SALT WATER GARGLE

[YEA]  12/07/2006: Norman from Anaheim, CA writes: "it's now 12:20am. been lying in bed and trying to sleep since 10:30pm but my constant coughing and really sore throat prevent me from sleeping so i got up and google "the best way to cure sore throat" and this site is on the top of the results. since the only thing that's available for me at this hour is the salt, i tried and gave it a shot. i heated up water and put a great amount of salt on it. i gargled it and i really felt much better. although, i can still feel it being sore, it made me stop coughing and the itchiness on my throat is gone. thanks!"

02/23/2006: Brittany from CA writes: "The salt water gargle helps get all of the mucus out of the throat and nose."

[NAY]  02/01/2006: Lashyah from Orlando, FL writes: "salt and water, i did gargle salt and water and it helped me get my voice back but i'm still suffering from strep throat does any one have a cure for that?"

[YEA]  01/17/2006: Christina writes: "YES USING SALT WATER DID HELP SOOTHE MY THROAT, BUT ALSO IT IS BETTER WITH COLD SALT WATER. HOW CAN SALT REDUCE SORENESS THOUGH I JUST DON'T GET IT."

[YEA]  01/11/2006: Tammy from Pampa, Tx writes: "I had a really bad sore throat, but was really hungry. I snacked on some really salty peanuts. It a matter of minutes my sore throat was no longer hurting. I do believe that salt really works. I used to do the salt and water as a child. Pickle juice seemed to work as well."

[YEA]  Ruth from Fountain Inn, SC writes: "I swear by gargling salt water. My mom always used it. I tried that chloraseptic spray, it only numbs. Cough drops don't work because once you eat them they are gone. Salt will actually heal the throat. You can look it up. I think that it kills the bacteria that causes sore throats. I just know that it works. I use warm water and enough salt that I can stand it."

[YEA]  Tiggy from London writes: "a glass of tepid water with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt helps reduce soreness!!"

[YEA]  Felicia from Georgia writes: "The best way I have found to soothe a sore throat is to mix 2 tsp salt with 1 cup warm water and add a crushed baby aspirin to mixture, and gargle several times."

[YEA]  Gerrad from St. Louis writes: "Salt Water Gargle helped too!! Use the hottest water that your mouth and throat will tolerate without being burned and uses Sea Salt if possible."

[YEA]  Leo from Macon, GA writes: "I used the the warm water and salt, and it worked well for me, because I could barely go to sleep, and after gargling some salt water, I was able to sleep, and was much more better the next morning."

[YEA]  Jess from MI writes: "I tried the salt water trick, and in about 30 minutes my sore throat was history. But that morning it wasn't so bad then it got bad REALLY bad. So I tried to look for a cure and I saw the salt water trick so, I tried it and it worked so you should try it! You can also add a couple drops of lemon juice if you would like. This may not cure it, but it makes it go away."

[NAY]  Brad from Bolton writes: "I have used salt water and gargled for my sore throat, it only reduces the soreness, and it dries your throat."

[NAY]  Teia from Hawyard, CA writes: "I tried the salt-- it didn't work, it seemed to make it even worse."

[NAY]  Dylan from Kenosha, WI writes: "It stings and dries up my throat."

SALT, PEPPER AND VINEGAR

SLIPPERY ELM

SORE THROAT TEA RECIPE

SPEARMINT OIL

TABASCO SAUCE

[YEA]  05/08/2008: B from Celebration, F writes: "Amazingly, this stuff works. If you can handle the heat that is. I did what another post advised and slid the teaspoon to the back of my tongue and tipped it down, swallowing. It was a bit rough because of the scratchy throat, but I was already in pain anyway (this was a better type of pain for me). I had tried high doses of naproxen, ibuprofen, tylenol, and aspirin, throat drops too. Nothing worked. In a few minutes after taking the Tobasco I could speak without making a horrible face (it hurt to talk). I had also been up 2 nights in a row because it hurt to swallow. I was able to finally get some sleep. It works!"

