10 Top Home Remedies for a Sore Throat

Warm one cup of water for 30secs to 1 min. Put a tablespoon of turmeric powder and less than half a tablespoon of salt. Drink. Will help sore throat and prevent oncoming cold and flu or lessen symptoms.

Pure honey works better for sore throats than anything. Honey coats the throat and instantly takes away the pain. 2 or 3 spoonsful, or just hold the bottle over your mouth and squeeze the bottle until your mouth is full of honey.

How about old fashioned Tylenol and Cepacol? Works every time.

I had a really bad sore throat, so bad it hurt to swallow, talk, eat, even drink a glass of water or tea. I found this website and tried the hand therapy, I'm not sure why but I tried it and withing 3 minutes the my throat healed. No lie and I was sick for 3 days before I tried it. The pain was gone and my throat felt smoother I could swallow without wincing.

I am so excited to share this with you, my dad is a health guru, and I was feeling pretty crappy last night, the pain was so bad in my throat I was tearing up, and I was finding it soo hard to swollen and I just couldn't fall to sleep with the pain. I knew I needed something healthy in my system to repair me. So I wrote on a piece of paper (as it hurt so badly to talk) please make me a magic drink dad.. I didn't really think it would take away my pains and allow me to sleep but I did think that all the healthy stuff my dad would put in it would help me to recover quicker. My dad never gets sick because every day he has drinks like the one I'm about to share with you! But OH MY did it take my pain away and make me feel AMAZINGLY better!!!! I can talk, I can swallow, the pain is barely there, I do have to have this drink about every 3 hours to keep the pain down, when I'm awake but I just sip slowly :) the drink last night relieved the pain through the night. But then I woke up I definitely felt better but symptoms were slowly coming back. So I repeated the drink and wal-ar I feel amazing again! :) so here it is! Pleeeease try it you'll be amazed!! Try using all organic ingredients if you can!!

Fresh *garlic* clove chopped up really small, lump of fresh *ginger* chopped up small, flat teaspoon of powdered *cayenne pepper* (or as much as u can handle, teaspoon of *tumeric* powder, teaspoon of *cinnamon* powder, table spoon or two of *apple cider vinegar* (or as much as u can handle) spoonful of *raw honey*, squeezed *lemon juice* mix all that together with 8oz hot water let it sit for a few mins to all infuse. If you're not used to cayenne pepper like I'm not, at first it will burn your throat a little, but to me it actually felt good, coz I feel like I was attacking the pain. :) sip slowly and after a few mins of sipping you will start to feel relief :) stir in between sips when lumps of garlic and ginger settle to the bottom, try and swallow all the ingredients down. I swear this is the best remedy I have ever tried! It started last night and im now on my first day I'm interested on seeing how quickly I recover from all this goodness I'm feeding my body!! :) My mom is making me a homemade organic soup of carrot and ginger puree, it sounds soo good :) I'm excited!! I'm a lucky one to have my family look after me when I'm sick, I'm 23 and still loving the love ;) hope this helps a lot of you like it did me!! Also if you get a chance look up the book by Louise Hay, "You Can Heal Your Life" it talks about the reasonings behinds coughs, colds, sore throats, and other ailments :) love and good healing energy to you all!! Xoxo

My grandmother told me she got this remedy from her mother and passed it down to me: whiskey, honey, and lemon. Use equal parts of each and mix together. It may not sound like the most appealing thing out there, but I promise it will relieve any sore throat!

I tried it and it worked great. I had been previously using just lemon and honey, but the vinegar made a noticable difference.

I have had the worst sore throat for the past 2 days, I couldn't even swallow because of the pain. I tried this because I was desperate. Medicine wasn't working at all. This help A WHOLE LOT. It doesn't have a bad taste and works instantly. The pain has gone down by a million.

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.

why do you spit out the rum, but drink the mouthwash? since your not sapose to swallow mouthwash but drink rum.

