Natural Sore Throat Remedies: 10 Fast-Acting Community Favorites

Cayenne Pepper Recipes

Posted by Armadillo17 (Chicago, Il) on 01/13/2013
★★★★★

I am so grateful I went to your site! I mixed about 1/2 tsp red cayenne pepper powder with a Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup warm water and about 1/2 tsp salt. I too was worried about teh cayenne buring my mouth, since this had happened to me years before, but it did nto happen this time. (Perhaps the salt neutralized it?) Anyhow, aftert the first 2-3 gargles I saw about 50% improvement in the pain. This convinced me to continue and now I have some hpe I will banish this miserable sore throat before I must return to work (tomorrow! )

Also, I brewed some tea with ginger, lemon, honey and Earl Grey and this is helping too. Let me add that this is by far the NASTIEST sore throat I have ever had---the phlegm has like, CHUNKS of greening yellow stuff in it. Eeeew! But I did obtain some relief and will definitely re-gargle shortly with the same mixture.

Cayenne Tips

Posted by TÃƒÂ ylor (Tucson) on 01/13/2013

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.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Sheila (Cork, Ireland) on 12/28/2012

Sage tea works every time for a sore throat. Add a teaspoon of dried sage to a cup of boiling water, cover and leave for 5-10 minutes, then drink slowly.

Cayenne Pepper Recipes

Posted by Les Mis (St. Peters, Missouri) on 12/26/2012
★★★★★

I have had a cold off and on for a month! Thank you mono. This tea worked really well and really fast. It is really strong.... but it is totally worth it! So, far I have had 3 teaspoons full and my sore throat is gone.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Daniel (Redding, California Usa) on 12/24/2012
★☆☆☆☆

Story: I am 13 years old, and its the day before Christmas eve. And I was sick the day before (Now just a sore throat)

First I gargled salt water (1 tsp/8oz) 3 times, every 10 mins. Cooked up some lemon-herb tea (Excessive honey). Then I found some leftover pasta and sauce from dinner, so I warmed that up, put alot of black pepper in it, and ate it... For the last part (Not necessary) Drank a sip of Soy-Egg-Nog to make my throat feel better before bed.

Morning results: Even worse...

Cayenne Pepper Recipes

Posted by Cherokeeandproud (Somewhere A Time, Somewhere A Place) on 12/24/2012

Want to know why cayenne relieves a sore throat? It's the capsaicin. You can make an ointment or liniment our of cayenne and make your own headache reliever. The capsaicin acts much like Cepacol in the sense that it essentially becomes a "local anesthetic". This is why you will get relief but have to do it several times for it to "stick". I love cayenne. It's a great immune booster, it works great on heartburn, it tastes amazing on food, if you make an ointment or liniment it makes an amazing headache/migraine reliever. I've been using cayenne probably longer than this site has been around. That being said, I just tried the cayenne pepper gargle since it's Christmas Eve and a few days ago my husband was kind enough to share his germs and now I have a sore throat. I also added a little bit of salt just for good measure. Let me say that, having had to drink valerian root tea, which literally tastes like dirt, this concoction is absolutely the most foul, vile tasting thing I have ever experienced. The sore throat is still present but it is not as bad. I can now swallow and it's basically just that "scratchy" throat feeling you get when a cold is beginning to creep up on you or when you have some annoying, allergy related sinus drainage down the back of your throat. So I think I am going to say this method, though it's absolutely disgusting, works really well because this sore throat got into my subconscious and into my dreams before waking me up after a mere 4. 5 hours of sleep.

A tip to all that do this: ONLY USE 1/8 OF A TEASPOON! I think that may be why it tasted so horrible. I used about 1/2 a teaspoon, not realizing it. Also, I would recommend probably 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt. It's still going to taste absolutely disgusting but I think it won't be as "strong" of a taste while still working just as well. To get rid of the scratchy feeling, if you're still left with that afterward, I recommend simply gargling with regular salt water and a cup of warm, herbal tea.

Brandy

Posted by Steve (Epsom, Surrey England) on 12/21/2012
★★★★★

Thought I'd share this adult remedy that I've used for 20 years. If you've got a sore throat coming on....... Gargle with Brandy 3 or 4 times in one night (not cheap supermarket brand stuff because I've tried that and it doesn't work). The next day your throat will be gone.

Turmeric

Posted by Charlie (Jacksonville, Fl) on 12/13/2012
★★★★★

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.

Cayenne Pepper Recipes

Posted by Jane (Auburn Hills, Michigan ) on 12/10/2012
★★★★★

I suffered from recurring sinus infections for the past few years. They would last months. Three weeks ago, I opted to have sinus surgery, a septoplasty, and turbinate reduction. The recovery has been absolutely miserable all around. About a week and a half after the surgery, I woke up with the worst sore throat imaginable. The doctor said I had a throat infection of some sort post-op and put me on Biaxin. Four days on that, and it got worse and worse. Then my doctor switched me to Augmentin. For three days I took that, and nothing helped. I also gargled salt water daily and it didnt help at all.

