Sore Throat
Natural Remedies

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.

Manuka Honey

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Spaingirl (Toronto, Canada) on 05/09/2012
★★★★★

I had a sore throat for just over 3 weeks. It wasn't strep but it sure was annoying.... Just wasn't going away and getting worse. I went to the doctor and she said I can't prescribe anything because it's not strep (thank goodness cause I HATE antibiotics). Now what? I'm sick and tired of this pain!

I came across a post that mentioned trying Manuka honey gargle. Here's what I did. I heated up 1/2 cup water (just warm) and stirred in a teaspoon of good quality Manuka Honey along with 1 drop of oregano oil(mix it up). I gargled several times a day for 3 days and lo and behold my Sore throat was finally gone! Miracle! I love this site and I love these remedies. Reminds me of the good old natural cures my mom from Spain used to use on us as kids.


Mouthwash

11 User Reviews
5 star (10) 
  91%
3 star (1) 
  9%

Posted by Katy (Brighton, England) on 09/23/2012
★★★★★

Wow. I tried this and felt fine almost instantly! I did things a little different though, I watered down some mouthwash and swallowed that and it worked just as well! Thank you!


Mouthwash
Posted by Inka (Narnia, Neverneverland) on 09/23/2012
★★★★★

This is a definite yea. As soon as I tried it, my throat began feeling better.


Mouthwash
Posted by Barb (Aberdeen, WA) on 05/07/2009
★★★★★

When you gargle with Listerine for a sore throat, try this: when you are done gargling, let just a SMALL amount of the Listerine go down your throat. In this way, the Listerine reaches any germs that are a little farther down your throat, where gargling can't reach. I have tried this several times, and if you do it about three times a day, as long as your throat is sore, it will relieve it. It's also important to do all the other good things too, though, such as getting extra rest, drinking liquids, etc.

Replied by Olivia
(Yorktown, Virginia, Us)
03/08/2012
★★★★★

I tried this with some mouthwash at my house and it worked almost instantly! XD

Replied by Renee
(Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States)
03/08/2012
★★★☆☆

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I was a little hesitant to try this trick because I had never heard of it before. I gave it a try, hoping it would work. After one gargle, it relieved the pain. However, it felt like my throat was on fire (the same sensation you feel when you pour alcohol on a open cut) As for swallowing it, I suggest spitting out the amount you gargled and pouring a little bit into the cup. It will make it easier to swallow just a little bit.

Replied by Ryan
(Edson, Ab, Canada)
04/11/2012

When I gargled the mouthwash it didn't really work, but then after I drank a verry little of it my throught started to feel better instantly.

Replied by Kaylah
(Winnipeg, Manitoba)
07/04/2012
★★★★★

THANK YOU!!! Im 13 and in gymnastics! And whenever I got to do a flip my throat kills me! :( but then I looked up sore throat remedies and I got mouthwash! I tried it and voila!! I can swallow! Thank you so much for this remedie!!


Mouthwash
Posted by Christina (Tallahassee, Florida) on 12/08/2008
★★★★★

I tried gargling mouthwash for my sore throat and it worked right away. My throat started to hurt a little while after but its much more tollerable now that I can actually swallow! I used about a cm over the line inside the cap of the mouthwash.


Mouthwash
Posted by Jonathan (Rocklin, CA) on 08/07/2008
★★★★★

Anteseptic mouthwash gargled on the back of the throat effectively relieves mild to severe soar throat pain. This method also shortens the length of an average soar throat. I have told many friends about this method and have received it's praise every time!


Mouthwash
Posted by KIM (LAS COLINAS, TEXAS) on 05/14/2007
★★★★★

SORE THROAT REMEDY EITHER TRY A SHOT OF BACARDI 151 OR SWALLOW A BIT OF LISTERINE EVERY FEW HOURS THIS HELPS EASE A SORE THROAT.

Replied by 1kennb
(Long Island, Ny)
03/03/2012
★★★★★

Acknowledging the fact that it could be bacterial or viral, I needed to try something quick last night and checked out the many suggestions on this site. Not having many of the ingredients to some "cures, " I tried the warm salt water two different times to no avail. I then tried gargling (do NOT swallow! ) Equate (Walmart) "anticavity mouthwash" (active ingredient: sodium fluoride.0221%) before going to bed. Woke up with no pain at all, feeling much better. Used same twice today with very slight soreness persisting when swallowing but much better than it's been. If it gets worse or doesn't go away, will see a doctor this week.

