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.
Hot Sauce
Posted by Mark (Cambridge, Ontario) on 03/17/2009
★★★★★
i tried this one with Franks with cayanne in it.it w orked great five drops in a cup of luke warm water. and presto no sore throat.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by corie (turnersville, nj usa) on 01/30/2009
★★★★★
a glass of hot water and salt helped my sore throat. i just gargled it until the glass was empty. i did this repeatedly every few hours or so. i also found that hot tea with honey and lemon works but not as long as the salt water. the tea just tastes better. vitamin water helps keep the sore throat away for a couple of hours. i would drink a bottle of it over the course of 1 to 2 hours after doing one of the remedies. ricolas dont work that well but they do help coughs and sometimes congestion it really depends on the flavor you get.
for post coughing pain i tried this really weird concoction but it worked. i used skim milk (don't use any other milk but skim or you will get flem) and a pinch of cinnamon. it helped with the pain you get after you have been coughing for a few hours.
Acid Reflux Connection
Posted by Bonny (Nassau, Bahamas) on 03/15/2010
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.......
Stop Talking
Posted by Ann-Taylor (Private, Caliornia) on 01/12/2009
★★★★★
I've had a sore throat for at least 2 or 3 days. At that time every time I stood up I would get very dizzy and everything would turn black for 2 or 3 seconds. It it hurt when I swallowed, the pain came from the right side of my throat. I've looked up the information I was going to maybe buy some Cayenne Pepper but later on, I stopped talking for at least 6 hours STRAIGHT. It helped a lot, although this information may not help for some other people with worse sore throat. Although, I did eat and drink. All I didn't do was not to talk just kept my mind busy on something else.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Pam (Chicago, Ill.) on 09/02/2012
Can you be more specific how to use.
Vinegar
Posted by Tory (Jackson, California) on 12/21/2008
★★★★★
I'm suffering from the worst sore throat I've EVER had, and I'm 51. I read all the cures and the most posted about Apple cider & vinegar, so I didn't have any vinegar here, but I did have these pickled garlic pieces, I chewed one and drank some juice from it, its the first I've had relief in 4 days!!!
Mouthwash
Posted by Christina (Tallahassee, Florida) on 12/08/2008
★★★★★
I tried gargling mouthwash for my sore throat and it worked right away. My throat started to hurt a little while after but its much more tollerable now that I can actually swallow! I used about a cm over the line inside the cap of the mouthwash.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Erica (NYC, NY) on 11/28/2008
★★★★☆
apple cider vinegar, lavender oil, peppermint tea, sea salt
I read through the blog and pulled everything i could find in the cupboard. Yesterday felt my throat starting to swell and woke up in the middle of the night with left throat gland / lymph node really painful and hard to swallow.
Ended up gargling warm water with apple cider vinegar, lemon and honey, then drank a cup of water with 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. drank 3 cups of peppermint tea with lemon and honey, applied lavender oil to the glad with a warm water press for a few minutes, also sprayed echinacea/tea tree oil in my throat and even drank a glass of water with sea salt.
Sounds a bit much? Probably... but it's only been an hour and a half and I think the swelling is definitely reducing, i'm definitely feeling a lot better and not as worried thats for sure. I think a lot may be psychological too - the more stuff you take for it, the more you think it will heal and so it does. So make sure to stay positive. :)
White Pepper
Posted by Mary Ann (Rural, South Africa) on 11/03/2008
★★★★★
Thank you for your miracle site. Being pensioners money is an affliction in itself. What joy to find this site. Well here is my small contribution.
Re-aligning a dropped little tongue. At the onset of a bout of sore throat or flu, the small tongue seems to drop back into the throat, affecting the ability to swollow. and is also very uncomfortable, almost worse than the flu its self. Take a small amount of pepper, preferbly white pepper, on the very tip of a round tipped knife and carefully dab onto the tip of the little tongue. This will pull the tongue back into position.
I tell anyone who will listen about this amazing site.
