Whether you are experiencing allergies or the first signs of a cold, sore throats can take a toll on your day. Sometimes sore throats are indicators of something more serious, like laryngitis and tonsillitis.
No matter the case, you are probably looking for relief now. Whether the pain is unbearable or slowly worsening, figuring out what helps a sore throat is important. In the meantime, these sore throat home remedies will provide soothing relief.
Slowly Taste Ginger and Honey
Ginger is one of the most effective sore throat remedies, and that's why it is so often used as a cough drop ingredient. You can also use it to make an effective tea by grating fresh ginger, filtering out any juice, and then mixing it with some honey.
It takes just half a teaspoon up to four times a day to reap the benefits of ginger. As a plus, it will also increase your appetite if your cold is suppressing it.
Sip a Mug of Licorice Root Tea
Licorice contains antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. Many licorice teas sold in stores do not actually contain licorice, so making your own licorice tea is the best way to remedy a sore throat.
Start with one teaspoon of dried licorice root, and boil it in one cup of water for just a few minutes.
Gargle Some Clove Oil
Clove oil creates a numbing sensation in the throat, but it also offers microbial and antiseptic benefits. Gargle or spray clove oil into your mouth, but take care. You need to dilute the clove oil to avoid creating lesions in the mouth.
Add up to six drops to one cup of hot water, creating a tea you can gargle. Try this out up to four times a day to feel relief.
Gargle Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is often used as an oral disinfectant, but it can also help to ease the pain of a sore throat.
Use a three-percent hydrogen peroxide solution, and mix with equal parts water to create a relieving gargle. Just make sure not to swallow it.
Drink a Marshmallow Tea
Marshmallow plant roots have medicinal properties that can ease your sore throat. This works because the plant contains amounts of mucilage, which can actually ease a cough or soreness.
You can make a tea by taking one teaspoon of either dried roots or powder made from the roots and boiling in about one ounce of water for about five minutes. Filter out the roots before enjoying and experiencing the soothing relief. You can use this remedy up to three times each day.
Sip on Some Peppermint Tea
Peppermint is a great remedy for a sore throat because it includes menthol, which has a cooling effect on the throat. While you will find many peppermint teas in the store, making your own peppermint tea may be more effective.
Simply take one handful of fresh mint leaves and steep in hot water for about 15 minutes. Strain out the peppermint and enjoy a delicious tea.
Create a Fennel Tea
Fennel is a great solution for those who find other home remedies to have strong, unappealing flavors. You can create a subtle fennel flavor by boiling one teaspoon of fresh fennel seeds in one cup of water. Boil the ingredients for about five minutes, and then let it cool so that it is drinking temperature.
If you want to add an extra dose of relief, add a bit of honey to the tea. If fennel tea does not excite you, fennel syrup is a great alternative. Try boiling one tablespoon of fennel seeds in a cup of water, and then add up to half a cup of sugar. This will create a syrup. This home remedy for a sore throat works great for children because of the sweet taste, and it can be used several times a day.
Drink Pomegranate Tea
With the help of pomegranate peel, you can get rid of a sore throat easily. The tea, which is an astringent, is easy to make. Simply boil the peels, fresh or dried, in water for five minutes. Then, let it rest. After 30 minutes, you can sip or gargle the liquid to heal inflammation.
Suck on a Popsicle
An icy treat can offer relief from the pain, especially if you have a cold and are unable to eat solid food. You can even make your own popsicles at home with any of the herbal teas listed in this guide. You can also use fruit juice or pudding to create your own custom pain relievers. While many of the items on the list offer warm relief, cold items are great home remedies for a sore throat.
Sip Cinnamon and Honey Tea
Cinnamon and honey are a delicious combination, so this is an easy tea to sip for relief. Boil together a cup of water, some honey, and up to six cinnamon sticks. If you aren't into sipping tea, try creating a paste of cinnamon powder and honey instead. You can take in a bit of the paste throughout the day.
Gargle Warm Salt Water
One of the first steps many people take when they feel inflammation coming on is to gargle a teaspoon of salt in one cup of warm water. The salt may fight a bacterial infection from the initial stages so that it never even develops. Salt also dehydrates microbes that may be developing in your throat. Gargling as far back in the throat as possible is the key to this home remedy. Repeat this step throughout the day for best results.
Try a Slippery Elm Tea
Slippery Elm actually has roots in Native American health remedies. Slippery Elm is available in dry form, often online or in stores that specialize in herbal remedies. Making the tea is as simple as boiling some of the Slippery Elm in a cup of water. You can mix the tea with honey for more flavor.
Munch on Some Garlic
While garlic might not give you the best breath, it may very well ease your inflammation and pain. It is also a quick home remedy if you already have garlic in your kitchen. Garlic has antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Chew up one clove at a time, up to two times each day. Chew slowly for maximum release of the juices into your throat.
Drink a Basil Tea
Fresh basil leaves boiled in warm water can create a soothing tea that reduces symptoms of a cold, including a cough. Steeping the basil leaves for about half an hour creates a strong infusion that may be the best method for how to get rid of a sore throat.
Drink Refreshing Iced Tea
Iced tea can be just as soothing for the throat as hot tea. The ice temperature has a numbing effect, and the astringent properties of the tea ease any inflammation. One of the best things about this remedy is that you can make a huge batch of iced tea at once and sip on it throughout the day for quick relief.
Mix Lemon and Honey
As one of the oldest home remedies for a sore throat, this concoction of half a lemon, one cup of warm water, and one tablespoon of honey has soothing benefits. Lemon is effective because it affects your throat's pH balance. It takes just a small amount of lemon throughout the day to feel the difference, and it works with the honey to draw out water from inflamed areas.