Last night, I woke up with my throat almost completely swollen shut and inflamed and it felt like I was swallowing glass. I dreaded swallowing and couldn't even manage water. I went to the ER and was there for several hours. The only answer they had was narcotics and to send me home with more narcotics and steroids to reduce swelling. I was in tears because I had no answer for what was wrong, I couldn't just take narcotics to mask the pain and the antibiotics were not working and I had been suffering already for nearly ten excrutiating days. Three doctors and no solution.

I came home and began to research relief for severe sore throats and stumbled across the cayenne pepper recipe on this site. I was intrigued but also nervous it would just exacerbate the pain given my luck lately. After debating for about an hour, I decided I couldn't bear the throat pain another second. I gargled the first time and the most nasty things came out of my throat. I repeated the gargling process for about ten minutes. There was relief but I was skeptical it was just numb from the burning of the hot pepper. About two hours later, my throat was somewhat better so I gargled again. More productive phlegm and dried blood. I gargled a third time this evening and still had productive phlegm come out, however, I have absolutely no more throat pain!!!! To think, this was all it took after almost ten days of needless drugs and misery. The throat still feels a little raw from the "trauma" when I drink any acidic juices, but I am 100% feeling better in the throat region. Now if only there were magic home cures for the sinus surgery recovery - congestion, sinus headaches, swelling, constant post nasal drip.

Cayenne Tips

Posted by P (Middle Of, Fl) on 12/07/2012

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.

Cayenne Tips

Posted by Donnie (Chicago, Illinois) on 12/05/2012

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?

Hot Sauce

Posted by Patrick (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) on 12/03/2012

well I have a really sore throat that I had for three weeks now. And gone throught 4 packs of [cough drops] in one day, and still dont help me. Its so hard for me to talk, I cant sing, yell, and I can bariley breath half the time.

Iodine

Posted by Mundaring (Perth, Western Australia) on 11/10/2012
★★★★★

Over the past 6 months since discovering Earth Clinic I have revised how I deal with health issues. Waking up with a sore throat I would generally have tried an OTC remedy. I decided to gargle a few drops of iodine in a teaspoon of filtered water. I thank God it worked within 30 minutes to alleviate my pain. VOILA!

Cayenne Tips

Posted by M.akram (Abbottabad, Pakistan) on 10/29/2012

Thanks very much for this post. I have been looking for something like this desperately. Thanks very much for sharing this piece of information.

Mouthwash

Posted by Inka (Narnia, Neverneverland) on 09/23/2012
★★★★★

This is a definite yea. As soon as I tried it, my throat began feeling better.

Mouthwash

Posted by Katy (Brighton, England) on 09/23/2012
★★★★★

Wow. I tried this and felt fine almost instantly! I did things a little different though, I watered down some mouthwash and swallowed that and it worked just as well! Thank you!

Vinegar

Posted by Abby (Birmingham, England) on 09/12/2012

i tried the vinegar it didn't completely cure it but when I wake up usually my throat is so painful I can't talk. I tried the vinegar and oh my god it relieved the pain so much. I used just normal vinegar it worked better then my cyder vinegar.

Coconut Oil

Posted by Pam (Chicago, Ill.) on 09/02/2012

Can you be more specific how to use.

Black Pepper

Posted by Mary (Toronto, Canada) on 07/10/2012
★★★★★

I read a lot of feedback about the benefits of cayenne pepper for sore throat on this website and I'm happy to say I tried gargle couple of times a day with black pepper instead, and for my surprise it works as well. It took me about one day for sore throat and 3 for tonsils, no need for antibiotics or other medication.

Mouthwash

Posted by Kaylah (Winnipeg, Manitoba) on 07/04/2012
★★★★★

THANK YOU!!! Im 13 and in gymnastics! And whenever I got to do a flip my throat kills me! :( but then I looked up sore throat remedies and I got mouthwash! I tried it and voila!! I can swallow! Thank you so much for this remedie!!

Iodine

Posted by Sarah (Dallas, Tx) on 07/02/2012
★★★★★

I have tonsillitis with tonsil exulates (could be strep, but the pain isn't severe enough, though I have been taking wild oregano oil internally that would have been fighting the infection).

My throat was really hurting to swallow, and I had mucus sitting at the back of my throat that I couldn't get rid of (I don't have a cold, cough and bad allergies right now). It made my mouth taste awful. I read that applying iodine to your wrists and also gargling with a diluted solution can help. I did it last night, and not only did I wake up with my throat much less sore, but the feeling of mucus at the back is nearly entirely gone as well as the bad taste. I used Nascent Iodine, but I believe Lugol's can be used as well.

