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 Tea
Posted by Donovan (Nassau, Bahamas)
★★★★★
An effective remedy is a hot cup of tea with three drops of lozenges (Vicks or Equate). Personally, I prefer Vicks. Ingredients:
1. Hot Cup of Tea (Before adding sugar, place one drop of the desired cough/sore throat suppressant).
2. Wait 30 seconds.
3. Add 3 teaspoons of sugar.
4. Stir tea for 10 seconds. (This allows the menthol to mix with the tea and drop to dissolve).
5. Then add 2 more drops of the cough/sore throat drop.
6. Wait 10 seconds and it's done and ready to consume.
If done accurately, you should be able to smell the menthol vapors from about a foot away. I should also warn you that the 1/4 of tea left in the cup will be the very strong and may taste equivalent to that of a cough syrup (not as harsh) but it works. With 2 or 3 cups of this, you should be ready to go. Enjoy.
Hot Tea
Posted by emach07 (Muskegon, MI) on 01/19/2009
I have tried many things and although hot tea can be soothing on the throat you don't want too much caffeine or you may just over due yourself and you need rest but one thing you definitely want to stay away from as much as possible is sugar(with the possible exception of Honey) as it literally tears down ones immune system. So far Hydrogen Peroxide is the only thing that really worked for me although warm salt water worked for a few minutes but didn't last. I have heard a lot of positive things about Cayenne Pepper but haven't tried it yet.
Hot Tea
Posted by Nana (Chicago, Il) on 06/17/2011
★★★★★
My mother always gives me hot tea with a touch of lemon and a hint of honey for my sore throught. To be honest, nothing works better!
Hot Tea
Posted by Savannah (Lancaster, California) on 05/04/2012
Thank you for your hep. I am a singer battling a sore throat and this really helped!
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Anonymous (USA)
★★★★★
thanks for this stuff guys...i'm currently at home away from school which i think i'm suffering from the flu...but i find if u mix half a tea spoon of tea tree oil with a tablespoon of water and gargle it, it really soothes and gets rid of a sore throat... this is because it is a natural anti-bacterial disinfectant...but make sure u don't swallow, as it is very toxic..
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!
