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.
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.
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.
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.
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... ;-)
Developed a sore throat after getting wet in the rain, because I (foolishly) kept my wet shoes on at work in the air conditioning. When I got home I boiled 4 cloves of garlic (crushed), 6 teaspoons of cayenne powder, and a tablespoon of peeled, sliced ginger. I let it cool, and because it was such a hot concoction, I put it in my blender with one cucumber, 4 teaspoons of cinnamon powder and a stick of celery. Also half a carrot for taste. Added an additional 1/2 cup of water, blended it and drank. Within 2 hrs, my sore throat was 95% gone. A 2nd dose will definitely get rid of the sore throat 100%.
I used the idea of Jess J of Boca Raton, Florida, only I upped the dose of cayenne pepper to 1/2 a teaspoon.
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons of honey 12-16 ounces of hot water And a teabag of your choice for flavor.
I barely took a sip because I thought it would burn or taste terrible, but it really didn't! It was a subtle spicy and it tingled and felt really good. I barely took a sip, and already I could feel my voice coming back (I had a horrible sore throat, in which it hurt to swallow etc) It didn't immediately cure the hurting to swallow, but I've still got a whole cup to go. I think it'll help. Thanks Earth Clinic and everyone for posting these remedies!
cayenne pepper works for a sore throat. I did this-heat qtr cup of lemonade, juice of one whole lemon, 2tbsps honey, 1/4 tsp cayenne. heat until just before it boils, stirring. sip whilst still hot from cup. Works almost immediately.
I first came across the Cayenene Pepper sore throat remedy on this site about a year ago, when I had pain in my throat so bad I felt like I was swallowing glass. Nothing had helped for over 2 weeks.
I thought cayenne pepper sounded ridiculous, but I was willing to try anything. I couldn't stomach the thought of gargling with it, so I made some ramen noodles and sprinkled cayenne pepper over it. It worked amazingly well. By morning, my sore throat was gone.
I have since found that adding the cayenne pepper to any warm soup broth and drinking like tea works wonders. Tastes much better, too.
I came back to EarthClinic to read about flu and sore throat cures and saw lots of feedback on cayenne pepper for sore throat.
I recently tried cayenne in an ACV drink recipe here that was so disgusting I had to pour the whole thing down the sink. It tasted foul and burned my mouth, so using cayenne for my sore throat was a last resort. But so many people said it was The Cure, so I had to try it. Here's what I did:
I emptied one capsule of cayenne into 3/4 cup of hot water and let it steep for a while like tea. I then drained the mixture through a coffee filter and into a small spray bottle. Then I sprayed the mixture on the back of my throat, gargled a bit, then swallowed. The spray completely bypassed my mouth, so no unnecessary burning. The burning in my throat actually felt kind of soothing and effective. And, what a miracle cure!!! What iodine, h2o2, colloidal silver and salt water could not do in 4 days, CAYENNE PEPPER DID IN 2 HOURS!!! It completely took away the sore throat and I continued to use it periodically for the next several days to ensure the sore throat did not take hold again
I'd been getting bouts of horrible throat pain at least once a year for about 6 years and I've tried every kind of throat medicine besides going to the doctor (no med insurance). I recently was woken up by this horrible pain like small knives on the right side of my throat and it was so swollen, it was painful and difficult to swallow. I stumbled onto this website as i was waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in and at first i was pretty skeptical, but reading everyone's testimonies (and the fact that i was desperate) made me go out the next morning to buy all the ingredients. I figured the odds were better if i used as many of the remedies as i could so i made a tea consisting of 1 1/2 cups of distilled water, 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of honey, a nickle sized piece of fresh ginger root, 2-3 whole cloves (the spice not garlic), and i put in a honey tea bag for flavor. Make sure you heat the water first by itself, then add the ingrediants. This drink was surprisingly tasty and I drank it about 3 times in the day, then i gargled with a cup of water and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. My sore throats usually last 2-3 miserable weeks, but imagine my surprise when i wake up the next morning and my sore throat is completely gone!!!!! I was so amazed and I can't even tell you what a lifesaver this remedy is!!!!
