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.
Epsom Salt
Posted by Michelle (Phoenix, AZ) on 01/28/2007
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
i soaked in a bath with epsom salt and when i got out i felt way better! my throat did not hurt at all. But it only takes the pain away for a couple hours. But its better than nothing.
Ted's Remedy Feedback
Posted by Daniella (NY) on 12/10/2006
★★★★★
I have another feedback for the sore throat. I am on antibiotics at the moment (I had to take them, my family insisted) but I developed a couple of days ago a sore throat. I was worried it was antibiotic resistant strep, since I have been having strep other times this year. I followed Ted advise: I gargled with potassium bicarbonate (my brother got it in Italy) and the sore throat disappeared magically in half a day! That's impressive! Thanks to Ted! He is the best!
Vitamin C
Posted by Robert (Orlando, FL) on 11/15/2006
★★★★★
Gargle with peroxide first, then take a low dosage CHEWABLE vitamin c tablet (100 mg or 250 mg) place on tongue and leave it there until it dissolves. Don't swallow the tablet. It kept the scratchy throat from turning into a sore throat as well as an illness from coming on full blown. This works if it's caught in time, which is when one first detects a scratchy throat. I believe what it does is send vitamin c directly to the throat area killing the beginnings of an infection at its earliest stages. Another thing that can be done is to take some colloidal silver and put a drop in each nostril, especially after sneezing. The problem with it is that it's hard to verify that it actually DID stop a cold or flu since one can't prove what didn't happen. But it does work on a reliable basis.
Turmeric
Posted by Anj (UK) on 10/06/2006
★★★★★
This remedy cures a ticklish or itchy throat. Mum used to say salt with turmeric works as an antibiotic and the ghee/butter soothes inside of your throat like a film that stops the tickling/itchiness inside.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Sarah (Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK) on 09/12/2006
★★★★★
I think that bacteria/viruses in my throat need sugar and peace and quiet to multiply. I stop supplying sugar by ceasing to eat sugary food/drink. This means no cough sweets! I physically remove the bacteria/viruses from my throat by frequently eating non-sugary food. They are then being taken down to my stomach where they cause no trouble! I focus on drinking water, not abrasive teas or coffees. I find eating apples very helpful too, especially when I get woken up in the night with a tickly cough! Take an apple to bed and just reach out for it each time you wake. Now I just get a sore throat/cold and then it heals under a week, no more hacking coughs for weeks afterwards. Best wishes.
Echinacea
Posted by Shelley (UK) on 03/07/2006
★★★★★
After suffering from tonsillitis 4 to 5 times a year I decided to start taking echinacea. I heard that it is what a lot of celebrity singers use whilst on tour to boost their immune system and stop them from getting a sore throat! I love the stuff it has lots of benefits for the immune system and this along with cold showers has kept me fit and healthy and feeling in top form!
Vicks Vapor Rub
Posted by Mark (Toronto, ON) on 02/04/2006
★★★★★
I tried Vics Vaporub last night and it helps. I think I will try it again for several days on my neck, chest and back before going to sleep.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Shae (Alexandria, VA) on 01/28/2006
★★★★★
Tea Tea is a miracle cure for sore throats. Take tea tree oil and put a few drops on a cotton ball. Wipe the cotton ball on the outside of your throat, where you are feeling pain. Repeat this process whenever you feel like you need it!
Vicks Vapor Rub
Posted by Lindsey (Rising City) on 01/11/2006
★★★★★
I tried Vics vapor rub after my mom and her friend told me about it. You put some on your neck, wrap your neck in a towel and safty pin the towel shut. I usually do this before I go to bed and the next morning, my sore throat is gone along with my stuff nose! WORKS GREAT!
Pineapple Juice
Posted by S (NJ)
★★★★★
I usually drink pineapple, as hot as I can stand it at the first sign of a cold. The morning after there are no more symptoms. This is also an amazing remedy for an established sore throat or voice loss due to a cold. I suffered with a raw throat and loss of my voice for 2 weeks, then someone suggested drinking hot pineapple juice... the next morning, I had my voice back and my throat was no longer raw.
Pineapple Juice
Posted by Francisca (Zug, Switzerland) on 01/07/2012
Lou, I agree with you as far as pineapples goes, at least the real ones! In Europe now you see mostly the ultra-sweet ones which I believe are manipulated to produce always the sweetest pineapples. I try to stay away from those. Actually many fruit we eat now seems to be manipulated to contain more sugar, maybe to cover up the fact that they don't taste like anything anymore! I love kakis and till a little while ago I could find the traditional ones you eat very ripe, which are lovely but now I only find sharon fruit and those too are manipulated. They took away the tannin and they look just like they are made of plastic. I tried them a little while ago and it was almost like eating an apple just it wasn't an apple, very weird and they never seem to ripen.
Even pears nowadays are awfully sweet, too bad because we need the vitamins but not the sugar. When we go and live in our new house we will be growing quite a bit of fruit ourselves! The problem is that you have to stay away from the modern manipulated kinds!
Blackberries
Posted by Amber (Pleasantville, NJ)
★★★★★
Blackberries mildly stop the pain of sore throat but not all the way. it works if you have mild pain in the throat.
Listerine
Posted by Robinhood ! (Janesville, ca.) on 12/25/2020
★★★★★
Sore throat, I just take 1/2 tsp of listerine "original", hold my head up and pour it down, keep looking up and let it trickle down, and if it doesn't work, do it again in 2 hours.
It kills a sore throat almost every time. I had a bad one the other day and did it, but the next day it bothered me again so I did it once and bang gone 3rd day now and no problems.
Remember 1/2 teaspoon, and good to go :) It might work for a virus also, don't know about that though, might try it, it kills germs!
Preserved Salted Lemons
Posted by Becksnyc (Cleveland, Ohio) on 10/11/2016
★★★★★
Preserved salted lemons for sore throat
A Chinese friend introduced me to this cure for sore throat. It doesn't taste great, but works faster than anything I've ever taken. You fill a jar with lemons (organic), cover with rock salt (I prefer pink Himalayan) and let them rot. The salt draws the juice from the lemon, she advised taking a teaspoon in a cup of hot water. I add raw local honey. The lemons mold as they rot, so persons sensitive to mold-based products like penicillin may wish to avoid this. I've read online that you can also use limes & kumquats and that this concoction can still be used a decade later. That has also been my experience.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey
Posted by Ssaunders95 (Baytown) on 03/03/2016
★★★★★
I tried the Apple Cider Vinegar with honey and water. I gargled it twice and rinsed with water. It was all I could stand, but I believe it did help. I almost certain I have strep throat. My ears have bothered me more than anything. My throat is red, grey and white. Afterward, it wasn't grey. I am about to do the same with pure lemon juice. I know it is effect in cleansing the body of in bacteria.
Vinegar and Water Compress
Posted by Jane (Fordingbridge, England) on 01/15/2015
★★★★★
For a sore throat, I have often used a vinegar and water compress pinned around my neck and covered carefully with dry towel, left on all night. Since the body is known to be electric, it is obvious that the acid in the vinegar could assist with re-establishing normality.