[WARNING!]  04/29/2008: Gene (jnkeml/@/ yahoo.com) from Gatineau, QC, Canada writes: "Please post this question on the site. Hi, Having been stuck with a bad flu and an especially sore throat for a few days, I Googled and found this site, read every single post in the thread and decided I should try Tabasco Sauce, which is basically Cayenne but in a liquid form. At dinner last night, I sprinkled a generous amount of the sauce on my steak (20-25 drops) and even though I felt like dipping my tongue in ice water, I could feel my sinuses clearing up and the tenderness in my throat fading away. Mind you, every time I eat spicy food (on very rare occasions), I break out in a sweat and can feel a rush, like my blood is rushing through my body at accelerated speed. An hour after dinner, I sprinkled about 15 drops of Tabasco sauce in a glass of hot water and gargled with it, swallowing a bit at each gargle. A short while after my spicy dinner the gargling session, I experienced a severe panic attack which subsided in about an hour. Capsaicin provokes a rush of endorphins, thus counterbalancing the effect of the Clonazepam (explained below) which I take for chronic Panic Disorder and Epilepsy. "CLONAZEPAM which is a benzodiazepine. Benzodiazepines belong to a group of medicines that slow down the central nervous system. Clonazepam is effective in treating certain types of seizures (convulsions, Petit Mal) and is also used for a mental health condition called Panic Disorder by working on the nerve cells in the brain to enhance the effects of a chemical called gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA slows down nerve cell activity to cause relaxation and decrease nerve excitement." Later on: "Capsaicin helps prevent and heals stomach ulcers and has anti-inflammatory properties" Contrary to the above, I had severe heartburn in the middle of the night. "Cayenne is safe if used in moderation but can cause problems in people with stomach problems and ulcers." Something I read elsewhere which confirms what I experienced last night and is contradictory to the above quoted statement. "Some practitioners recommend mixing a small amount (starting with one sixteenth of a teaspoon, and working up to one teaspoon) of Cayenne powder in warm water to take 3 times a day. This is so the mouth experiences the hot spice and the stomach prepares itself. The mouth also absorbs much of the goodness itself, giving an immediate effect." In conclusion, I would like to try the experience again but I think I'll follow the above paragraph's advice, go easy at first and observe any reaction I might experience. Thoughts anyone? I don't really want to go to a clinic, wait 3 hours in a roomful of coughing people only to get a prescription for an antibiotic whose side effects are worse than the benefits."

[YEA]  04/20/2008: Kjalvalr Helvetesokeren from Afjord, Norge writes: "Tabasco Sauce cured my sore Throat. I had not had it for long, less than a Day, but usually my sore Throats don't last until I wake up. So, not wanting to take any Pills, I looked up natural Cures for a sore Throat and was led to this Site. I decided to use the tabasco Sauce, since I knew that Item to be on Hand. Unfortunately, I didn't get the Teaspoon all the Way to beyond my Tongue, so some of my Mouth is in Pain from the Capsaicin, but my sore Throat is completely gone."

[YEA]  03/04/2008: Rochellef from Oconomowoc, WI writes: "Thanks to your site, as I'd been suffering from an increasingly worstening sore throat and associated nasal congestion. After ready some testimonials, I mixed up a solution of 1/2 teaspoon of tabasco with one cup of warm water. I gargled with it, while swollowing a small amount in the end of each round. After just 4 gargles and about 3 minutes my throat was soothed while the inflamation in my nasal passage cleared. The nasal congestion returned but was the severity was lessoned and I felt quite a bit better! Thanks to homeapothy....a bit of God's wisdom passed on through tradition and good people keeping it alive!"

[YEA]  03/02/2008: Audrey from Minneapolis, MN writes: "my throat has been sore for two days and i'm starting to lose my voice, so i tried the tobasco and honey in hot water, within 5 minutes my throat felt much better! i just put about five drops of tobasco and a drop of honey in some hot tap water."