, Co) on 01/02/2012
Curious about this too, wondering what ratio to mix for best effect. Any help anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Cayenne
Posted by Texaswheels (Grapevine, Texas, Usa) on 01/03/2012
I just tried this last night for the first time after having a sore throat for the last week that nothing else was helping. I put a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a coffee cup, then poured warm water into the cup to fill it up. Gargled that mix every 15 minutes and a hour later my sore throat was gone. It was a bit hot, but went away after 2-3 minutes.
I was surprised at how well it worked and even more surprising to me is that after being awake coughing all night and have now lost my voice my sore throat has not come back, totally amazed.
Now waiting on the stores to open to go and purchase some apple cider vinegar and hoping that works as well for a cough as cayenne did for my throat.
Cayenne
Posted by Cheryl (Ladysmith, Bc, Canada) on 02/03/2012
I have had a cursed sore throat for over a week now on one side. It is all the way down to beside my voice box, or so it feels. I looked in my mouth and notice red inflammation by my tonsil and on my tongue side. I just went through putting one heaping tsp. of hot Cayenne Pepper with lemon and salt, I made a paste and poured a cup of hot water, added a little to cool it and proceeded to gargle, gag, spit and swallow.... Lovely... Yuck... But if I get relief, yay me. Cleared my sinuses so far and is already starting to feel better.. I shall come on after I wake up and give you all the yay, it works, or the yeah, it works temporarily or nay, just relief for a moment..... excited to see my results...
Cayenne
Posted by Madison (Duluth, Usa) on 11/11/2011
★★★★★
I got to go to work and I ahd a terrible sore throat. I used the cayenne and boom gone.
Cayenne
Posted by Carrie (Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada) on 11/21/2011
★★★★★
Cayenne absolutely works.
----> juice fresh lemons hot water honey as much cayenne as you can handle
-the cayenne burns a bit but it quickly feels soothing on your throat
Cayenne
Posted by Smilingnow (Lawrenceville, Ga) on 05/18/2012
★★★★★
It worked really well for me, did a gargle first and mixed cayenne in juice, wow I am feeling so so much better. Thanks a lot had to write a comment here.
Cayenne
Posted by Mrs. Hughes (Longview, Washington) on 05/19/2012
I'm going to give it a go with the cayenne. I've had a sore throat for over a week, my son tested positive for strep but I feel that I do not have strep as the symptoms just don't add up to it. I have no stabbing, horrible pain, no pus on the tonsils and no headache to report. I have developed a lump on the very back of my throat and it appears to be full of white pus, if I were to give my best guess, i'd say I have a small problem with that. So, I just gargled with cayenne and honey, tasted pretty good actually and did not bother me at all. I'm surprised that my sinuses aren't clear as a result but I have to say my throat hurts marginally less than when I started. I'd like to ease up on the ibuprofin use, so I'll stick with the gargle through tomorrow in hopes of tackling the problem and avoiding seeing a doctor (I do not have insurance). Thank you all for your input and God bless~
Cayenne
Posted by Pureheart (Lauderdale Lakes, Florida) on 11/17/2011
★★★★★
Well after reading several of these amazing results for cayenne, I gave it to my 14 yr old. She had a bad sore thoat for several days. Missed school on Tue, went Wed and called me five times to pick up today; Thurs. Before I left to get her I googled natural sore throat remedies and found this site. I make it with 1 tsp of cayenne and approx 6 or 7 oz water, warmed it up in microwave and told her to gargle with it. She told me in less than 10 min. "Mommy, this stuff is amazing, I feel better. I can eat"
Cayenne
Posted by Dana (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin) on 10/17/2011
★★★★★
Cayenne for Sore Throat
Thank you! 3 days, very sore throat. Nothing worked. Gargled ten minutes ago with 1 teaspoon of cayenne in 1/8 cup of warm water and already a big chunk of hard phlegm came up! Felt better immediately. This actually works.