I tried James' remedy tea first. Let me say, I HATE vinegar, and it was god awful to swallow down. I took about 4 sips, gargling first, then swallowing. My throat has gone from razorblades to feeling just swollen, but thankfully, ABLE TO SWALLOW! I'm not suprised it worked, based on all the reviews. I will suggest that you follow what another post said and mix equal parts honey to apple cider vinegar if you can't stand the taste of vinegar. I don't mind the cayenne, so I still mixed about an 1/8 teaspoon with 2 TBS honey and 2 TBS ACV. I added a bit of hot water (like 1/4 cup) and a dash of lemon juice. I gargled and swallowed this. I think I will continue to do the "shots" as opposed to the tea. BUT IT DOES WORK! I managed to eat a nice chocolate donut (ah comfort food) within 10 minutes. AWESOME!!! I will continue every two hours throughout the day with the shots. I imagine adding some ginger may help, as well.
I lost my voice and need to get on a legal call tomorrow - googled and found ceyenne recipe - had homemade chicken soup on the stove - scooped a bowl and put 1/8 tsp. in my bowl. Took one bite, throat on fire, coughed wildly, spit up green junk for a few minutes - went back and ate the whole bowl without even flinching - I can talk now! I am of Italian descent - maybe I can tolerate the pepper better - but it got the bug - I guess I'll be having chicken soup for a midnight snack, breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow!! Thanks!!
I stumbled upon this site a few days ago when I was searching for sore throat remedies. I read about cayenne pepper and decided to use it. I was really skeptical. What I did was made tea with water, ginger root, lemon and honey and then added 1/8th teaspoon to my tea. It burned alot in my throat. However 20 minutes later my pain was gone. It really numbed my throat and I was able to swallow, drink and eat without a problem. Cayenne pepper anesthetizes the pain. I am a true believer of cayenne pepper. I now have used it in my homemade chicken soup. Every time I use it I feel relief. So awesome!
for those who dont have cayenne pepper. i put together a mix of related ingredients to find it cures sore throats like a dream. jalipeno juice from the jar tip about 1/10 the size of your cup, a decent amount of lemon juice or lime juice.. two teaspoons of sugar and abit of warm water.. it has cured my sore throat in a matter of hours.
I came upon your site due to being congested and having the worse sore throat ever. Tried ACV first, and got some relief, but only about an hour's worth. I read all of the posts on cayenne and decided that one was next, but did not have any of the pepper. I remembered that it is in hot sauce, so i mixed up a tea. I boiled some water, and then added a shake or two of ground ginger, a tablespoon of hot sauce, a tsp of oregano, a tablespoon of honey, tablespoon of lemon juice and a green tea teabag. I let it steep for about 5 minutes. What i had was a concoction... "liquid fire" and about 30 minutes after drinking, no sore throat and nasal passages were draining. The next morning i was surprised to still be clear. Thanks for posting this idea.
Cayenne pepper tea. I read all the comments, yays and nays, and decided to try it. Just started getting a horrible sore throat about 3 hours ago and I HATE getting sick, especially right before the holidays. I decided to pull out the heavy guns and made a hot tea of about 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne, three shots of Tabasco, 3 tbspns maple syrup, and 1 tbspn champagne vinegar (I didn't have any ACV). As I sit here typing I am sipping this spicy brew and the left side of my throat is no longer hurting. The right side is still tender but I think it is getting better. I also have clear sinus passages and I am coughing up lots of clear sticky phlegm. I intend to keep drinking this stuff until I am better. I really think it is working. ---NEW CAYENNE FAN
Hi, I wanted to quickly comment on some of the 'nay' responses to the cayenne pepper remedy. For those of you who are burning the living you-know-what out of your mouths, try lessening the amount of pepper taken in one dose and take it more often. A few people have mentioned taking lemon juice, maple syrup, and the pepper with water. This is actually a fasting recipe as well (the fast Beyonce was one to lose weight for 'Dream Girls'). The proper measurements are 10oz. distilled water, 2 tablespoons FRESH lemon juice, 2 T. maple syrup (Grade B, and organic is best if you can afford it), and a PINCH of cayenne pepper(about 1/8 teaspoon or even less). The water should be heated before mixing in the ingredients. Try drinking this mixture throughout the day. It takes time but the soreness in your throat will eventually subside. It you drink it throughout the day and eat nothing, you will also start to detox your body and lose some water weight overnight as well, given you have no major health problems. Also, another trick (if you throat has just started hurting)...try mixing 6 to 8 drops of hydrogen peroxide in a large glass of distilled/purified (not spring) water and drinking several times throughout the day. Usually my sore throats start to feel relief with in 15 minutes to half an hour after the first glass. If it's pesky, keep drinking. If you have something bad already, like strep, you may need to just go to the doctor. It may be too late for the peroxide to relieve pain, but it may lessen the the time you are sick. Try an alternative healer, for those of you not wanting to take drugs (and I don't blame you). Also, someone commented, saying that antibiotics was the only cure. Be careful, if you choose to take antibiotics make sure you take a good round of probiotics, for a month at least, afterward. Otherwise you are just killing off the good guys in your gut and setting yourself up for future problems.
