Sore Throat
Natural Remedies

  1. Home
  2. Ailments

10 Best Natural Remedies for Soothing a Sore Throat

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.
Sort by Default New Loved

Black Tea

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%
Write a review
Posted by Cheska (Dahab, Egypt) on 08/21/2007
 ★★★★★

This is the most amazing cure! when i got throat infections they would then travel into my lungs and then only antibiotics would cure it, but recently my homeopath told me to make a cup of very strong black tea (2 teaspoons of tea in 2/3 cup of boiling water) then add 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, when it has cooled a little gargle half the cup, try keep gargling each mouthful for a long time and as deep in your throat as possible then spit all of it out down sink. repeat with other half of cup a few hours later and then again with a fresh cup a few hours after that, you will see the sore throat disappear!

Blackberries

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%
Write a review
Posted by Amber (Pleasantville, NJ)
★★★★★

Blackberries mildly stop the pain of sore throat but not all the way. it works if you have mild pain in the throat.

Blueberries

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%
Write a review
Posted by Maribel (El Paso, Tx) on 11/23/2009
 ★★★★★

****** BLUBERRIES SOOTH A SORE THROAT ON CONTACT***

This was purely trial and error.

I woke up with a terribly sore and scratchy throat yesterday morning. I'd already read about the benefits of gargling with ACV and warm water and honey... I had also seen other approaches at combatting a sore throat...

But none seemed to offer a temporary natural pain relief -- and Voila! I stumbled upon this one purely by surprise.

I was too tired to go to the supermarket to buy cough drops or whatever, so I looked to my freezer and fridge and pantry for any source of antioxidants i could consume to get rid of this cold altogether.

I found a bag of frozen blueberries that i had their to make smoothies. Well, I allowed these blueberries to thaw from their frozen state. Then as i was watching t.v. I was just scooping these berries (now at room temperature in my mouth) hey, good source of vitamin C and antioxidants, right?

WELL ... to my surprise not even 10 minutes later my sore throat was GONE. I KID YOU NOT!

GONE GONE GONE. I finally decided to do an internet search under blueberries and sore throats, and apparently they have proven to soothe sore throats (who woulda thought??)

Take it from me, it worked even much faster than an Ibuprofen, or an analgasec would. Hooray for Blueberries!!!

Brandy

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%
Write a review
Posted by Steve (Epsom, Surrey England) on 12/21/2012
 ★★★★★

Thought I'd share this adult remedy that I've used for 20 years. If you've got a sore throat coming on....... Gargle with Brandy 3 or 4 times in one night (not cheap supermarket brand stuff because I've tried that and it doesn't work). The next day your throat will be gone.

Carrot Juice

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%
Write a review
Posted by Hope (Inverness, FL) on 06/10/2008
 ★★★★★

The best way to get rid of a sore throat is to drink fresh carrot juice (as much as possible) and within a day or two, it should be gone. You can buy it at your local health store or juice the carrots yourself if you have a juicer. The problem with this, however, is it can be costly and time consuming (if you are using a juicer). So here is another option that I do a lot (and also use it for my daughter). I use a homeopathic "cold remedy". You can buy it at your local health store or buy it online. You have to follow the instructions just like it says. Sometimes, you have to take the "pill" once every 2 hours and sometimes it will be once every 15 minutes until it subsides... and then an hour or two thereafter till it goes away. For me, the homeopathic cold remedy works usually within 2 days... but again, you need to be religious about taking the pills.

Replied by V
(Poughkeepsie, New York)
06/08/2012

One note on this, you can avoid all that by just chewing fresh well washed and skinned carrots til they give you all the juice, then eating the pulp is up to you, I say why not but in this case you could always put half in the compost pile.

Castor Oil Packs

2 User Reviews
5 star (1) 
  50%
4 star (1) 
  50%
Write a review
Posted by Mary (Long Island, Ny) on 10/14/2015
 ★★★★☆

After two days of using raw minced garlic and honey and the cayenne pepper and Apple Cider Vinegar remedy, I tried the castor oil pack. It worked amazingly well. Glands are still swollen but my throat feels so much better.

Castor Oil Packs
Posted by Morgan (Vancouver)
★★★★★

If I am getting a sore throat, I find that doing a castor oil pack on my throat works very well. Usually what i do is before I go to bed, I spread the castor oil on my throat and neck, tie a flannel scarf around my neck, and dose off. My sore throat is gone by morning, and I notice that this also greatly reduces the swelling of my lymph glands on my neck. Bon chance!