HOORAY FOR SALT! It's been my best friend today. I was sick yesterday (bad cold), I went out to help walk the dogs in the kennel and had to break up a dog fight. I was bit on my hand, punctured my palm deeply, inflamed the back of my hand. It's still inflamed and it's been about 12h. I soaked my hand in warm salt water and so far no infection, less pain in the wound :)

My throat is still sore from the cold, so I found this site. I just tried the salt water gargle and already is feels much better. Before I was cringing with each swallow, but now it's a little more bearable. I'm definitely going to continue with it until I feel better! Thanks, everyone.

I was in such a state the other day with severe earache and sore throat. Never experienced such pain in my life. Have avoided antibiotics for 15 years but in my mad state of pain and fear, started taking amoxillin and ear sprays the other day. My stomach started hurting, had diarrhoea and I somehow felt I was making a mistake taking the AB.

So, have spent over a day on this informative website and did the following using a lot of the great ideas. Firstly, got some spicy south Indian soup from a Sri Lankan restaurant, with black pepper, cayenne, garlic, Ginger... Really nice. Called Rasam. Next, drank 8oz water with 2tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar with a good sprinkle of cayenne. Half hour later, did neti with 4oz water with 2drops of Apple Cider Vinegar in each nostril. Painful but it seemed to slow down the post nasal drip and let mucus come out through my nostrils as must have been blocked in the sinuses which may have actually caused the ear infection. Had a break, then sipped the following - half a tsp of cayenne, 1tbsp of manuka honey, 1 tbsp of acv, 2 warm tbsp of water. Yummy. Throat felt better, like the tight ring around my neck had dissolved. Couple of hours later, my throat is much better but still dry but not painful to swallow, left ear pain and side of neck still present, rt ear pain gone and reduced p n drip. Still have headache but have not taken any painkillers.

Tonite will put hydrogen peroxide in ear and do a stronger cayenne syrup and repeat neti again. Also taking grapefruit seed extract drops(5) in coconut juice. Was so fearful of
Strep throat, but after reading so many of the positive threads, especially Ted's info. on this website with such brave and some comical souls, decided to do back down the natural
remedy route putting fear aside. Hope all I do works, and I am able to go to menorca for hols next week.

I have used cayenne pepper a few times this year, after reading about it here and on other sites. I find that at the least it significantly reduces not just a sore throat but also cuts the life of a cold way down. At best, if used at the onset of symptoms, it completely stops a cold from progressing at all!

The first time I used it, it was in some sort of tomato soup recipe along with garlic, etc. The next time, I didn't want to hassle with that, so I simply used 1/2 tsp in a small mug of peach iced tea, heated in the microwave... it worked just as well.

Right now, I'm sitting sipping on a small mug of OJ with a half tsp mixed in!

Good Luck!!!

My mother always gives me hot tea with a touch of lemon and a hint of honey for my sore throught. To be honest, nothing works better!

when I have a cold or a sore throat or I lose my voice I take a tblspoon of honey and apple cider vinegar... works like a charm! The after taste may burn a little bit but not bad.

Vinegar Syrup Lemon, it may taste wierd but it instantly worked its magic. I felt a burning sensation, 10 seconds later my throat felt ALOT better. The sore throat isnt completely gone but the pain of swallowing has eased 100x better.

I have a sinus and ear infection and my throat has been killing me for 3 days. Went to the Dr. and got an antibiotic but my throat is still raw so I'm ready to try something "natural". I just tried 8 oz (240 ml) of warm water with a TBSP cidar vinegar, TBSP lemon juice and 2 TBSP honey. OMG I thought I was going to puke (maybe use less vinegar) I drank it all as quickly as I could and my throat is still killing me. Not a fan. Gimme drugs over this "remedy" any day.

Here is a remedy I found in one of my books, Practical Aromatherapy. It works quite well if you have a sore throat, a cough or a virus infection:

Three drops of essential oil (maybe clove, tea trea, lavender or any other antiseptic)

1 tsp of alchool (maybe vodka if you have it or another one, I have only tried with vodka because I try to use alchool I have to use in the kitchen which is then left over)

1/2 a cup of water

Stir before each mouthful. I sometimes use it as a mouthwash.

