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.
Onions
Posted by Lorica (New Albany, Ind.) on 06/24/2016
★★★★★
I was having a problem with a sore, red and painful throat. I tried cayenne, a strong colloidal silver spray and salt. I used these separately and jointly. I used them through gargling and with a neti pot. They helped for a part of a day, then I would feel that pain again. This is what worked for me: 2 bunches of green onions tossed into a blender with just enough water to get a pudding consistency. I would "gargle" with this 3 times a day. That means I would kind of pour it in the back of my throat, make some gargling sounds and then spit it out. It worked when all else failed. Onions are known for being antibacterial and green onions seem to be the most potent.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Mimmings (Alpharetta, Ga) on 03/25/2014
★★★★★
My mom has always sworn by oil of oregano, but just recently did she convince me to try it. I have taken it the past 4 times I have had the hint of a sore throat, and it completely eliminated it! I had a sore throat yesterday, and put 3 drops in a small amount of water... I would say within an hour, my sore throat was gone and today I feel 100%! I am not sure how well it would work on a sore throat after a few days, as I have always knocked them out at the first sign. This stuff is amazing! It has a strong taste, but not awful, and it may burn a bit going down. You can chase it with a glass of cool water.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Susan (Panama City, Florida) on 04/07/2012
★★★★★
I recently began to have a sore throat and drank three drops of oregano oil in a oz of water three times of day for four days and sore throat went away without me even getting sicker.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Dimetri (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on 09/21/2009
★★★★★
For a sore throat I have found that Oil of Oregano works like a miracle cure. Apply one to three drops on the tongue, close your mouth and allow your saliva to wash it back towards your throat. You will feel a choking/burning sensation for about 10 to 20 seconds which will soon subside. Repeat as needed throughout the day. Usually by the second or third day, my symptoms have gone. During this time, stay away from processed foods and especially white sugar & sugar filled foods. Those little bacteria and viruses love that stuff. And remember to keep yourself hydrated - lots of water, not soda, not beer, not alcohol, not flavoured water, not crystal light, just H2O. Usually about 2 to 3 litres depending on your weight.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Robert (Toronto, Canada) on 11/27/2008
★★★★★
Sore Throat Remedy: Oil of Oregano, Honey & Water
From your local health shop you can usually find oil of oregano. It is super concentrated oil derived from oregano leave. If you research it is well know for its antibacterial properties. Apparently, and I believe it, it has the same antibacterial properties as lysol minus the toxicity.
I mixed two drops from 1:1 concentration formula (per the bottles instructions) to one ounce of water and a table spoon of honey. I gargled a bit then swallowed as it is perfectly safe to drink. And it doesn't taste that bad either.
The results were immediate. My sore throat went away in 5 minutes. I thought maybe I would have to follow-up
but no it was gone in 5 minutes. My throat was bad but not as bad as I have had as I get strept throat on occasion were I can't even eat because it hurts to swallow.
I see lots of people writing on the effects of cayenne pepper and am surprised noone has commented on oil of oregano. Try it it works!
Oregano Oil
Posted by Sandy (sticks, Nevada) on 11/24/2007
★★★★★
Oil of oregano cured my son's sore throat in a moment. We used 4 drops of oil of oregano in about a cup of warm water. I wanted my son to gargle with it, but he felt it work immediately and wanted to swallow it. He gargled/swallowed the whole glass and announced he was completely pain free. We had tried all sorts of remedies and none of them worked for him. Thank you to the person that posted about oregano oil originally.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Sterling (Honolulu, HI) on 02/18/2006
★★★★★
sore throat,colds ,flu, parasites. Oil of oregano - the king of herbs, books have been written about it, as well as many studies and years of tests. I myself have used it for many years with stellar results and also raves from thankful patients. A couple drops sublingually held for thirty seconds will get a bit intense. This will get it into your blood stream asap. Your sore throat will be gone in less than fifteen minutes.