Hi, just had to write back again and say that I have been gargling the cayenne pepper/water and it has helped tremendously but I have a better thing for you to do! I did this when I drank my coffee this morning and it is a God-Send ! Just sprinkle some cayenne pepper in your coffee and drink it! It makes the flavor of the coffee WONDERFUL and it is fantastic for your throat! This website is a pure blessing from God. Thank you to all who come here and share their experiences!
Cayenne (don't use if you have low blood pressure) pepper works wonderfully, it's also great to mix with other remedies cause it helps them work faster. Why? It thins your blood and since your body registers the hot effect as fire it gets your heart pumping more blood to rush the endorphins (natural body made morphine) to the mouth area. This creates 2 effects: 1st, you get relaxed due to the anesthesic effect of the endorphins and 2nd, the nutrients that u took with your remedy spread through your body faster, and on top of that it's a natural antibiotic. I use it for sore throats and colds in the following manner:
in glass pour about 2-4oz water (for diluting purposes [gonna try ACV next time]), 1 whole lemon (not those dry lemons we want some juice here), 1-2 Tbsp of honey (natural honey none of those syrup mixed ones) and cayenne (lots of it)
I usually put cayenne till it's red (remember were going for the blood and endorphin rush here). Bottoms up! (this is a shot) There still hasn't been a cold to pass the 3 day mark with this stuff.
An oldie but a goodie, my recipe is a little different. Mix vinegar of any variety with a spoonful of cayenne, a spoonful of licorice root, and a small amount of RAW honey. Drink it back - the sore throat will go away shortly. The raw honey is great because honey has natural antiseptic properties, and it makes the mix a little easier to drink!
Simple remedy that is working for me to assist in ridding your body of sinus issues and assisting in the reduction of sore throat is just this.... 1 cup of lightly pre sweetened tea, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 vile of ginseng and royal jelly. Heat in the cup for about 2 minutes, let set for another couple of minutes and slowly drink. You will start to feel the sore throat go away while your sinuses drainage. It also appears to help me relax. Always remember to discard of any excess mucus in order to get rid of the bacteria that has collected in your sinus cavities during the time of mucus build up. Good luck to everyone.
I have used this remedy for YEARS and can tell you, IT WORKS!! The only thing that I do different is, I add an equal amount of ground ginger along with the cayenne pepper into a cup of HOT water and allow it to steep with a lid on the cup for 5 minutes. Then allow it to cool to a comfortable temperature (or add a little cold water) and gargle. This may seem time consuming when you are in a lot of pain but it is worth the wait! Allowing it to steep like that makes sure the spices are at their best. The cayenne brings the blood to the throat helping circulation for those well needed "healing soldiers" and the ginger calms the throat and helps reduce the swelling. I sometimes drink this as a tea on those cold winter nights to help me stay warm! For you hunters out there...sprinkle cayenne in your socks to keep your feet warm out in the field. The moisture from your feet activates the heat of the pepper keeping those toes TOASTY!!! CAYENNE PEPPER IS THE BEST!
