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.
Cayenne
Posted by Angela (Cincinnati, Ohio) on 12/05/2007
★★★★★
I'm finally on my way to some much needed sleep after 4 days but first I had to say THANK YOU! A little background: I've been sick for 5 days with a horrible sore throat, chills, fever, body aches etc. Doctor said it's sinus infection turned bacterial and gave me antibiotics. After 36 hours on the meds and no relief, the sore throat was only getting worse. Hot honey tea wasn't even helping me. I haven't eaten in 5 days - not ANYTHING. Just fluids because of my sore throat and even swallowing tea or water was starting to kill me. I've never tried a 'natural remedy' before in my life having grown up in a medical family where antibiotics were always the cure. Even though I do well with spicy food, I decided to try the honey/lemon/cayenne trick. It didn't taste bad at all. I probably even used less than 1/8 tsp because I'm scared. The first time didn't offer me too much relief. I tried it a few hours later and right after, I was bummed because again no relief. After 15 minutes of looking at your site to see what I've done wrong, I realize that my throat can swallow again!!! This is fantastic. I'm going to continue this for a few days and tell everyone I know about earthclinic.com (Including my doctor who is actually very much a lover of home remedies) Thank you so much to all the people who gave detailed information. I will continue the antibiotics to hopefully rid the fever and infection but this is a huge step for me! I can't wait to sleep and eat tomorrow!
Cayenne
Posted by Laci (Lewiston, Idaho) on 02/29/2012
Wow I seriously think that there is no one on earth ever that has ever had a sore throat as bad as mine... It hurts so bad I can't even explain the pain... Where and what type... It is more than a sting or burn... I am border line in tears (self pity tears) all day. My mouth will not even allow my throat to swallow, no ibu, tylenol or asprin have even gave me a bit of relief... I know a lil dramatic but I am so angry from this pain. Sunday morning I took 3 ibus and it was almost gone by that night it really didn't help and now it has got worse every day... I am in the midst of trying the cayenne, honey, lemon trick so far nothing. In between gargling I am drinking chicken broth laced with tons of cayenne.... my thing about gargling is I don't feel like I am getting it back far enough down my throat to help???? Any tips? I really feel like this is the worst pain I have ever had.
Cayenne
Posted by Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 03/01/2012 2048 posts
Laci, Zinc Lozenges are good for sore throat.
Cayenne
Posted by Oscar (Syracuse, New York) on 03/01/2012
Dear Laci from Lewiston Ohio, I have no way of knowing what the cause is of this sore throat condition is with any certainty. BUT, I suffered with sore throats throughout my childhood and adolescence.
The cause of my sore throats was always called swollen glands by the doctors who looked at me during that time. They were WRONG.
My sore throats were the result of chronically infected tonsils and adenoids. I saw an elderly country doctor who immediately knew what was wrong with me. This doctor sat me down in a dentist type of chair he had in his office and then and there removed my tonsils and adenoids, on my first visit to him. Now he used some novacaine and this did not hurt all that much.
Anyway, he said my tonsils were the worst he had ever seen. And once these tonsils and adenoids were surgically removed I NEVER have had sore throats again.
Well that surely did work for me and I never had any such problems again....Oscar
Cayenne
Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 03/01/2012
I did read that someone sprayed iodine down their throat after looking in the mirror and they could see the bacteria on the tonsils and throat area. The iodine killed the pathogens on the tonsils and stopped the pain.
Coconut oil, and ACV or even honey or vitamin c (anything anti bacterial I would think would kill the pathogens.)
Cayenne
Posted by Maria (Gippsland, Australia) on 03/01/2012
Hi Laci, Hope your on the improve now and it would be interesting to know if the zinc lozenger helped or if the other things you were doing did. Cod liver oil and vit c will help build your resistance to these for the future not that it helps with your immediate pain.
Oscar, I had mine out also as a child and went on to suffer bad sore throats regularly. I also caught scarlet fever. I left home and was taught that the tonsils are one of our defence mechanisms to infections. I then learnt through a friend that taking cod liver oil builds you up - guess what no more sore throats so no more unnecessary prescriptions. I am curious after having yours removed did you change anything else like diet, supplements or even location? Your elderly country doctor must have been good one to be able to do the op in the chair. Those days are gone with Drs having so many authorities looking over their shoulders.
