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 Mary (Denver, Co) on 03/14/2013
★★★★★
Wow! It worked- cayenne pepper 2 tbsp, 1 tbsp acv, honey and warm water.. 50 min later I feel more alive than I have in the past 2 days being sick--- it burns my chest a little but the sore throat is going away and my energy is going way up!
Cayenne
Posted by Theresa (Valparaiso, In) on 03/04/2013
★★★★★
I've had a killer sore throat--so bad that it kept me up 2 nights back--for a few days now. Honey, hot tea, etc etc have not been working for this one this time. So here I am and found this cayenne tip. WOW! I put 1 tsp in about 8oz of warm water and IMMEDIATELY my pain was gone. It's starting to make a slight return as I expected with this severe of discomfort, but I plan on gargling for a few times every hour until this subsides.
Cayenne
Posted by Apple Schmidt (Twin Falls, Idaho) on 02/21/2013
★★★★★
It definitely does not suprise me how well this worked for me today. I have been an all natural freak my whole life and never ended up with something other than a broken nose and folded septum that needed a doctor's attention. (I actually straitened it my self, 2 days later, it required surgery. ) This includes, well, you name it. Cayenne is something I heard about years ago from the mother of a cousin who is 99 years old and can still whoop anyone's ass. I used 1/2 tsp. in a coffee cup of warm water, and pretty much instant relif.
Cayenne
Posted by Press Gray (New Orleans, Louisiana ) on 01/17/2013
★★★★★
The cayenne pepper definitely works, I could not sleep so at 3am I found this and tried it out. It's like a miracle cure I can swallow with no problem already only 30 minutes later. No sore throat at all. I'm going to do it again in the morning before work just as a precaution.
Cayenne
Posted by Victor (San Antonio, Tx) on 11/22/2012
★★★★★
Hi I am an avid cayenne peper fan even have a garden in my back yard. any way I had a cough sore throat for 3 days but due to my laziness I fail to take my home remedie.
2 hours ago after staying home from thanksgiving celebrations finnaly broke down and chopped 2 garlic cloves saturated them with cayenne powder and chewed on them till they were all gone ate a peace of lemon and amen. Pain and cough is gone thank you for reading. if in doubt visit your doctor.
Cayenne
Posted by Anne H. (Santa Ana, Ca) on 11/21/2012
★★★★★
I woke up with a sore throat that I believe is related to a cold I think I am starting to come down with. Caught it from my oldest daughter. I tried the cayenne pepper. I put 1/4 tsp. in a 1/2 cup of warm water. I took a swallow and gargled, and then swallowed it. It really wasn't that bad. And it feels like the pain in my throat is 1/2 as bad.
Cayenne
Posted by Ann (Oakland, Ca, Usa) on 11/17/2012
★★★★★
After suffering for four days with each day being worse than the last I finally got the nerve to try the cayenne pepper. I had tried the apple vinegar cider and the warm salt water gargle - both somewhat soothing but still leaving me miserable. There is a bad viral infection going around and I had talked to a few people who had similar experience and they said the sore throat lasted for up to two weeks. My throat was swollen along with tongue and had pain along jawline and neck. Also had earache on occasion. I already had the pepper flakes but decided to buy the powdered cayenne pepper. Read several of the recipes but went with 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 cup of very warm water. Coated my lips with vaseline as someone recommended and gargled twice for about a minute each time. Yes it burns! However, after about two minutes you can feel it working. I gargled with the mixture about every 30 to 45 minutes for the evening. This morning I woke up and the swelling had decreased. It still hurts to swallow but not near as much. Teeth, jaw, sinus and tongue no longer ache. I want to post to let others know the misery can be reduced and almost eliminated with the cayenne pepper gargle.
