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.
Vinegar
Posted by Kaila (Springdale, Arkansas) on 07/13/2008
★★★★★
Welll i try salt and vinigar with hot water to gargle. It might taste odd but it helps alot. Use five teaspoons of salt and a half cup a vinigar. but it does not matter how much water you use! Hope it helps.
Rum
Posted by Tina (Park Forest, Illinois) on 05/17/2008
★★★★★
Sore Throat Remedies: Rum worked great for me -- i gargled with it for about 30 seconds and then spit it out and took a small swallow of the mouthwash and within a minute my sore throat was gone it is so nice to be able to talk without wanting to cry!!!
Rum
Posted by Minyen (Los Angeles, CA) on 07/25/2008
★★★★★
Haha. well it really worked....me && my friend tried it . BUT the thing that killed it was the mouthwash....that made me throw up ! Ew.. But the RUM worked good.. && THINK TWICE ABOUT THE MOUTH WASH !
Rum
Posted by Robin (Rural, VA) on 07/26/2008
Do I understand that you are supposed to "swallow" the mouthwash?
Rum
Posted by Nadine (Brooklyn, New York) on 11/01/2008
★★★★★
I tried the Rum and/or Listerine Mouthwash and it works ! I took a shot of Mexican Tequila and tried to gargle as long as I possibly could. As soon as I spat out the Tequila, my tonsils felt instantly better. The irration went right away and it almost feels like they aren't there. I will probably take another one here soon since I took a very little one the first time. Also with the Mouthwash, it works as well. I used it every morning with brushing my teeth, however, do not swallow this one. Simply just gargle and spit. I personally think Rum or Tequila works alot better because it has a stronger alcohol content then mouthwash. Goodluck!
Rum
Posted by Sam (Dayton, Oregon) on 07/14/2011
why do you spit out the rum, but drink the mouthwash? since your not sapose to swallow mouthwash but drink rum.
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!!
Myrrh Gargle
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.
Salsa
Posted by Renee (Melbourne Beach, FL) on 04/11/2008
★★★★★
A few month ago, I came down with a sore throat. That afternoon I grabbed some salsa and tortilla chips as a snack - my sore throat was gone almost instantly! After coming across your website, now everything makes sense. Since most salsas have vinegar, garlic & spices in them, this is a great snack for anyone to grab with a sore throat - only have mild salsa on hand: spinkle cayenne pepper in it and voila!
Salsa
Posted by Mara (Somewherreee., Florida) on 07/04/2010
I have not tried using Salsa but after reading this I sent my dad to the store to buy it for me, I did try gargling salt water but it did not cure it just took some of the pain away.
Vicks Vapor Rub
Posted by Mary (Altadena, CA) on 04/04/2008
★★★★★
for immediate sore throat relief try spreading vicks vabor rub on your neck at the thorat and wrapping tightly with a rag pinning it so it does not come off.
Vicks Vapor Rub
Posted by Raymond (Kongiganak, Alaska) on 10/28/2011
Im trying this vaporrub... See if it works. Yesterday I had a bad headache. Hope it works. God blessing :)
Hand Therapy
Posted by KK (USA) on 03/31/2008
★☆☆☆☆
I tried the hand remedy for my sore throat, and it didn't really work. I had my hand on my throat, for about 5 minutes, not talking or anything, then I took my hand off. My throat felt better for about 30 seconds, then the pain came back. I have a cough drop right now and it's doing more than the hand thing.
Lemon and Garlic
Posted by Marilyn (Cherry Hill, US) on 03/28/2008
★★★★★
I now understand the meaning of the old saying "prevention is worth a pound of cure". Doing this regularly once or twice a week may help prevent a sore throat. 8 to 10 oz. water with one lemon squeezed in the water. Drink this with a straw. The lemon may eat the enamel off your teeth so use the straw. If your throat is scratchy do this. Do it at the onset of a sore throat and use 600 to 900 mg of garlic tablets. I use 1200mg and some time 2000mg. Wala your cured of your sore throat. If you do this before you get this you can prevent it.