Cayenne
Posted by Rob (Manhattan, Ny) on 03/01/2012
My favorite throat remedy is Propolis. I like the high percentage tincture. It is like tar and will stick to your throat. Also your teeth so be careful to place the dropper to the back of the throat. For a sore throat that bad be sure to have a dr check it out.
Cayenne
Posted by Oscar (Syracuse, New York) on 03/03/2012
Dear Maria from Gippsland Australia, I never took any supplements back then [ 1967 ]. And yes he was a remarkable doctor. I had suffered with these sore throats and what the doctors in Minneapolis Minnesota where calling " swollen glands ", low grade fevers and such throughout my childhood and adolescence.
I moved out on my own and moved to Wyoming and worked in the oil fields there as a well service person. I did NOT think of it as unusual that this doctor did what he did back then. I had just turned 18 years old and did not realize what an unusual doctor he was.
It was just like I said: He took a look in my throat and told me I had bad case of tonsilitis. He told me to sit in this chair he had and to keep my mouth as wide open as I could. Then he gave me some shots of novacaine and went to work. He had those tonsils and adenoids removed and the cuts stitched up in about one hour or less. He did tell me these were the worst tonsils he had ever seen. And that was that. Now my throat was sore from the surgery for about two weeks, but I never had sore throats or swollen glands again once my throat healed. Now I never suffered any ill effects from this surgery. I felt very much better and was never plagued with these infections again....Oscar
Cayenne
Posted by Holly (Clarksville, TN) on 11/22/2007
★★★★★
I woke up this morning with an unbearable sore throat. I have tried evrything under the sun including salt water, but nothing has lessened the pain. I went out and picked up some cayenne pepper. I've been gargling every 15 min with 1/2 tsp in a 1/2 cup warm water. This has definitely made it easier to swallow and it's only been 45 min! I'm also not a fan of spicy foods, but after gargling, I recommend rinsing your mouth with cold water. This will take away the burning sensation quickly.
Cayenne
Posted by Shonna (Long Beach, California) on 11/17/2007
★★★★★
It's 3am here, and I was seriously thinking about going to the ER to see if they could help me with the pain of my sore throat.. (This is the worst sore throat I've ever had) Then I did a search on google and found this. Lucky for me, I had the Cayenne pepper in my spices. I used it once so far, and I already feel less pain. I'm going to use it every 30 mins til I can fall asleep. Thank you so much! I had never heard of this before, and the salt water wasn't helping one bit.
Cayenne
Posted by Ethan (Moraga, CA) on 11/14/2007
★★★★★
Add me to the list of believers. I woke up last night with a horrendous sore throat. Googled for remedies, got to your site. Couldn't find cayenne pepper but did find a bottle of Tabasco sauce. Poured a few drops into a glass of warm water, gargled, and felt instantly better. Repeated the process 30 minutes later and sore throat vanished completely.
Cayenne
Posted by Akky (Birmingham, u.k) on 11/11/2007
★★★★★
yao all ma bruvers ut there....ma throat was killin me from the past few days...then a brother told me about this cayenne powder n i read it here as well.......it was well wicked n now i feel so good, even though ive oni had 2 sessions of garglin.....i cudnt swallow before this but now it seems like things are getin better..this things cool yao...yall gotta try it....its well effective....so all ma bruvers out there..any time u get a sore throat gargle wif sum cayenne powder n honey in luke warm water.... peace akky
Cayenne
Posted by Elliot (Birmingham, England) on 11/04/2007
★☆☆☆☆
I tried gargling cayenne in hot water for two days, but it didn't help cure my sore throat. I've had it for about 5 days now and I have found the apple cider vinegar remedy more effective.
Cayenne
Posted by Jason (Pleasanton, CA) on 11/02/2007
★★★★★
I felt the onset of a sore throat last Friday night. Saturday I woke up with it, and it returned before I went to sleep that night. Sunday I Googled "sore throat remedy," and found this site. I got the cayenne that day. It absolutely worked from the start for me. My sore throat never reached a point of intolerability thanks to the cayenne. First I tried it as directed. I microwaved a glass of water. Measured out an 1/8th of a teaspoon. Dropped it in. The steam made me cough a little, and the smell reminded me of tobasco, but in trying out gargling I learned that neither the spicyness nor the taste were unbearable. In fact, since I'd prefer not to gargle, I took to sipping it instead. In the following days I tried it out in coffee, and tea, and water of varying temperatures. It always worked. I never measured past that first time. I just sprinkled the pepper in like I'd salt my eggs or something. My throat never got worse, and it was totally cured by Thursday. Five days is very bearable for a sore throat that is kept to a mere irritation through using the cayenne. I will always keep cayenne handy in the future. For me, this beat sprays, lozenges, and salt water hands down.