Cayenne
Posted by James (London, United Kingdom) on 11/04/2012
★★★★★
Cayenne pepper not only cured my sore throat and cough it also cleared up an ear infection that antibiotics could not. Again thanks
Cayenne
Posted by Michael (Crested Butte, Colorado) on 09/14/2012
★★★★★
In reading this thread and seeing that people seem very surprised that cayenne pepper works for their sore throat, I can give you a solid pharmacological explanation of why that is: the chemical in hot peppers such as cayenne that makes them hot is called capsacin (spelling correct?), and believe it or not it is the main active ingredient in a great many ARTHRITIS medications. The science behind it has to do with something along the lines of causing the nerves to fire too much to a point where they finally turn off, so to speak (this is a dumbed-down and probably not wholly acurate explanation of the science, however the fact remains that Capsacin does have pain-dulling properties and this is no doubt why it works well in a gargle for sore throats). Thus although the cayenne feels hot at first, eventually the user experiences relief!
Cayenne
Posted by Jane R. (Boston, Ma) on 08/30/2012
★★★★★
OMG I can't believe this worked. I am 51 and had a sore throat for 2 weeks that wouldn't go away and was going in for a medical procedure that you can't be sick for so I was in a panic. I rinsed with the Ground Cayenne Pepper (found in the spice aisle in the alphabetical section under P for Hot Pepper). I used 1/4 teaspoon in a cup of water every 3 hours or so for a total of 3 times. I didn't feel any different the first day but I was completely pain free the next day. It is now day 3 and I still don't have a sore throat. So weird that this hot spice cools a burning throat.
Cayenne
Posted by Jeegen (Pleasant Ridge, Michigan) on 07/15/2012
★★★★★
I have been suffering from a sore throat now for five days, but the last two nights have been unbearable, tossing and turning, coughing, waking up my spouse, etc. This morning I couldn't speak. I rarely get sick or have sore throats, but this is awful. I just tried the above remedy, not 20 minutes ago and my pain has halved and I can talk. It IS very spicy, though I have a pretty low tolerence for spice, but I figure the worse it tastes the better it works? I also made myself swallow a teeny tiny bit after I read further below that it needs to coat the entire throat and not just the top.
Cayenne
Posted by October (Berea, Oh) on 06/12/2012
★★★★★
I don't know what I have, it seems like allergies because it happens seasonal or so. It started with watery eyes and a dry scratchy throat. I took it easy and managed to keep those feelings at bay then I woke up in the middle of the night with my throat a little more scratchy & a bit sore. I got up and immediately started in on the warm salt water and I've been trying to fight it off that way. Last night I lost the battle and my throat was really bad this morning and relief lasted briefly even with hot tea.
I came here and saw this post so I tried it. I have rinsed twice now only to follow these suggestions and I feel like I will be fine at least a few hours. I will probably do it twice more this evening and try to drink as much water as possible. I know haven't had enough water and that doesn't help. Need to keep the tissues lubricated. I hope it goes away soon because I am in no mood to wait this out... Thanks for the suggestions! In the least I will settle for relief, I feel much better now : )
Cayenne
Posted by Sebastian (Melbourne, Australia) on 06/03/2012
★★★★★
After coming down with a sore throat and chest cough, I tried every possible remedy I was recommended. For two days waking up every two hours with the worst throat and then losing my voice I tried betadine throat gargle, honey and lemon, lozenges, warm salty water and paracetamol. All these treatments would have an effect for a short term so I thought I would at least try cayenne pepper.
After mixing 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 lemon in 1/2 a cup of water and gargling every 15 min for 2 hours and then the rest every so often for the rest of the day, I wake up with no sore throat.
I would say to anyone before you go and spend a load of money on antibiotics give this a go and you may be as plesantly suprised as I was. I still have the cough and heavy chest but gone are the razor blades in my throat.
Cayenne
Posted by Matt (Melbourne, Australia) on 06/03/2012
★★★★★
Amazing stuff, provided all most instant relief! I use to gargle alcohols which seem to work as well. But this seems to have done the trick! Thanks internet!
Cayenne
Posted by Cath (Ottawa, On, Canada) on 05/29/2012
★★★★★
I just had to give it one more YEA vote in case it helps give even one more person the relief it gave me. THANK YOU!