Oregano Oil, Tamari Soy Sauce
Posted by Jo-jo74 (Philadelphia, Pa) on 06/30/2012
★★★★★
Oregano is a good option for sore throats. However, it's important to dilute it with something other than water, like honey or coconut oil. This way, there is less chance of throat irritation. (Oregano oil is strong! )
Option #2- Tamari soy sauce worked well as a gargle as an alternative to ACV or pickle juice.
Over the Counter
Posted by Trader (Muscle Shoals, Alabama) on 02/03/2012
Simply take a small packet of BC Powder and pour the powder on your tonque. Take about 1/4 glass of either water or tea into your mouth and swish this around until the powder is diluted. Now! Gargle as long as you can getting the mixture around the areas of your throat that is hurting.... then swallow.
In about 3 minutes you will feel the pain lessening... In about 15 minutes it will feel even better.... If the sore throat returns in a few hours repeat the same..... after the second or third time it usually will not come back....
You can think of me later.... go get the powder....
Paprika
Posted by Alison (Hull, UK) on 03/17/2007
★★★★★
Sore Throat Remedy: I only had Paprika in my cupboard so I used more - it's working as I type! Mixed it with honey, lemon, ginger, cinnamon and hot water and drank it as soon as I could. Bring it on!!
Peanut Butter
Posted by Leriejane (Seattle, Wa, Usa) on 07/17/2010
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
PEANUT BUTTER
Out of curiosity, I tried eating a spoonful of chunky peanut butter to soothe my sore throat, and it worked! It lasted at least 1/2 an hour, but that's longer than any cough drops, tea, honey, or apple cider vinegar that I've tried. Half an hour isn't that long, but most of the scratchiness and soreness went down and continued for awhile after. It's a lot of calories, but if you're sick you probably won't be eating much, so won't be a problem. This is probably a good solution to do when your throat hurts really bad, between cough drops or tea, etc.
HARD LIQUOR
I've also found that drinking a shot of cheap alcohol, the kind that 'burns' as it goes down, works really well at numbing the throat. Either drink or gargle a shot's worth (or add it to warm water with salt).
Replied by Kirky
(Toronto, Canada)
04/06/2012
★★★★★
Pear Juice
Posted by Sean (Chatham, VA) on 03/20/2007
★★★★★
Here is something that gets rid of sore throat pain for a while; Pear Juice. You can get bottled Pear Juice in the baby-food section of a grocery store. OR you can still find some pears canned in their own actual pear juice. (The juice from pears canned in "corn syrup", will not work.) It has to be real pear juice. This is a lot easier for kids to swallow, then something like cayenne pepper. I don't know why it works. I just know it does. I doubt its killing the bacteria/virus causing the sore throat. But it does get rid of the pain for a while.
Replied by Patty
(Chicago, Illinois)
03/02/2009
Peppermint
Posted by Janine (Pittsburgh, USA) on 05/10/2008
★★★★★
When you want some caffeine and a way to relieve your sore throat at the same time, try 4 bags of peppermint tea with 4 bags of green tea steeped in 12 cups of hot water. It's very good and it relieves the throat instantly.
Lemon ginger water also works better than plain water to relieve a sore throat (the juice of a lemon and 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger root (squeezed through a garlic press a few times) in a 2 quart pitcher of water. More palatable than some of the other remedies I've seen here. Plus, it works!!
Pickles
Posted by Tonya (Kentucky) on 03/16/2016
★★★★★
I had a sore throat for three days. Each day, it was getting worse. I went to work, felt like I got run over by a truck. My sinuses were a mess and my throat hurt so bad, it was hard to swallow. I had brought my lunch to work and I had packed pickles. (had it in a container where I could keep some juice with the pickles). As I ate the pickle, I realized almost immediately something was changing in my throat. It was feeling better. I decided to drink the juice in the container with a spoon, and it worked! Sore throat was totally gone, and it opened up my nasal passages. I am a FIRM believer in this remedy. I experienced it myself!!
Replied by Jackie
(Gooding, Idaho)
04/01/2018
★★★★★
Pineapple Juice
Posted by Jade (NYC)
★★★★★
Pineapple juice! All you have to do is gargle with it, and it tastes good.