Turmeric
Posted by Elsy (Singapore) on 03/24/2008
★☆☆☆☆
I am having a bad sore throat. I tried your remedy of turmeric, pepper, ginger in warm water. While drinking the water, the pain reduced. But it returned soon after. Then I cut up half a clove of garlic and added a teaspoon of honey to it. I was unable to take the garlic due to its burning taste. But the honey coated the 'scratchy and painful' parts of my throat. The skin has gone off at the back of my throat. So it is still painful..!
Cayenne Tips
Posted by M.akram (Abbottabad, Pakistan) on 10/29/2012
Thanks very much for this post. I have been looking for something like this desperately. Thanks very much for sharing this piece of information.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Donnie (Chicago, Illinois) on 12/05/2012
Why are you suppose to avoid dairy? My throat has been hurting but I drink one of those instant breakfasts that mix with milk. Should I lay off the milk until I'm better then?
Cayenne Tips
Posted by P (Middle Of, Fl) on 12/07/2012
I'm late; however aloe juice always helps with vomitting. I've had multiple success with multiple people. Honey and Ginger tea excellent as well. If you're still vomitting now being 2days later (can be something severe) read up on iodine in the above in remedy tab. Hope this helps for future reference.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Nina (San Diego, CA) on 03/07/2008
Cayenne pepper works, but in order to ease the hotness, I just use orange juice. Put an 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne in a glass of orange juice, and drink it. Make sure the oj has pulp in it, the cayenne will bond to the pulp, and it won't burn your mouth at all! I have been using this method for years. And DON'T use milk to "ease the hotness" when you're sick- avoid dairy products.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Steve (Portland, Oregon) on 05/13/2009
You should be aware that orange juice thickens your mucus, which is the opposite of what you want when you have ear, nose or throat problems.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Caroline (Alexandria, Va ) on 03/11/2010
Steve, Curious why OJ thickens your mucus. I thought it was anti-inflammatory and therefore beneficial when ill.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Midlyfcrisis (East Tn, Tn, Usa) on 11/16/2011
The orange juice worked great! I used a straw, and drank about 1/3 cup mixed well with about 1/8 tsp of cayenne. I put the straw onto the middle of my tongue, and bypassed the tip. I barely had even a hot aftertaste. Within 5 minutes, my nose started running, and 10 minutes later, I can swallow w/o pain! Thanks so much!
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Leia (Forest Grove, Or) on 12/27/2011
@ Caroline from Alexandria, VA: Actually on the Anti-Inflammation Diets given by Natural Paths they remove all citrus (except lemon/juice: for flavoring food) from the diet; because it's known for causing inflammation through out the body.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Kateseed (Seattle, Wa) on 03/22/2013
Orange juice contains a ton of sugar. Sugar is mucus forming and competes with vitamin C at the same receptor site on the cell. I'd advice to steer clear of all juices. Despite how pure fruit juice is, it contains a lot of fruit sugars. Any vitamin C in orange juice is added as ascorbic acid usually because pasteurization kills the natural occurring vitamin C.
General Feedback
Posted by Jonathan (Allentown, PA) on 03/04/2008
I have not had a sore throat for over 10 years now. For me, Zinc lozenges were the key.
By the way...it seems some people have sore throats for more than 6 days. If you want to know what it feels like to get a heart valve transplant or artificial heart valve, then do not go to a doctor and do not start antibiotics after a week of sore throat that doesn't get better.
The home remedies only work when the sore throat is caught early. When the infection becomes systemic, it can go to the heart valves, as it did to a dear friend and many patients I have nursed through the years.
The one possible exception is Cayenne Pepper. However, it would need to be taken at least three times a day (preferably early so it does not keep you awake).
This is because the Cayenne (if it is cold processed or not cooked) makes the body shift to alkalotic which will kill both virus and bacterial infections in some cases.
Again, this is only possible. It is your life to gamble with.