Replied by 1kennb
(Long Island, Ny)
03/05/2012
★★★★★

A follow up: after only a couple of days of gargling with mouthwash (Equate anticavity) only a few times a day, the sore throat is gone and hasn't come back for two days now. Just sayin'...


Multiple Remedies

6 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  33%
4 star (2) 
  33%
1 star (2) 
  33%

Posted by Daniel (Redding, California Usa) on 12/24/2012
★☆☆☆☆

Story: I am 13 years old, and its the day before Christmas eve. And I was sick the day before (Now just a sore throat)

First I gargled salt water (1 tsp/8oz) 3 times, every 10 mins. Cooked up some lemon-herb tea (Excessive honey). Then I found some leftover pasta and sauce from dinner, so I warmed that up, put alot of black pepper in it, and ate it... For the last part (Not necessary) Drank a sip of Soy-Egg-Nog to make my throat feel better before bed.

Morning results: Even worse...

Replied by Sheila
(Cork, Ireland)
12/28/2012

Sage tea works every time for a sore throat. Add a teaspoon of dried sage to a cup of boiling water, cover and leave for 5-10 minutes, then drink slowly.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Sam Jam (Burbank, Ca) on 09/14/2011
★★★★★

I am so excited to share this with you, my dad is a health guru, and I was feeling pretty crappy last night, the pain was so bad in my throat I was tearing up, and I was finding it soo hard to swollen and I just couldn't fall to sleep with the pain. I knew I needed something healthy in my system to repair me. So I wrote on a piece of paper (as it hurt so badly to talk) please make me a magic drink dad.. I didn't really think it would take away my pains and allow me to sleep but I did think that all the healthy stuff my dad would put in it would help me to recover quicker. My dad never gets sick because every day he has drinks like the one I'm about to share with you! But OH MY did it take my pain away and make me feel AMAZINGLY better!!!! I can talk, I can swallow, the pain is barely there, I do have to have this drink about every 3 hours to keep the pain down, when I'm awake but I just sip slowly :) the drink last night relieved the pain through the night. But then I woke up I definitely felt better but symptoms were slowly coming back. So I repeated the drink and wal-ar I feel amazing again! :) so here it is! Pleeeease try it you'll be amazed!! Try using all organic ingredients if you can!!

Fresh *garlic* clove chopped up really small, lump of fresh *ginger* chopped up small, flat teaspoon of powdered *cayenne pepper* (or as much as u can handle, teaspoon of *tumeric* powder, teaspoon of *cinnamon* powder, table spoon or two of *apple cider vinegar* (or as much as u can handle) spoonful of *raw honey*, squeezed *lemon juice* mix all that together with 8oz hot water let it sit for a few mins to all infuse. If you're not used to cayenne pepper like I'm not, at first it will burn your throat a little, but to me it actually felt good, coz I feel like I was attacking the pain. :) sip slowly and after a few mins of sipping you will start to feel relief :) stir in between sips when lumps of garlic and ginger settle to the bottom, try and swallow all the ingredients down. I swear this is the best remedy I have ever tried! It started last night and im now on my first day I'm interested on seeing how quickly I recover from all this goodness I'm feeding my body!! :) My mom is making me a homemade organic soup of carrot and ginger puree, it sounds soo good :) I'm excited!! I'm a lucky one to have my family look after me when I'm sick, I'm 23 and still loving the love ;) hope this helps a lot of you like it did me!! Also if you get a chance look up the book by Louise Hay, "You Can Heal Your Life" it talks about the reasonings behinds coughs, colds, sore throats, and other ailments :) love and good healing energy to you all!! Xoxo


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Nettle (London, England) on 06/27/2011
★★★★☆

I was in such a state the other day with severe earache and sore throat. Never experienced such pain in my life. Have avoided antibiotics for 15 years but in my mad state of pain and fear, started taking amoxillin and ear sprays the other day. My stomach started hurting, had diarrhoea and I somehow felt I was making a mistake taking the AB.

