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.
Slippery Elm
Posted by Kali (Anchorage, AK)
★★★★★
Slippery elm bark tea is great! It soothes a sore throat almost immediately.
Slippery Elm
Posted by Angela (Tonasket, WA.) on 08/13/2008
Slippery elm is noted as soothing a sore throat by making it slippery as it's name suggests. Lozenges got at a natural food store are easy, though not cheap. The ideal would be the powder in bulk, added to your favorite hot or cold beverage. It tastes good, but I would suspect it would not heal anything, just help stuff slid down in the healing process. I would reccomend taking apple cider vinegar or cayenne pepper to actually heal the irritation.
Blackberries
Posted by Amber (Pleasantville, NJ)
★★★★★
Blackberries mildly stop the pain of sore throat but not all the way. it works if you have mild pain in the throat.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Belina (Merida, Yucatan, Mexico )
I've read about people having problems with Cayenne, Habanero or other "hot" chilies or sauces and as a Chef who specializes in Mexican fare, plus I now live in Mexico too, I can give you a very easy and efficient remedy to ease the burning from peppers. Also, it doesn't matter if the burning is in your mouth, lips, face (from touching it with your hands after handling peppers) or hands, it works:
Put a little salt on the palm of your left hand, wet the tip of your right index finger in your mouth slightly and dip it in the salt and place it UNDER your tongue (sublingual) in the tender area on your jaw and not ON the underside of the tongue. Relief is very quick, easy to do, you can do it anywhere (like a restaurant) and works for everyone plus you can find salt everywhere.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Storie (Seattle, WA)
Sprinkle some cayenne pepper into a mixture of about 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp honey - microwave for about 20 seconds and then stir. Drink it while it's hot.
It doesn't necessarily "cure" my sore throats, but it always makes it feel better. I get tonsillitis that seems to be triggered by my sinus problems and constant post-nasal drip. The cayenne pepper always helps me cough up all the nastiness back there.
If you like pickle juice (I love it), I have also found it helps to drink a couple sips of it mixed with cayenne pepper. This doesn't soothe my throat like the honey/lemon, but it does help me cough up excess mucus.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Chloe (Amherst, MA) on 03/11/2009
I tried the lemon and honey trick, with about 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, microwaved it for 20 sec, then tried to gargle it and burned my tongue and bottom of my mouth badly. Make sure it's not too hot, or it will just make it worse.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Debbi (Delta, CO) on 04/07/2009
I tried the 3 tbsps of honey with 3 tbsps of lime juice, since I didn't have lemon juice on hand. I generously sprinkled cayenne pepper and added a few drops of water. Heated it 20-30 seconds and drank. I tasted pretty good and I could immediately tell that in was "working" on the sore areas of my throat. I immediately got my voice back and am very hopeful that this will give me relief throughout the course of this sore throat. I will repeat as necessary until the sore throat is gone. I speculate that it doesn't cure the sore throat, but numbs it. But that is good enough for me. With the symptoms reduced, I can certainly wait this thing out!
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Kikiloise (Novi, North Carolina Usa) on 06/05/2011
★★★★★
when I have a cold or a sore throat or I lose my voice I take a tblspoon of honey and apple cider vinegar... works like a charm! The after taste may burn a little bit but not bad.
Cayenne Tips
Posted by Boduliuca (Barrie, Canada) on 12/27/2013
You must know something about honey. It is extremely healthy, but loses it all if you heat it to the temperature higher than 40 C (103 F). After that you have only sugar, which is harmful. So: STOP NUKING YOUR FOOD!