Tequila
Posted by Jacob (Costa Mesa, Ca) on 10/26/2008
★★★★★
I have very sensitive sinuses. I cannot, in my entire life, recall a year where I did not get to enjoy the wonders of a sinus infection. For me this means, among other things, lots and lots of very sore throats. A few years ago I was informed of an unorthodox sounding homeopathic remedy which I tried and have had tremendous success with.
What strikes me as odd is that this remedy is not at all featured on your sore throat article as a popular solution.
At the time I was working in a bar as a bouncer and between the yelling that is necessary to control a crowd and the sore throat I had even breathing had become a labored process. I asked the bartender what she did in these situations. She told me that she drank a shot of tequila and had learned to do so from one of our cooks, Luciano (Lucy for short.) I thought she was messing with me and didnt appreciate it. So I approached Lucy when she wasnt around and asked him. He told me about the tequila. He is a notorious joker, so I still didn't believe. I asked our other cook Pedro, and he also told me he would take a shot of tequila. It was just too much, so I figured I'd do it just to prove them wrong. I know that you prefer to keep your website label free, but they were pretty insistant that I use Patron, and I will explain why in a moment. Patron is very pungent, but the silver label is incredibly smooth as tequila goes, and that is pretty much the only reason to use it above other tequilas. I have used Cuervo as a cheap alternative and had similar success, the Patron is just more pleasant going down. As a rule drinking is a bad idea with a sore throat because it will dehydrate you and aggravate the condition and further your discomfort. If you can keep it to just ONE shot though the results are amazing.
That night, and every time I have had a sore throat worth treating since then, the shot of tequila worked miracles. Relief within about a minute, and by the next morning my throat felt good enough to let me yell again. I took another shot the following night and it was all cleared up by the next day. I get predictably similar results every time I repeat this remedy. I must stress that keeping yourself to just 1 or 2 shots is PARAMOUNT. A sore throat is not a good reason to go out and have a night of binge drinking. You will regret it.
I also understand that this remedy might not be practical depending on your religeon. You will, however, find that most religeons are quite tolerant of using mind affecting drugs when it is done so in a medical capacity. I myself subscribe to a religeon that prohibits me from drinking, smoking, or imbibing anything that might limit my ability to function in any way. But even I am allowed to take vicodin when disabled by headaches or tequila when rendered mute by a sore throat.
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Posted by Tracy (Dearborn, MI) on 10/16/2008
★★★★★
Cayenne Pepper is great for circulation, but when something is 'hot' like a sore throat, don't you want to cool it? I use Grapefruit Seed Extract now - known for killing the strep virus (and I had strep 6 times in one year and hated taking antibiotics) ... so I was on a quest. Anyways, GSE turns out to be a Godsend, kills internal bugs without biotics... great thing! Brush teeth to kill sore throats - or gargle, if more severe. Great thing is, it numbs it. Raw throat, however, can't seem to snuff. What do you to when your 7 year old has a terrible raw throat and can't swallow? Darn!
Antiseptic Mouthwash
Posted by Jennifer (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) on 02/04/2009
★★★★☆
I used anticeptic mouthwash during the first day I noticed an irrated throat. I used the normal amount stated on the bottle for mouthwash but I made sure to allow it to reach the far back of my throat. It does help it to immediately feel better, but I wouldn't say that it cured my ailment. I have had a sore throat for several days and today I tried both Cayenne, and later ACV straight with honey like a shot. Just now I tried the salt water gargle. All have helped but we will see how fast I recover.
Antiseptic Mouthwash
Posted by Andrew (Lansing, Michigan) on 04/18/2009
★★★★☆
when i heard that listerine worked, i tried gurgling it in my mouth a couple times. It works but it doesnt cure your sore throat completely. It makes your throat feel alot better. And it gives you a fresh breath.
Antiseptic Mouthwash
Posted by Lea (Wabash, In) on 12/16/2009
★☆☆☆☆
The Antiseptic mouth wash work slightly for me when I treid this. I think relief in that area the mouthwash was able to reach lasted for a total of 5ish minutes. I have an extreme sore throat which from what I've read sounds like it could be strep or Mono. Though I've had both tests done for it, saddly it isn't either but a bad viral one. Salt Water provided more relief for me than mouthwash.