Cayenne Pepper Recipes

23 User Reviews
5 star (23) 
  100%
Write a review
Posted by 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.

Cayenne Pepper Recipes
Posted by Krystine (Memphis, Tn) on 03/27/2011
 ★★★★★

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... ;-)

Replied by Jane
(Auburn Hills, Michigan)
12/10/2012
★★★★★

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.

Replied by Les Mis
(St. Peters, Missouri)
12/26/2012
★★★★★

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.

Cayenne Pepper Recipes
Posted by Kayla (Dallas, Tx) on 02/01/2011
 ★★★★★

If I ever have a sore throat or just need a boost, I LOVE this recipe.

Boil 1.5 cups water

add fresh grated ginger (I used about 3 Tablespoons)

add fresh garlic (2-3 cloves chopped)

add cayenne (to taste, I use a lot)

add turmeric

add fresh lemon (whole, then throw peal in there)

add about 1 tablespoon honey or agave.

This is a great detoxifier and a sore throat cure!

Cayenne Pepper Recipes
Posted by Annelle (Princes Town, Trinidad ) on 07/10/2010
 ★★★★★

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%.

Replied by Laurie
(Vancouver Island)
10/06/2021
3 posts

Hi Annelle:)

Surely you do not mean you ingested 6 teaspoons of cayenne pepper in one dose, 4 teaspoons cinnamon?? Half a teaspoon of cayenne would burn out my stomach. This sounds like a recipe fit for constipated elephant. I am not intending to be rude. Please clarify if you truly ingested that amount of spice at one time??

Cayenne Pepper Recipes
Posted by Tammy (Port Deposit, MD) on 10/02/2008

Try adding cayenne to Ramen soup. Add a pinch or two depending on your sensitivity to the hot water or add when you put in seasoning packet. Mix it up good and make sure you drink the broth. Not only will it heal your throat it will start your sinus's draining as well.

Cayenne Pepper Recipes
Posted by India (Coral Springs, Florida) on 08/24/2008
 ★★★★★

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!

Replied by Cherokeeandproud
(Somewhere A Time, Somewhere A Place)
12/24/2012

Want to know why cayenne relieves a sore throat? It's the capsaicin. You can make an ointment or liniment our of cayenne and make your own headache reliever. The capsaicin acts much like Cepacol in the sense that it essentially becomes a "local anesthetic". This is why you will get relief but have to do it several times for it to "stick". I love cayenne. It's a great immune booster, it works great on heartburn, it tastes amazing on food, if you make an ointment or liniment it makes an amazing headache/migraine reliever. I've been using cayenne probably longer than this site has been around. That being said, I just tried the cayenne pepper gargle since it's Christmas Eve and a few days ago my husband was kind enough to share his germs and now I have a sore throat. I also added a little bit of salt just for good measure. Let me say that, having had to drink valerian root tea, which literally tastes like dirt, this concoction is absolutely the most foul, vile tasting thing I have ever experienced. The sore throat is still present but it is not as bad. I can now swallow and it's basically just that "scratchy" throat feeling you get when a cold is beginning to creep up on you or when you have some annoying, allergy related sinus drainage down the back of your throat. So I think I am going to say this method, though it's absolutely disgusting, works really well because this sore throat got into my subconscious and into my dreams before waking me up after a mere 4. 5 hours of sleep.

A tip to all that do this: ONLY USE 1/8 OF A TEASPOON! I think that may be why it tasted so horrible. I used about 1/2 a teaspoon, not realizing it. Also, I would recommend probably 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt. It's still going to taste absolutely disgusting but I think it won't be as "strong" of a taste while still working just as well. To get rid of the scratchy feeling, if you're still left with that afterward, I recommend simply gargling with regular salt water and a cup of warm, herbal tea.

Cayenne Pepper Recipes
Posted by Eric (London, UK) on 03/28/2008
 ★★★★★

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.

Cayenne Pepper Recipes
Posted by Jennifer (Louisburg, NC) on 03/27/2008
 ★★★★★

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.


NEXT 
Previous Page 1 2 3 4 5 ...16 Next Page
Advertisement

Please note that we use cookies necessary for the functioning of our website, cookies that optimize the performance. To learn more about our cookies, how we use them and their benefits, please read our Privacy Policy