Try an Echinacea Tea
For years, Echinacea has been used as a remedy for cold and flu. The best thing about Echinacea is that helps your body build up immunity to deter causes of a sore throat. Boil dried Echinacea flower buds in water for several minutes before drinking.
Mix Honey and Cayenne Pepper
Honey reduces inflammation in the throat by encouraging water to flow out of inflamed tissues. It works well with cayenne pepper, which acts as a pain reliever. You can mix equal parts of the ingredients and swallow them together, or add some water. Try this several times a day to see results.
It is important to note that cayenne pepper causes stomach irritation in some people. If this is the case for you, consider adding honey and cayenne pepper to vinegar and gargling it instead of sipping it. Also, you may not have cayenne pepper around the house. If this is the case, you can add a few drops of hot sauce to the honey instead. You may still experience the same benefits.
Try Sage Water or Tea
Sage does more than smell fantastic; it also relieves soreness if you drink or gargle it. The astringent and antiseptic qualities can be helpful if you have a cold or flu. Try boiling either one tablespoon of dried or two tablespoons of fresh sage leaves in a cup of water. Then, let it sit for about 15 minutes. Strain out the leaves and gargle or sip the tea up to four times each day. You can spice up the taste by adding lemon or honey.
Drink Chamomile Tea
Chamomile has a reputation for its healing properties, and it is especially helpful in treating laryngitis. Chamomile also has emotional health benefits, making this treatment a great idea. Boil a cup of water before pouring it over a couple tablespoons of dried chamomile. Cover the concoction for up to 15 minutes, and then sift out the chamomile. Sip on the hot tea and feel the ache diminish.
Eat Shallots Covered in Honey
Shallots, which are similar to onions, have some medicinal properties that make them great home remedies for a sore throat. For this remedy, slice up some shallots and smother them in honey. Throughout the day, eat about half a teaspoon of the honey-covered shallots.
Gargle Baking Soda
A baking soda gargle may not be as common as a saltwater gargle, but both offer similar relief. Baking soda and water will help kill bacteria that may be encouraging the growth of infection in your throat. Try combining one cup of warm water with a one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda. You can use salt for an added benefit as well. Gargle the solution every three hours.
Sip on Some Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar could be the ideal treatment for your sore throat, although it may not be the tastiest concoction. The levels of acid present in the vinegar make it a great choice for killing bacteria. Simply mix one cup of hot water with one tablespoon of the vinegar and one tablespoon of honey. You can also gargle the drink if you mix just two tablespoons of vinegar and one-half cup of warm water. Try this once per day.
Incorporate Fenugreek into Your Diet
Fenugreek offers a number of healthy properties, and it is versatile too. You can eat the seeds or make a tea from fenugreek. Fenugreek not only relieves pain, but it also kills bacteria and fungus. If you are pregnant, this is not an advisable option.
Gargle Turmeric and Water
Turmeric has a reputation as a strong antioxidant, and it may also heal your sore throat. Mix about half a teaspoon of turmeric with half a teaspoon of salt and one cup of hot water. Gargle the mixture in the back of your throat and feel the soothing relief.
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration is a major contributor to a sore throat. The more fluids you take in, the more you can soothe irritation and help to prevent liquids from secreting. You can stay hydrated by eating soup as well as by drinking tea, water, and juice.
Get Steamy
Steam helps to ease the pain of a dry throat as well as to ease congestion. If you don't have access to a sauna, you can still benefit from the steam at home. For this home remedy for a sore throat, you will need a large bowl half full of water and a few drops of eucalyptus oil.
Boil the water and pour it into the bowl with a few drops of oil. As it steams, lean over the bowl with a bath towel draped over your head. This will create a space for the steam to circulate.
Swirl Wheatgrass Juice
Wheatgrass juice provides more than a sore throat remedy. It also relieves toothaches and restores gums. It works by preventing the growth of bacteria. Simply hold the wheatgrass juice in your mouth for several minutes to feel relief.
Use a Humidifier or Vaporizer
Adding a humidifier or vaporizer to your room is a great way to ease a sore throat without having to drink or eat something. This eases swelling in the throat and also makes your voice less hoarse when you speak. Just make sure that the room you keep the humidifier in does not become damp.
Make a Honeysuckle Tea
Honeysuckle tea offers properties that are conducive to easing a cough or even symptoms of the flu. Honeysuckle operates as an anti-inflammatory and reduces swelling in the throat.
The tea is easy to make too. You make a large portion by mixing a quart of water along with two cups of honeysuckle leaves and flowers mixed together. After boiling, simmer the ingredients together for about 10 minutes.
Gargle a Clove Concoction
Add up to three teaspoons of cloves to a small amount of water before gargling. Cloves are known to act as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agents, which means they can reduce some of the swellings of the sore throat.
This ingredient also offers a pain relieving agent that works great when you chew the cloves whole. Cloves have been a part of traditional Chinese medicine for many years, so you can feel confident that they will ease some of the pain.
Drink Tomato Juice
Sore throat symptoms may be eased with a mixture of half a cup of tomato juice and half a cup of hot water. You can add a few drops of hot sauce or cayenne for this remedy to perform double duty. Tomato works well because the lycopene in it works as an antioxidant.
Sip Green Tea
Green tea is a favorite sore throat remedy because it tastes delicious while fighting infection. Brew a cup of hot green tea but gargle some before you drink. This kills bacteria that might be lingering in the back of your throat.
Gargle Goldenseal
Goldenseal is an herb known for fighting off germs, including those that cause your sore throat. Mix about 1.5 teaspoons of goldenseal per eight ounces of water to gargle. Try this up to four times a day to feel results.
In Summary
What helps a sore throat may differ from person to person. In just a few steps, you may be able to reduce inflammation with these sore throat remedies. These home remedies offer excellent ways to heal a sore throat naturally.
