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.
Hot Sauce
Posted by Brandon (Pasadena, Maryland) on 02/06/2008
★★★★★
Hello, today I got a bad sore throat and found this site. I'm only 15 so I don't have a lot of this crazy stuff people have laying around but I read about people using different kinds of hots, so I thought about things I have like that. A1 Steak Sauce (best stuff ever) came to my head. The way this work is, you get a table spoon and fill it with A1, then one by one drink 5-10 spoon fulls of it in a row very fast(between 5-8 sec between each spoon full), in about 3-7 min my throat stopped hurting. The measurements for this will probably varies for more or less server cases, and I don't suggest chugging the bottle. Only thing bad that happened is a bit of face sweating from the A1. ((And you'll have less sauce for your steak!!)) One more thing that could be important is, my A1 was cold, I know it adds something to it that I don't get from warm A1. So if your a steak guy, or a woman married to a steak guy, or a steak woman this is a great tasting cure for a sore throat.
Zinc
Posted by Marie (Vancouver, BC) on 01/30/2008
★★★★★
I have used zinc lozenges (the type you find in the vitamin section, not the type that looks like a candy) and it cured it about 100% of the times. It nips it in the bud. Whenever I feel that "sore throat" feeling coming on or if I wake up with an already sore throat I suck on one immediately and repeat it as often as the feeling comes back. The key is to abstain from eating/drinking for 40-60 mins after you sucked it. Many people whom I've given it to, came back and asked what this miracle cure was. If I think I have a flu or cold coming, I do the same thing with the same miracle effect. I carry a few tablets with me on a permanent basis. I also would drink zinc tablets in the morning and before bed if I suspect a bug is getting at me to help my immune system. I have used up to 6 tablets over a 24 hour period once, but normally don't need more than 2 - 3 tablets.
Haritaki Powder
Posted by Shreeram Balijepalli (Schenectady, NY, USA) on 01/22/2008
★★★★★
Dear All, I had sore throat and so did my baby girl. Both of us tried many remedies and since my girl is just 6 months old we did not know what to do. I tried after reading from the site cayenne- gargling, saltwater gargling, Tabasco sauce, etc. Finally, one thing worked for both of us!! I used Haritaki powder(available in almost all Indian stores). It is a very cheap powder($2.39 or so). It is very bitter powder. Biological name is called Terminalia chebulam (Black Myrobalan in English). Black Myrobalan powder is also available in some health stores but Indian stores offers best price.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haritaki
I mixed it with honey and rubbed it on to my tounge(end portion near my throat). After some time, phelgm came out. In the case of my baby, I did the same but with small quantity.She barfed within 2 mintues and the full phelgm which she had for 2 months came out as if "manna from heaven". So, you may try it out if nothing works
Turmeric
Posted by Ellen D. (USA) on 01/10/2008
★★★★★
Turmeric: An Indian friend of mine gave me a recipe for sore throat, colds, flu, sinusitis: Take about a teaspoonful of turmeric powder, a teaspoon full of grated fresh ginger (or equivalent of dried ginger powder), a pinch of ground black pepper, honey or sugar to taste, and put it into about half a cup of water and bring to a boil. Then add about half a cup of milk, heat to just below boiling point, and drink the mixture slowly, while hot. I also supplement this treatment by inhaling steam and keeping a hot water bottle on my head, throat or chest. I used to have colds that lasted two weeks; now I can get over them within three days.
Hot Sauce
Posted by Bob (Monroe, LA) on 12/31/2007
★★★★★
I didn't have any Tabasco but I had some habanero sauce. I swallowed a spoon full and my sore throat ceased immediately. I'm sweating a little from the heat of the sauce but it is a welcome relief from my sore throat.
Vinegar, Salt, Pepper
Posted by Elizabeth (Orangeville, Canada) on 11/30/2007
★★★★★
I mix salt, black pepper and vinegar together. The salt helps to dry up phlegm, the black pepper appears to cling to lose phlegm and pulls it out and the vinegar appears to kill the germs. Mix together in a strength you can handle (you can mix in warm water if vinegar is too strong) and gargle about a half a cup for the first time then again before bed or if throat bothers you during the day. It's a very old remedy my mom used on me as a child.
Vinegar
Posted by Ryan Preston (Leicester, England, UK) on 11/09/2007
★★★★★
I can't really give much of a different song here, but what I done to cure my unbearable sore throat and runny nose (I'm still doing it) is by mixing up a concoction of malt vinegar (ACV is hard to get here), honey, lemon juice and water. That, within the last 10 mins of commencing this note has soothed my throat a lot. Now, to cure the runny noise, I made myself hot tea (NO MILK) and added honey and lemon juice, I mixed, then drank whilst it was hot. The runny nose problem is virtually abundant. And the sore throat should be, too. So... hot water, lemon juice, vinegar and honey do the trick!