Cayenne
Posted by Renee (Omaha, Nebraska) on 11/01/2007
★★★★★
I only tried it about 30 minutes ago, but I can already feel it helping with the pain of my sore throat. I used Cayenne pills and broke them open into some warm water and added a splash of apple cider vinegar. At first, I was afraid it was going to burn too much and cause more pain because my throat has been raw for the past 4 days. I tried it and it seems to work a little better if you can stand to just swallow it - but it is hot. Like taking a swallow of tabasco, it goes away in a few minutes and the pain is a different sort of pain than the sore throat, so in a way it feels good/different. Definitely recommended for anyone with a stubborn sore throat.
Cayenne
Posted by Rob (Hamilton, Ontario) on 10/22/2007
★★★★★
Cayenne is amazing. The cayenne recipe works fast. I've had a sore throat for 3 days. I took 1/2 cup of warm water with 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne with honey and lemon mixed in. Drank it and felt so much better thereafter. Afterwards, I followed up with 2 teaspoons of cayenne in half cup warm water and gargled. This remedy is terrific.
Cayenne
Posted by Sherry (Ashland, Illinois) on 10/17/2007
★★★★★
Yes, just wanted to say that I love this site and all the helpful remedies and feedback on what works and what doesn't work. Just wanted to say that I had a sore throat and tried the cayenne pepper remedy and it worked!!
Cayenne
Posted by Elizabeth (Perth, Australia) on 09/26/2007
★★★★★
Singers with sore throats, you will be amazed! I have a singing competition in three days. I was struck with a sore throat about a week ago. My doc told me there was nothing he could do and the pharmasist told me to gargle asprin. I was panicking about singing when I googled a sore throat cure and tried the Cayanne Pepper immediately. It worked a charm and I was able to sing every note with ease. It might just be my secret weapon in the future! Any singers out there, this really does work!
Cayenne
Posted by Chris (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) on 09/20/2007
★★★★★
I've been putting about 4 good shakes of McCormick Ground (Cayenne) Red Pepper in my coffee. Today is the 3rd day and I felt better this morning than I did the previous two mornings by a long shot. I have certainly had some strange looks when folks ask what I'm drinking but it doesn't taste bad and it REALLY does help! Thanks!
Cayenne
Posted by Jacki (Effingham, IL) on 09/03/2007
★★★★★
I started getting a sore throat on sat I noticed and alot of drainage on sun. It is now monday and I've just found this site. I wasn't quite sure of this but I tried the cayenne in hot water. well, I had crushed red pepper flakes that I put in a tea ball in the hot water. I gargled this then spit most of it out and swallowed just a tiny bit. It's a bit hot but nothing major. I noticed immediate but short lived relief. I have been gargling every half an hour or so. I am amazed that this actually works! It's worth a try if you have a bad throat.
Cayenne
Posted by T.W (Las Vegas, NV) on 09/03/2007
★★★★★
Despite the fact that it tasted like a dirty enchilada, this really worked in getting rid of a sore throat/cough for both myself and my husband. I used just a bit less than 1/8 of a tsp and it wasn't spicy at all (and I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy). I'll recommend this to everyone.
Cayenne
Posted by Catie (Lewisville, Texas) on 09/01/2007
★★★★★
I took Al from Malaysia's advice and tried the chili pepper version because I don't have cayenne on hand and couldn't muster up the energy to pile the kids in the car to go get some. First let me say that I believe my sore throat is allergy related. It's hard to take anything to help my "scratchy" throat without putting myself to sleep, being that all allergy medicine has antihistimine. That being said, I generously sprinkled the chili pepper into my coffee, and it didn't taste that bad. Then I got brave and warmed up about 1/2 c. of water, a squirt of generic honey, and 1/8 tsp. of chilli pepper. That went down surprisingly easy. Plus, before I even finished my cup of warm water I was beginning to feel a difference. Thank you Earth Clinic!
