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 Barb (phila, pa) on 07/11/2007
★★★★★
I fill a spray bottle with cayenne and water/honey/lemon, and I don't have the problem of burning lips, mouth etc. I squirt it down my throat (i'm using an old Cloraseptic bottle), and I avoid that unpleasant feeling in and around my mouth.
Epsom Salt
Posted by Lena (Seattle, Washington) on 06/24/2007
★★★★★
Epsom salt foot baths really work for sore throats. Soak your feet in a tub of water with about a cup of epsom salts, hot as you can stand for about 20 mins. Then dry your feet and put on two pairs of socks, woollen socks if you have them over a pair of thin cotton socks and go to bed. Each time I've done this my sore throat is gone by morning. Persistent sore throats can return though, so it's good to do the cayenne pepper gargle/ACV cayenne tea during the day if it comes back, and the espsom salt footbath at night before bed.
Hot Liquids
Posted by Trevor (Mt. Pleasant, SC) on 06/15/2007
★★★★★
Any hot liquids, such as tea, chichen broth, or hot water, helped to sooth mysore throat and clear my stuffed nose.
Hot Liquids
Posted by Larina (Harrisburg, PA) on 09/16/2008
★★★★★
I do agree with the hot liquids, especially antioxidant rich teas, soups(chicken seems he best), water is very important in healing a sore throat the cleaner the better boiled water is the best. I also read in different articles that drinking different tempetures of water is a great way to speed up your metabolism. I also think that Vitamin C in any form is good for your immune system.
Acidophilus
Posted by Brice (Sringfield, USA) on 05/16/2007
★★★★★
I've had my fare share of sore throats, and I find that taking one capsule (1 billion count of organisms) of Acidophilus plus one 200mg of Ibuprofen every 4 hours helps with the pain.THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION. This works for me, but may cause further health problems in others. Acidophilus is a probiotic, which means you shouldn't take it with antibiotics. Acidolphilus contains the same Lactobacillus (rod-shaped bacteria) found in milk or cheese. The breakdown of nutrients by Lactobacillus Acidophilus produces lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and other byproducts that make the environment hostile for undesired organisms. Acidolphilus is not recognized by the FDA to cure any disease. Ibuprofen helps in reducing the swelling. Ibuprofen is a blood thinner and shouldn't be used with other blood thinners. Ibuprofen has also been known to cause stomach pains and stomach bleeding. If stomach pains occur, drinking milk may help. READ THE DRUG FACTS LABEL.
Mouthwash
Posted by KIM (LAS COLINAS, TEXAS) on 05/14/2007
★★★★★
SORE THROAT REMEDY EITHER TRY A SHOT OF BACARDI 151 OR SWALLOW A BIT OF LISTERINE EVERY FEW HOURS THIS HELPS EASE A SORE THROAT.
Mouthwash
Posted by 1kennb (Long Island, Ny) on 03/03/2012
★★★★★
Acknowledging the fact that it could be bacterial or viral, I needed to try something quick last night and checked out the many suggestions on this site. Not having many of the ingredients to some "cures, " I tried the warm salt water two different times to no avail. I then tried gargling (do NOT swallow! ) Equate (Walmart) "anticavity mouthwash" (active ingredient: sodium fluoride.0221%) before going to bed. Woke up with no pain at all, feeling much better. Used same twice today with very slight soreness persisting when swallowing but much better than it's been. If it gets worse or doesn't go away, will see a doctor this week.
Mouthwash
Posted by 1kennb (Long Island, Ny) on 03/05/2012
★★★★★
A follow up: after only a couple of days of gargling with mouthwash (Equate anticavity) only a few times a day, the sore throat is gone and hasn't come back for two days now. Just sayin'...
Spearmint Oil
Posted by John (Omaha, Nebraska) on 04/08/2007
★★★★★
this is all 100% natural and can cure the sore throat asap. first get some water, next mix water with 2 teaspoons of spearmint oil, and then gargle.
Vinegar
Posted by George (Seattle, WA) on 04/03/2007
★★★★★
white vinegar, water, crushed vitamin c, and salt instantly relieved the pain of my sore throat.
Soup
Posted by Kayla (Spokane, Washington) on 04/01/2007
★★★★★
What works the best for most of my family is just good old Miso soup. the soybean white is the best! My sore throat was going away as i was eating it! try it! You can normally get it in a package at the grocery store and any asian market..