Oregano Oil, Tamari Soy Sauce

Posted by Jo-jo74 (Philadelphia, Pa) on 06/30/2012
★★★★★

Oregano is a good option for sore throats. However, it's important to dilute it with something other than water, like honey or coconut oil. This way, there is less chance of throat irritation. (Oregano oil is strong! )
Option #2- Tamari soy sauce worked well as a gargle as an alternative to ACV or pickle juice.

Tonic Water

Posted by Joshua (Dubai, Uae) on 06/20/2012
★★★★★

Go into any good store an buy some tonic water (the yellow label) and make sure it says with quinine at the bottom. Drink this and when you throat feels painful and it will ease the pain instantly. Drink whenever pain returns.

Carrot Juice

Posted by V (Poughkeepsie, New York) on 06/08/2012

One note on this, you can avoid all that by just chewing fresh well washed and skinned carrots til they give you all the juice, then eating the pulp is up to you, I say why not but in this case you could always put half in the compost pile.

Cayenne, Salt, Lemon

Posted by Carl (Hoquiam, Wa) on 06/06/2012
★★★★★

Barely been able to eat for 2 days. Swallowing is torture, I wince everytime. I mixed 1tsp cayenne, 1tsp salt, 1tsp lemon in a cup of water. Gargled for a couple of minutes, then I spit out the concoction but swallowed what was left in my mouth. Took a couple of minutes but it feels literally 100% better. Thanx ya'll

I still continued the treatment for a couple of hours. Yeah I can eat!!!!

Vitamin C

Posted by Lim (Singapore) on 05/26/2012
★★★★★

The simple cure that worked for me is as follows:- Just break up a Vitamin C tablet into smaller pieces and put one small piece on the tongue. Slowly suck it like a sweet. You will feel relief. Repeat that periodically when necessary. After a few times, your throat would not be painful anymore.

Tongue Stretch

Posted by Macy (Yakima, Wa) on 05/11/2012
★★★★★

Actually worked, really well. I can swallow now! So weird

Manuka Honey

Posted by Spaingirl (Toronto, Canada) on 05/09/2012
★★★★★

I had a sore throat for just over 3 weeks. It wasn't strep but it sure was annoying.... Just wasn't going away and getting worse. I went to the doctor and she said I can't prescribe anything because it's not strep (thank goodness cause I HATE antibiotics). Now what? I'm sick and tired of this pain!

I came across a post that mentioned trying Manuka honey gargle. Here's what I did. I heated up 1/2 cup water (just warm) and stirred in a teaspoon of good quality Manuka Honey along with 1 drop of oregano oil(mix it up). I gargled several times a day for 3 days and lo and behold my Sore throat was finally gone! Miracle! I love this site and I love these remedies. Reminds me of the good old natural cures my mom from Spain used to use on us as kids.

Hot Tea

Posted by Savannah (Lancaster, California) on 05/04/2012

Thank you for your hep. I am a singer battling a sore throat and this really helped!

Tongue Stretch

Posted by Ruby (Omaha, Ne) on 04/24/2012
★☆☆☆☆

I tried it and it worked for about five seconds.

Mouthwash

Posted by Ryan (Edson, Ab, Canada) on 04/11/2012

When I gargled the mouthwash it didn't really work, but then after I drank a verry little of it my throught started to feel better instantly.

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.

Cayenne Tips

Posted by Ltodd85 (Tampa, Florida) on 04/09/2012

I tried the Cayenne, sea salt with warm water and it worked. I had a real sore throat and when I first saw Cayenne I thought wow. Won't that burn? It did not burn at all and my throat was not sore at all about a minute after gargling it. I am glad I came across this website.

Oregano Oil

Posted by Susan (Panama City, Florida) on 04/07/2012
★★★★★

I recently began to have a sore throat and drank three drops of oregano oil in a oz of water three times of day for four days and sore throat went away without me even getting sicker.

Peanut Butter

Posted by Kirky (Toronto, Canada) on 04/06/2012
★★★★★

Oh my god. Just had a bit of peanut butter and it instantly worked! I'll be keeping this jar by my side today~ Haha

Mouthwash

Posted by Renee (Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States) on 03/08/2012
★★★☆☆

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I was a little hesitant to try this trick because I had never heard of it before. I gave it a try, hoping it would work. After one gargle, it relieved the pain. However, it felt like my throat was on fire (the same sensation you feel when you pour alcohol on a open cut) As for swallowing it, I suggest spitting out the amount you gargled and pouring a little bit into the cup. It will make it easier to swallow just a little bit.