Cayenne
Posted by Bob (England, Bristol) on 09/02/2011
★☆☆☆☆
It taste more horrid then you can imagine.
Cayenne
Posted by Gloria O (Jennings, La) on 12/02/2011
To: Bob, from England: I am a fellow Bristolian and all I can tell you is "stiff upper lip, old chap! " Go ahead and try it. It isn't ALL that bad. I only gagged several times and almost threw up. My throat is a little better. I'm waiting to see what happens tomorrow.
Cayenne
Posted by Richard (London, United Kingdom) on 08/25/2011
★★★★★
Hi, I just wanted to say thanks. I've always been fascinated with the remedies on EarthClinic.com but never tried one out until now.
For about ten days, I've been trying to deal with a stubborn saw throat. It was raw and swallowing was painful and difficult. As suggested, I tried gargling then swallowing some cayenne pepper in a glass of water.
The next morning my sore throat wasn't just improved... It had GONE. I'm amazed. Further testimony to the fact that we don't always need to throw pharmaceutical medications at ourselves at every opportunity. Thanks again!
Cayenne
Posted by Courtney (Kalamazoo, United States) on 09/06/2011
how many times did you gargle the water and cayenne pepper?
Cayenne
Posted by David C (Melbourne, Australia) on 08/22/2011
★★★★★
Just tried this today and it worked almost instantly! Just get a cup (250ml) of orange juice with pulp and mix it well with about 1/8th of a teaspoon of Cayenne and sip it slowly.
Cayenne
Posted by Marcus (aka Hookah-victim) (Jax, Fl, USA) on 08/20/2011
★★★★★
Amazing Amazing Amazing..... Its a miracle.... Ok, here's the story --- a little more than 2 weeks ago I went to a bohemian style restaurant that served Hookahs... Having never tried it, I ordered one and began to puff away the entire evening.... Very cool.... However 3 days later I woke up with a terrible sore throat and congestion... (beware of the public hookahs!!!!!! They are FUNK harbingers!!! ).... I gargled with mouthwash many times, and salt water also, and nothing got rid of it.... It has lasted a full two weeks and I was at my wits end and even considering going to the Doc which I never do... But last night I googled and found this site... I immediately went to the kitchen and found that I did not have any cayenne pepper... However I did have a shaker of "Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning" which lists red pepper (cayenne) as one of its main ingrediants... So I got a coffee mug and shook a good amount of it into the mug and even threw in some salt on top... Then I just filled it with tap water and stirred..... Then I began to take small swigs and gargled them.... I never actually drank any outright but I did swallow the spit I had which was heavily laced with the salty peppery concoction.... After I got thru the whole mug I went and got a spoon full of honey and slowly swallowed it to coat my throat... Then I went to bed... This morning a woke up and guess what.... NO sore throat... Its completely gone... Many many thanks for the remedy... it realy works!!!!!
P.S. just say no to hookahs :-)
Cayenne
Posted by Booya! (Mount Laurel, New Jersey, Usa) on 09/15/2011
So my throat has been hurting for the past four days. And I googled some remedies and found this website. I was saddened that I had no cayenne pepper, so I looked around for something with red pepper in it. I picked up the Old Bay, read the ingredients and rejoiced when I saw that it had red pepper in it. I gargled that bad boy and IMMEDIATELY my sore throat was gone!!!! AHHH!!! The only side effect I have now is a tingling mouth from all the spices Old Bay contains. I dont mind it though!!!
Cayenne
Posted by Lpta08 (Roanoke, Va) on 10/17/2011
Just tried this because I woke up with a terrible sore throat caused by allergies/sinus drainage. I didn't have any cayenne pepper but looked in the cabinet and found some montreal steak spice. Mixed it with a cup of water and gargled til it was gone. It helped ALOT!!
