10 Sore Throat Secrets: Home Remedies That Work!
Got a sore throat? Stop the pain with some of these simple home remedies that work!
Nothing is worse—you wake up and it feels as though someone’s holding a lit match at the back of your throat. A persistent, recurrent or severe sore throat, or one accompanied by fever, needs medical treatment. But many sore throats can be soothed by the simple remedies given here and should disappear within a week. Give them a try!
10 Sore Throat Secrets
- Suck on a zinc lozenge. Some studies reveal that zinc can help alleviate a sore throat and other cold symptoms.
- Gargle with warm saltwater. Place 1 teaspoon of sea salt in a glass of warm or tepid water. Gargle several times and repeat throughout the day. Germs hate saltwater so it’s doubly beneficial.
- Frozen ice pop. Try sucking on a frozen ice pop. It should temporarily help with the pain. Try these homemade ice pops for cold and flu!
- Warm compress. Try a warm, moist compress and place on the outside of your throat.
- Chamomile tea. Make a tea adding 1 or 2 teaspoons of dried chamomile blossoms to a pint of boiling water; steep and drink a cup every few hours.
- Pomegranate drink. Boil a few pomegranate rinds and drink as a tea. The pomegranate contains astringents that will help soothe your sore throat.
- Cayenne pepper. Add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to 1 cup of boiling water; stir well and gargle while the mixture is very warm. This brings more circulation to the area and helps draw away the infection. To this formula you can add 4 parts Echinacea, 1 part garlic bulb, and 2 parts peppermint leaves to 1 part cayenne.
- Mustard. Grind one tablespoon of mustard seed and combine with the juice of half a lemon, one tablespoon of salt, one tablespoon of clear honey, and 1 1/4 cups of boiling water. Leave this mixture, covered, for 15 minutes and use as a gargle.
- Honey/apple cider vinegar. Mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of honey. Take one tablespoon every four hours or as needed for pain relief.
- Rise to the occasion. Another cause of a sore throat in the morning–besides sleeping with your mouth open–is a backup of stomach acids into your throat during the night. These acids are extremely irritating to sensitive throat tissues. Avoid the problem by tilting your bed frame so the head is 4 to 6 inches higher than the foot. (Try using bricks.) But don’t simply pile more pillows under your head; they can cause you to bend in the middle, increasing pressure on your esophagus and making the problem worse. As an extra precaution, don’t eat or drink for an hour or two before retiring.
This article was published by the staff at Farmers' Almanac. Do you have a question or an idea for an article? Contact us!
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
