P. S. Just wanted to add that someone else had mentioned here that viruses feed on sugar, so I also cut out sugary things completely (except for fruit) and that made a huge difference! When I ate a sweet, my throat immediately felt horrible. So definitely cut out the sweets completely, and let the cayenne do its work!
Replied By Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 10/08/2010
Be careful with fruit too! Fructose is even worse than sugar and many people are not aware of that!Replied By Susan (Franklin Square , Ny, Usa) on 10/19/2010
This is amazing. I awoke with a severe sore throat this morning and tried the usual hot water/salt, peroxide, honey etc. I was desperate, so looked for another home remedy and this worked. I have gargled 3 times tonight, and my throat burns when I do, but 10 minutes later it feels so much better. So glad I found this site!Replied By Hannah (No, Michigan) on 11/12/2010
I'm glad this worked for so many people but it didn't work for me. I tried it last night, gargled with cayenne in warm water. It was really uncomfortable and burned the way it does when you eat something WAY too spicy (and I'm saying this as somebody who likes spicy food). Still, it wasn't bad enough to keep me from trying to several times before giving up and going to bed. I figured it might take some time to kick in.
But no... I woke up this morning and my sore throat was worse. I don't attribute it being worse to the cayenne, I think it would have gotten worse on its own. But the point is it certainly didn't help. By the way, I think my sore throat is caused by a virus. I will be getting a strep test today just in case. Maybe whether or not the cayenne will work depends on the cause of the sore throat? I also observed that most of the people commenting had had their sore throat for at least 3 or 4 days, even over week. Maybe it was ready to go away on its own?
Replied By Ellen (Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada) on 11/13/2010
I have a homemade drink that I have used many times to eliminate sore throats which is my hot lemonade mixture. Use hot water as you would in making tea and put the juice of one lemon in with a dash of cayenne pepper (probably around 1/20 tsp. ) Then sweeten it with liquid stevia to taste. If you add more cayenne for medicinal purposes, then simple add more stevia to neutralize the taste of the cayenne pepper. Everytime I use this drink (although I will have several in a day) the next day I feel 100% better. Good luck, Ellen