Chicken Soup
Posted by Nick (Poughkeepsie, NY) on 10/21/2007
★★★★★
A good remedy for sore throat is a hot bowl of chicken broth. One bowl is usually enough but for more serious strep throat two. chicken noodle soup works best for kids.
Chicken Soup
Posted by Joe (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on 12/30/2008
★★★★★
Chicken broth works like magic! 2 Thumbs up!
Honey
Posted by Meg (Lome, Togo) on 10/03/2007
★★★★★
Hi. I was reading all the responses to your Cayenne cure for sore throats and I wanted to share a cure I learned also works well: you can chew a spoonful of honeycomb. Not just plain honey, but honey still packaged the way bees make it, with the beeswax. I read of this cure in an old book of folk remedies from Vermont (when I lived in Wisconsin). I didn't believe it but a while after reading it I began to catch a cold, with my throat all scratchy and aching so it hurt to swallow. I tried this remedy, and what do you know -- after a minute or so of chewing my throat was clear and pain-free. That nice effect lasted about half an hour, then the symptoms began to return -- so I tried a second time and that cleared it up for good. I was amazed how well it worked. I'm also happy to know a second remedy to try too, since it is not so easy to get honeycomb over here in Togo. Honey is also a great for healing burns and infections -- if you search online you'll find plenty of information.
Corn Liquor and Lemon Juice
Posted by Margaret (Andrews, north carolina) on 10/01/2007
★★★★★
OK, I've not gotten around to trying any of the remedies posted on this site, nor have I looked at ALL of them. But I do have a temporary cure for soothing a sore throat that I would like to share. I have a sore throat right now, now I was trying something that I have to get rid of it. What I did was this:
2 table spoons of corn liquor
1 table spoon pure lemon juice (mine was freshly squeezed).
Mix the corn liquor and lemon juice for about thirty seconds so it is well blended. Down half of it, wait fifteen seconds and down the other half. the taste, unless you like the liquor or lemon juice is horrible, but it numbs te pain almost immediately and depending on how quiet you are able to stay depends on how long it works. For me, I had to start getting after my kids and it got kinda loud so it only worked 15 to 20 minutes. I'd try some more but my tolerance for alcohol is really low and corn liquor is the strongest I've ever drank. I hope my remedy works for others though, I don't recommend any one using it for kids.
Tomato Paste
Posted by Ninorine (Tampa, Florida) on 09/21/2007
★★★★★
An old family remedy that has been in my family for years is to boil four tomatoes with a teaspoon of salt until cooked then mash them up to form a paste. Then apply this paste to your neck area and quickly rap your neck around with warm moist towels, then lay down for thirty minutes. If you have a vaporizer place it near your head. This should clear your sore throat in about two day. The remaining juice from the tomatoe paste can be used as a soothing throat drink mixture, be sure to add a hint of salt. It works like a charm. Most say it works best on children.
Honey
Posted by Karla (Cleveland, OH) on 08/30/2007
★★★★★
I know I can remember reading about taking honey for a sore throat but can't remember where I read it. When I'm in a situation where I can't gargle, I take a teaspoon of honey for instant relief for a sore throat. The effects generally last for several hours.
Zinc
Posted by Lucy (Athens, GA) on 08/07/2007
★★★★★
No mention of it anywhere. For shame. I found that cure here and now its no where to be found ACV sounds aweful. But really zinc powder in the back of the throat has relieved the worst cases of sore throat I have ever had consistently.
Vinegar
Posted by Patricia (Port Dover, canada) on 08/02/2007
★★★★★
I JUST SHOT A MOUTHFUL OF MALT VINEGAR INTO MY MOUTH FROM THE BOTTLE AND VOILA THE PAIN IS NEARLY GONE.. I READ SOMEWHERE YEARS AGO THAT IT GOES AFTER THE BACTERIA IN THE INFECTION..NOT SURE IF THATS TRUE BUT IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM!! give it a try..and vinegar really!! the first ten seconds are pretty intense but it is worth it.
Soup
Posted by Joe (Congleton, england) on 07/13/2007
★★★★★
I got back from college with a sore throat and found your site and so i used some of the recipes like the Miso soup and garlic one (eugh) and just blitzing it with these cures proved amazing results! Thanks!!