Cayenne
Posted by Sam (Nyc, New York) on 08/02/2011
do I chop up the pepper and put peices in at a time, and gargle or do I put in the whole pepper and drink all the water and bite off a peice at a time while keeping the same pepper in it?
Cayenne
Posted by Lily (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) on 08/03/2011
Hi Sam, you just use the powdered Cayenne pepper in the spice section at the store for your gargle, you can also swallow it if it's not too much, normally the tip of a teaspoon is enough. Of course you can use more if you can handle it. Cheers Lily.
Cayenne
Posted by Kama (Nashville, Tn) on 06/27/2011
★★★☆☆BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
I recently had a bacterial throat infection. I finished one round of antibiotics and the symptoms instantly came back. The doctor prescribed a different antibiotic. When my throat infection started to come back after completeing that, she informed me if this didn't work she'd have to send me to an infectious disease specialist.
Desperate to avoid this, I started gargling with salt water, then with a few shakes of cayenne pepper powder in warm water. I did this for ten minutes every three or four hours. The rivers of snot in my throat went almost completely away. It no longer hurt to eat. Within two days, my throat is almost completely healed after over a month of agony.
It did give me canker sores, however, so people prone to them might want to be wary. Even so, I'll take a few canker sores that heal in days to throat pain for months!
Cayenne
Posted by Maral (Davis, California) on 07/02/2011
My throat hurts like hell! It feels like an open cut! I have always experienced sore throat my whole life but this one is killing me. I cant even cough because of its pain 1)no body ache 2)no headache 3)no sever runny nose! Jist SORE THROAT. I couldnt sleep from 5:00 AM till now! My throat is all red and sensetive! I cant swallow my saliva! I have tried Thera Flu and salt and water and hot tea! It gets worst and worst. So I decided to use CAYAN+WORM Water salt this morning. I was so afraid its gonna burn so bad! But it DOESN'T! And actually it didn't do anything either! Im about to go get some PHO (soup)and mix it with cayanne peper to see if it gets better!
Cayenne
Posted by Mike (Paradise Valley, Arizona) on 07/02/2011
Go to the Dr. It could be throat cancer. Don't chance it.
Cayenne
Posted by Rocco (Ortley Beach, New Jersey, Us) on 07/15/2011
★★★★★
I've had a sore throat now for nearly a week and finally was fed up. I've been gargling salt water and just about every other remedy I could think of. Then I talked to my friends mom because she's a nurse and suggested that I try gargling salt water with a couple pinches of cayenne pepper. Instantly I felt some relief from my sore throat. It has now been a couple hours and I feel remarkably better. I completely suggest this remedy fir anyone who doesn't like attending doctors... Like me!!
Cayenne
Posted by David (Cleveland, Ohio) on 08/07/2011
★★★★★
Thank God for this site! I have had the worst sore throat in a very long time. So painful and I had lost my voice! I tried gargling with peroxide, used sore throat lozenges, and have taken a ton of ibubrofen and nothing has helped. It was so painful to swallow. So I read this thread and heres what I did:
Gargled with 1 teaspoon in 8 oz water twice 20 minutes apart. My sore throat is virtually gone and I can talk again! It is unbeleivable! To finish it out I am eating lentil soup with a ton of cayenne pepper in it to really get at my throat.
Give it a shot! The gargling with the cayenne pepper was not bad whatsoever!
Cayenne
Posted by Leon (Barcelona, Spain) on 12/08/2011
★★★★★
I mixed a teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper in a glass of warm water and gargled with this a few times over the course of several hours. My sore throat has improved unbelievably!
The pepper is HOT, and had my eyes watering, but totally worth it :)
Cayenne
Posted by Heatherdee (Calgary, Alberta) on 04/15/2011
Okay I have been swallowing what feels like razor blades for 11 days now. I went to the doc day8 and he told me virus, there was nothing he could do. I have tried everything except this. I am near tears with pain and frustration. I am going to go do this right now and post back. Wish me luck as I am turning mental due to the pain!