Listerine will help with a sore throat, but only a little. The reason for that is the fact that you are not swallowing the listerine. So basically you are only treating the upper part of the throat. The other remedys are having you swallow some of the concoction so the entire throat is being treated.

Basically, for any sore throat remedy to be really effective it needs to be something you swallow, and be something that clings to the surface of the throat tissues after you have swallowed so it continues to work even after you have finished gargling/swallowing. Thats why pepper works well.... the particles cling to the mouth and throat.

For sore throats and sinus problems I add cayenne to a broth of one crushed piece of garlic, one table spoon of ACV, soy sauce to taste, one dash of toasted sesame oil and a teaspoon of honey. I pour boiling water over this mixture in a mug and drink it like a cup of tea. It tastes pretty good. The garlic, ACV and cayenne really help to knock out a cold.

Get a small plastic spray bottle, mix half vinegar and half water, and spray it at the back of your throat whenever it feels sore. I used to get sore throats all the time, but I haven't had one since using this method.

I am a big tea drinker and when my throat started to become sore I went to my lemon tea. Then I read about the cayenne and was curious... So I mixed some things together and created the best hot drink for a cold and or sore throat. Here it is:

1 lemon (squezze as much juice as you can out of that lemon.)

1 lemon tea (I used Lemon Youkou from Teavana)

1 peppermint tea (again from Teavana)

some natural honey

1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper powder

It's the best cup ever. It clears out my nose and helps my throat. I love this drink now. And would recomend it to anyone. Unless you are alergic to one of the ingredients in which case I would say not to try this... ;-)

A small handful of salt is easier than cayyene pepper, salt on a wet finger placed under ones tongue won't make you sneeze as much.

Let the cayenne and glycerin sit for two days? My throat hurt so bad I didn't have time to wait. I mixed it according to your suggestion and immediately dropped it into my throat. Mixing it with glycerine did produce a sweet flavor. Within in minutes I was able to swallow with much less discomfort.

I'd like to know why I should wait two days before using the concoction.

Thanks

Ice for sore throat. Ice; plain and simple. I have bad sinuse drainage which can really irrtate my throat which can lead to an infection. I can wake up with needles in my throat. Chop up the ice and suck on pieces in the back of your mouth. I don't have an ice crusher so I put cubes in a clean dish towel and whack them with a hammer. This always works. Sometimes with only one treatment.

If I ever have a sore throat or just need a boost, I LOVE this recipe.

Boil 1.5 cups water

add fresh grated ginger (I used about 3 Tablespoons)

add fresh garlic (2-3 cloves chopped)

add cayenne (to taste, I use a lot)

add turmeric

add fresh lemon (whole, then throw peal in there)

add about 1 tablespoon honey or agave.

This is a great detoxifier and a sore throat cure!

I found I got much better results with the cayenne warm water gargle if laid down on my back when gargling. It seems that standing up I was not getting the liquid back far enough. My soreness or pain is farther in and up towards my left ear and laying down helped the water go back farther. I had to cover up my mouth with a cloth so as not splatter cayenne water on my face or eyes. I wonder if some of the Nays are not getting the liquid back far enough? and THANKS to all...

I tried the 3 tbsps of honey with 3 tbsps of lime juice, since I didn't have lemon juice on hand. I generously sprinkled cayenne pepper and added a few drops of water. Heated it 20-30 seconds and drank. I tasted pretty good and I could immediately tell that in was "working" on the sore areas of my throat. I immediately got my voice back and am very hopeful that this will give me relief throughout the course of this sore throat. I will repeat as necessary until the sore throat is gone. I speculate that it doesn't cure the sore throat, but numbs it. But that is good enough for me. With the symptoms reduced, I can certainly wait this thing out!

I tried the lemon and honey trick, with about 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, microwaved it for 20 sec, then tried to gargle it and burned my tongue and bottom of my mouth badly. Make sure it's not too hot, or it will just make it worse.

Sprinkle some cayenne pepper into a mixture of about 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp honey - microwave for about 20 seconds and then stir. Drink it while it's hot.