Hot Sauce
Posted by Sam (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) on 03/21/2007
★★★★★
Been using hot peppers for ever, but I just take a very small bite of Tai, Jalpeno, Habanero or whatever hot pepper I have on hand. Your saliva starts to flow like crazy but then just swallow very slowly, letting your choice of pepper ease down the throat. Don't choke and I can eat unusually hot food I am told. But it works like a charm within hours it you can handle the heat.
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.
Pear Juice
Posted by Patty (Chicago, Illinois) on 03/02/2009
This works because with some sore throats your throat is dry, the pear juice is thick and coats your throat and gets the mucas in your throat wet again. it is a quick fix but does not kill the germ.
White Pepper
Posted by Quaker (Easton, MD) on 03/20/2007
★★★★★
A welsh lady told me to try white pepper in hot tea for a sore throat and it works for me. Gargling with warm salt water is also good, as are Fisherman's Friend lozenges which contain capsaicin (red pepper).
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!!
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Patty (Pine City, MN) on 03/01/2007
I use cayenne pepper too for sore throats, but have found that mixing it in glycerine makes it much easier to take. Take about 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper (I use red pepper from my spice cabinet) and mix with 1 ounce of glycerine. Let sit together (I let sit for 2 days) then strain, using a coffee filter, into a bottle with a dropper. This method makes the concoction taste almost sweet and works great. Just drip onto sore areas of throat.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by I Like Green (Ann Arbor, Mi Usa) on 02/19/2012
I thought that glycerine is bad to suck!
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Ellen (Rochester, Mn) on 04/09/2012
They put glycerine on pacifiers in the hospital to get newborns to take them.
Whiskey
Posted by Fred (MB, South Carolina) on 02/14/2007
★★★★★
I first tried the hot water with Cayenne Pepper,and to no avail it did not work as expected it did however excite other sensory cells in which resulted in desensitizing the sore throat,I then moved to Cayenne Pepper in Apple Cider Vinegar,in which again failed. So I thought I would try the lemon in which did seem to help a small amount,I tried the Pineapple Juice in which seemed to have subsided the pain much better. I also tried using salt in hot water for several days,in which resulted little to no change. There are two types of sore throats one that is Bacterial,and the other is Viral,while Bacterial can often bee cured by antibiotics,Viral sore throats cannot be,and often require a running of its course,it is important to note that Viral sore throats are caused by the bodies immune system during its war, your anti bodies essentially destroy the cold virus via chemical acid,by spraying acid onto the cold virus it also destroys healthy cells in its process,burning the lining in the throat,that is why vitamin c is important in fighting a cold,because the acidity level needs to be high to fight off the cold virus. however a sudden change in your acid levels in your throat can actually irritate the sore throat and make it worse,such as a sudden use of a Zinc supplement. While some success has been met using salt in a hot water mixture,this success is due to the fact that the sensory cells in the throat has already been damaged to a point whereas the salt water actually cures the lining the same process that is used to cure meats,on the other hand a sore throat in which has not been damaged much may get worse using salt,or eating foods such as a salty soup,and crackers. Now comes another fact if the sore throat is Bacterial certain foods should be avoided such as sweets,and high fructose corn syrups,as the bacteria will thrive on such simple sugars. Cough drops should be avoided,as well as certain mouth washes such as plaque controls,or other washes that contain sugars. The best remedy for a sore throat is a good white whiskey,stay away from the dark. Gargle with the whiskey a few times a day until the sore throat subsides,then have you a shot once or twice a week to help stay off any future occurrences.
Whiskey
Posted by Fiona (Fife, Scotland) on 01/08/2007
★★★★★
I have a few sore throat remedies to share.
Firstly: Fresh fruit ice lollies (popsicles to Americans?) are excellent soothers, especially for children. Sucking on any ice is helpful to the pain, but the added vitamin C from fresh fruit helps the healing process. If you can't find fresh fruit lollies in the shops (Tesco's Finest do fresh orange ones for UK residents) then just squeeze an orange or lemon into your ice tray and suck on them. Combine them with your favourite pain killer, and the world seems a better place.
Secondly: Gargle with neat whisky. No, this isn't a joke - it's absolutely, one hundred percent my favourite sore throat remedy. (Then again - I am a Scot!). I recommend NOT swallowing every time, unless you're in a party mood, so don't use your best single malt. But gargling with potent alcohol, the stronger the better, not only numbs your throat so you feel no pain, but disinfects it, too. I had a sore throat recently that lasted one single, solitary day. I reckon the whisky killed it stone dead.