So, have spent over a day on this informative website and did the following using a lot of the great ideas. Firstly, got some spicy south Indian soup from a Sri Lankan restaurant, with black pepper, cayenne, garlic, Ginger... Really nice. Called Rasam. Next, drank 8oz water with 2tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar with a good sprinkle of cayenne. Half hour later, did neti with 4oz water with 2drops of Apple Cider Vinegar in each nostril. Painful but it seemed to slow down the post nasal drip and let mucus come out through my nostrils as must have been blocked in the sinuses which may have actually caused the ear infection. Had a break, then sipped the following - half a tsp of cayenne, 1tbsp of manuka honey, 1 tbsp of acv, 2 warm tbsp of water. Yummy. Throat felt better, like the tight ring around my neck had dissolved. Couple of hours later, my throat is much better but still dry but not painful to swallow, left ear pain and side of neck still present, rt ear pain gone and reduced p n drip. Still have headache but have not taken any painkillers.

Tonite will put hydrogen peroxide in ear and do a stronger cayenne syrup and repeat neti again. Also taking grapefruit seed extract drops(5) in coconut juice. Was so fearful of
Strep throat, but after reading so many of the positive threads, especially Ted's info. on this website with such brave and some comical souls, decided to do back down the natural
remedy route putting fear aside. Hope all I do works, and I am able to go to menorca for hols next week.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Kat (Vancouver, WA) on 05/30/2009
★☆☆☆☆

I tried gargling warm/hot saltwater, with as much salt mixed in as I could get to dissolve. It helped soothe my sore throat for less than five minutes. Then I tried gargling pickle juice and had about the same results. Finally I tried gargling hydrogen peroxide and the foaming made me throw up, which just made my throat hurt worse. It did seem to help clear out my sinuses a bit, but whether that was from throwing up or the hydrogen peroxide, I don't know. All the gargling seems to have aggravated the problem a bit too. I think I'll just stick to cough drops...

Replied by Anonymous
(Anonymousville, USA)
05/31/2009

Did you try cayenne?


Multiple Remedies
Posted by corie (turnersville, nj usa) on 01/30/2009
★★★★★

a glass of hot water and salt helped my sore throat. i just gargled it until the glass was empty. i did this repeatedly every few hours or so. i also found that hot tea with honey and lemon works but not as long as the salt water. the tea just tastes better. vitamin water helps keep the sore throat away for a couple of hours. i would drink a bottle of it over the course of 1 to 2 hours after doing one of the remedies. ricolas dont work that well but they do help coughs and sometimes congestion it really depends on the flavor you get.

for post coughing pain i tried this really weird concoction but it worked. i used skim milk (don't use any other milk but skim or you will get flem) and a pinch of cinnamon. it helped with the pain you get after you have been coughing for a few hours.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Erica (NYC, NY) on 11/28/2008
★★★★☆

apple cider vinegar, lavender oil, peppermint tea, sea salt

I read through the blog and pulled everything i could find in the cupboard. Yesterday felt my throat starting to swell and woke up in the middle of the night with left throat gland / lymph node really painful and hard to swallow.

Ended up gargling warm water with apple cider vinegar, lemon and honey, then drank a cup of water with 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. drank 3 cups of peppermint tea with lemon and honey, applied lavender oil to the glad with a warm water press for a few minutes, also sprayed echinacea/tea tree oil in my throat and even drank a glass of water with sea salt.

Sounds a bit much? Probably... but it's only been an hour and a half and I think the swelling is definitely reducing, i'm definitely feeling a lot better and not as worried thats for sure. I think a lot may be psychological too - the more stuff you take for it, the more you think it will heal and so it does. So make sure to stay positive. :)


Myrrh Gargle

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Sam (Albany, NY) on 05/08/2008
★★★★★

Whenever I have a sore throat, even if it's just because I slept with my mouth open, I gargle with myrrh. We always have tincture of myrrh around the house, since it's useful for many, many things. Here's how I do it: I take a plastic cup (3oz.) and put as much tincture in it as I think I can stand. Then I dilute it a bit with some warm water, and gargle, repeating until everything in the cup is gone. Then, I rinse *just* my mouth, NOT my throat, with regular water. This leaves a bit of an aftertaste and you might produce excess saliva for a couple of minutes, but it helps quite a bit with the pain and can also help kill whatever infection might be causing the sore throat.


Olive Oil

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Ranjana (Richmond, Ca, Usa) on 11/23/2011
★★★★★

I visited earthclinic.com for the first time yesterday looking for more info about oil pulling-I have major gum issues. I tried e.v. Olive oil this morning b/c I read that sesame & sunflower can leave you with a sore throat and I didn't want to aggravate the one I already had. So I did a tablespoon of EVOO & swished for 10 minutes... and, remarkably, my sore throat was gone! Incredible! I hope it helps my gums too.



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