It doesn't necessarily "cure" my sore throats, but it always makes it feel better. I get tonsillitis that seems to be triggered by my sinus problems and constant post-nasal drip. The cayenne pepper always helps me cough up all the nastiness back there.

If you like pickle juice (I love it), I have also found it helps to drink a couple sips of it mixed with cayenne pepper. This doesn't soothe my throat like the honey/lemon, but it does help me cough up excess mucus.

I've read about people having problems with Cayenne, Habanero or other "hot" chilies or sauces and as a Chef who specializes in Mexican fare, plus I now live in Mexico too, I can give you a very easy and efficient remedy to ease the burning from peppers. Also, it doesn't matter if the burning is in your mouth, lips, face (from touching it with your hands after handling peppers) or hands, it works:

Put a little salt on the palm of your left hand, wet the tip of your right index finger in your mouth slightly and dip it in the salt and place it UNDER your tongue (sublingual) in the tender area on your jaw and not ON the underside of the tongue. Relief is very quick, easy to do, you can do it anywhere (like a restaurant) and works for everyone plus you can find salt everywhere.

Definitely agree. Don't use sugar. I mix mine with real lemon juice, warm purified water (not distilled), and Grade B organic maple syrup. This gives it a warm herbal tea flavor. It is the same as the "lemon juice diet", but I do not fast very often. I like it because it is healthy and I have osteoarthritis that is very painful in the winter and it helps with that a lot.

Unfortunately, sugar lowers your immune system and allows the bacteria in your throat and mouth to breed more rapidly. I would advise against using sugar if you're battling a bacterial throat infection such as Streptococcus.

Steve, Curious why OJ thickens your mucus. I thought it was anti-inflammatory and therefore beneficial when ill.

You should be aware that orange juice thickens your mucus, which is the opposite of what you want when you have ear, nose or throat problems.

The orange juice tip worked for me.

During the winter and summer vacation, I work with young kids for about 3 or 4 weeks. However, I'm an insulin dependent diabetic, which means I'm more prone to getting colds or other illnesses. I ended up with a bad lung infection the last time I worked with children and swore I'd take extra steps to make sure I'd not get sick this time.

So far so good, but this morning I woke up with a start of a sore throat and went into a mild panic on how to stop it. I found the page on various cures and decided I'd try the cayenne pepper cure. However, being diabetic, I simply don't have honey in my kitchen. I do have juice, so I put some pepper in orange juice and sure enough my sore throat faded. I followed up by drinking the same solution after lunch and I just had one after dinner.

I'm still drinking it just to be safe because my sore throat faded away this morning and hasn't returned.

Cayenne pepper works, but in order to ease the hotness, I just use orange juice. Put an 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne in a glass of orange juice, and drink it. Make sure the oj has pulp in it, the cayenne will bond to the pulp, and it won't burn your mouth at all! I have been using this method for years. And DON'T use milk to "ease the hotness" when you're sick- avoid dairy products.

yes, yes there is a trick for the fire not to come out of your nose and ears, literately!

At first, I tried gargling, and it exploded out of my nose and the cayenne vapor was coming out of my eyes burning, spit it right away. Then I realized that it was way deeper than that, so I was gonna have to drink it.

I did a few rounds of practice with water alone first. Hold your nose and swallow water without breathing. Don't let the air come out from your ears either. It's all connected in there.

I put some honey on the mix, and held my nose, and swallowed without letting air out in any direction, but down my throat. It worked, I didn't explode at all.

Now I can do it tomorrow. If you even let a little air out... it's a bomb.

In order to avoid severe coughing while gargling with cayenne pepper (red pepper) in tempered water you need to breath deeply, hold your breath, take a sip of cayenne pepper, gargle, spit the mix and breath normal.

Gargling this way you avoid breathing through your mouth when you are sipping the mix and the dry cayenne powder doesn't get into your through.

Also, when the throat and larynx are irritated it is better not to swallow a lot of the mix so just swallow what is left in your spit after spitting the mix. It has worked wonderfully for me!