Horseradish
Posted by Lynn (Albany, Georgia) on 09/30/2008
★★★★★
Cayeene Pepper will cure your sore throat. Living in the south we are more prone to allergy related problems and believe in grandmas remedies. My cure for sinus and sore throat problems is a spoonful of horseradish, coated with Lousianna Hot Sauce (made from cayenne pepper) and take it till you feel better. I usually eat about 3 heaping spoonfuls every hour till it is gone. Usually gone by the next day.
Mouthwash
Posted by Jonathan (Rocklin, CA) on 08/07/2008
★★★★★
Anteseptic mouthwash gargled on the back of the throat effectively relieves mild to severe soar throat pain. This method also shortens the length of an average soar throat. I have told many friends about this method and have received it's praise every time!
Vinegar
Posted by Kaila (Springdale, Arkansas) on 07/13/2008
★★★★★
Welll i try salt and vinigar with hot water to gargle. It might taste odd but it helps alot. Use five teaspoons of salt and a half cup a vinigar. but it does not matter how much water you use! Hope it helps.
Rum
Posted by Tina (Park Forest, Illinois) on 05/17/2008
★★★★★
Sore Throat Remedies: Rum worked great for me -- i gargled with it for about 30 seconds and then spit it out and took a small swallow of the mouthwash and within a minute my sore throat was gone it is so nice to be able to talk without wanting to cry!!!
Rum
Posted by Minyen (Los Angeles, CA) on 07/25/2008
★★★★★
Haha. well it really worked....me && my friend tried it . BUT the thing that killed it was the mouthwash....that made me throw up ! Ew.. But the RUM worked good.. && THINK TWICE ABOUT THE MOUTH WASH !
Rum
Posted by Robin (Rural, VA) on 07/26/2008
Do I understand that you are supposed to "swallow" the mouthwash?
Rum
Posted by Nadine (Brooklyn, New York) on 11/01/2008
★★★★★
I tried the Rum and/or Listerine Mouthwash and it works ! I took a shot of Mexican Tequila and tried to gargle as long as I possibly could. As soon as I spat out the Tequila, my tonsils felt instantly better. The irration went right away and it almost feels like they aren't there. I will probably take another one here soon since I took a very little one the first time. Also with the Mouthwash, it works as well. I used it every morning with brushing my teeth, however, do not swallow this one. Simply just gargle and spit. I personally think Rum or Tequila works alot better because it has a stronger alcohol content then mouthwash. Goodluck!
Rum
Posted by Sam (Dayton, Oregon) on 07/14/2011
why do you spit out the rum, but drink the mouthwash? since your not sapose to swallow mouthwash but drink rum.
Peppermint
Posted by Janine (Pittsburgh, USA) on 05/10/2008
★★★★★
When you want some caffeine and a way to relieve your sore throat at the same time, try 4 bags of peppermint tea with 4 bags of green tea steeped in 12 cups of hot water. It's very good and it relieves the throat instantly.
Lemon ginger water also works better than plain water to relieve a sore throat (the juice of a lemon and 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger root (squeezed through a garlic press a few times) in a 2 quart pitcher of water. More palatable than some of the other remedies I've seen here. Plus, it works!!
Myrrh Gargle
Posted by Sam (Albany, NY) on 05/08/2008
★★★★★
Whenever I have a sore throat, even if it's just because I slept with my mouth open, I gargle with myrrh. We always have tincture of myrrh around the house, since it's useful for many, many things. Here's how I do it: I take a plastic cup (3oz.) and put as much tincture in it as I think I can stand. Then I dilute it a bit with some warm water, and gargle, repeating until everything in the cup is gone. Then, I rinse *just* my mouth, NOT my throat, with regular water. This leaves a bit of an aftertaste and you might produce excess saliva for a couple of minutes, but it helps quite a bit with the pain and can also help kill whatever infection might be causing the sore throat.