Good Health to you.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Brittany (Lake Wylie, South Carolina) on 03/02/2008
I actually haven't tried the cayenne pepper yet, but am sure it will work. I'm more concerned with what people are using to take the heat away afterwards... You should use sugar. It absorbs the heat. Bread probably works too, but not as much. Milk, just like water, spreads it around even more and will probably upset your stomach, especially if you try lemon with any of the remedies. So bottom line, use sugar not milk or water.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Shawnshine (Portland, Or) on 05/08/2009
Unfortunately, sugar lowers your immune system and allows the bacteria in your throat and mouth to breed more rapidly. I would advise against using sugar if you're battling a bacterial throat infection such as Streptococcus.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Penny (Los Angeles, Ca) on 04/05/2011
★★★★★
For sore throats and sinus problems I add cayenne to a broth of one crushed piece of garlic, one table spoon of ACV, soy sauce to taste, one dash of toasted sesame oil and a teaspoon of honey. I pour boiling water over this mixture in a mug and drink it like a cup of tea. It tastes pretty good. The garlic, ACV and cayenne really help to knock out a cold.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Tàylor (Tucson) on 01/13/2013
Milk should be avoided during a time of illness but the post about how it makes the heat worse is absolutely untrue. There are proteins in milk that bond to the capsacin sp? molecules in peppers, which are the heat of the peppers, and get washed away.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Angela (Rustburg, Va, Usa) on 02/14/2013
I tried the Cayanne /ACV/ garlic/broth mix and only substituted hymalayan salt for soy sauce, and it hardly touched my sore throat. The warmth and spice cleared up my nose, and felt pretty good, but it was not the miracle cure I was told it was. Maybe it's just because I have the worst sore throat of my life, that kept me up the entire night... But still. (Don't get your hopes too high. ) On the plus side, it's really pretty good. I had fresh broth, and boiled the garlic just a bit, and it was a very nourishing and tasty soup.
Hot Sauce
Posted by Katheryn (Columbia, South Carolina) on 02/24/2008
★★★★★
I was rather skeptical about using any of these remedies... I sucked it up and took a glass of hot water with some generic hot sauce and a little honey. After just the first sip my sore throat that has been around for over 2 weeks was much lighter. I will continue to use til it is gone completely. Thank you so much!
Tongue Stretch
Posted by Jfnj (Manteno, Il) on 09/19/2010
★☆☆☆☆
Doesn't work for me, now it's 10 times worse!
Tongue Stretch
Posted by Ruby (Omaha, Ne) on 04/24/2012
★☆☆☆☆
I tried it and it worked for about five seconds.
Tongue Stretch
Posted by Felicia (Texas) on 06/10/2015
★☆☆☆☆
That did not work at all!
Vicks Vapor Rub
Posted by Stacy (Delhi, california) on 02/15/2008
★★★★★
easy steps to get rid of your sore throat. this really works!!!
rub vicks vapor rub on your neck and wear a scarf.
drink hot tea with lemon and honey.
get lots of sleep
rest your voice
to keep you distracted from going out watch tv
take hot showers the steam helps
Hot Sauce
Posted by Tamairo (Milwaukee, United States) on 02/12/2008
★★★★★
I read through a wealth of information here. I was very skeptical about using tobasco sauce! It is just way too hot. However, I didn't have any in my kitchen anyway. If I did, I probably would have used it as bad as my throat was hurting. I ended up using a derivative of the tobasco sauce. I got the Louisiana Hot Sauce from my cupboard. I read the ingredients and Cayenne Pepper was in there. So I figured, what the hell! Most people on here have said that it works, I am in so much pain! I thought, well, my throat feels so bad, it can't do anything but get better from this. I took a small 4 ounce plastic cup. I put about six shakes of hot sauce, and the rest hot water. I gargled with this solution for about 5-6 gargles in a row. The first few times, my throat felt like it was on fire. I thought that the fire department would need to be called. I was looking for a fire extinguisher! Anyway, to my surprise, this remedy actually gave me alot of relief! I couldn't believe it! I am going to see how I feel in the morning. I was just about to go to the ER. I just decided to search the net first and found this site. Awesome guys! Thanks for your helpful suggestions! I feel alot better.
