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.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Unknown User (Land Of The Free!, Idaho United States) on 11/23/2012
★☆☆☆☆
It did not work at all! It worked for like 10 minutes and afterwards I felt like crap.... It makes your throat dry and miserable. I highly don't recommend it.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Rachel (Fort Worth, Texas) on 10/18/2012
@Roberto, I felt the same way however I tried the baking soda and salt instead as mentioned in another post; to my surprise it gave me some relief. I'm guessing the baking soda really released the mucus because that's whats coming up now but it feels better. By the way I did two cup fulls of gargling before the relief came. I'm doing another two in the morning- Good luck to all and thanks for all suggestions.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Roberto (Newport, Tennessee) on 10/17/2012
★☆☆☆☆
This remedy is a complete joke, I have been sick for a day now and have fought off all other symptoms except a sore throat..... I tried this remedy and immediately felt a burning in my throat that was worse than before!!!!!!!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Ellenah1 (Stafford, Va) on 09/10/2012
★☆☆☆☆
I gargled a whole cup of this stuff but it only worked for like 30 seconds. It didn't taste all to great afterwards either.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Thuto (Katlehong, Southafrica) on 07/04/2012
Should I really gargle with salt. There is no electricity where I am which means no warm water what must I really do?
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Paloomi (Odek, Uganda) on 07/04/2012
★★★★☆
It helped, but not 100%.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Ty (London) on 07/01/2012
Umm, just for the people who are saying it hurt loads, It's MEANT to hurt, it's like if you rub alcohol on a wound to sterilise something it will hurt right? There's a Chinese saying, No Pain, No Gain.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Emma (Glasgow, Scotland) on 02/10/2012
Yea gargling warm salt water made my throat a whole lot painfuller but what I found works, is if you fill up a glass of cold water and add a teaspoon of salt mix it and then drink it you get instant relief.. Hope this helps but yea salt is a life saver!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by G (Jacksonville, Fl) on 12/29/2011
★☆☆☆☆
Salt water garggle does not work. It provides slight relief for a few minutes. It is also unpleasant. I suggest ginger and honey tea instead.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 11/23/2011
You could get a spray bottle and spray into the back of your throat. Add some cayenne pepper into warm liquid and spray that down the throat.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Ly (Norwich, England) on 11/23/2011
I am in so much pain with my throat that I've been awake all night, I really could cry, I've just tried this remedie but I can't even seem to hold a gargle for more than a second, is there any other way I could get this to work. Thank you Ly x
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Kenji (Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan) on 10/28/2011
It is deeply unpleasant and not a total cure but it certainly works.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Ladywisdom (Miami, Fl) on 10/03/2011
★★★★★
I almost can swear by this old remedy: when a sore throat appears, gargle with warm water, salt and lemon/lime juice (acv will do too). It should be gone by the end of your gargle. For variety, add a tsp. of honey
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Littleleto (Tampa, Florida) on 08/05/2011
★★★★★
Oh my GOD!!!! I had a sore throat last night. ( just a small one! ) I looked at this site and saw things that help. I used listerine and gargled it. Then I got warm saltwater and swallowed it instead. It works better when you swallow it! It worked amaizingly its almost gone. Later in the morning im gonna take a warm shower. And thank you soooo much for the tips!!!!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Lily (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) on 06/27/2011
Hi Adam, you spit out the salt water. Whenever you gargle anything you are supposed to spit it out. Doctors often advise salt water gargling for tonsilitus. Good luck Lily.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Adam (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada) on 06/24/2011
★★★★☆
I just recovered from an overnight flu and I am only 13 and got a really sore throat. I read some of the remedies on this site and I saw a bunce of combinations of salt and vinegar, since I had no vinegar, I took half a cup of warm water put a good amount of salt in it and gargled about 3 times.
Before I tried this remidee whenever I swalowed I felt an enormous amount of pain in the back of my throat, and after gargling my throat still hurts a bit, but still hurts way less than before, I will keep doing this about once an hr and maybe get some vinegar, just one question, do I swallow the substances or spit them out after gargling?
Thank You
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Peter (Boston, Massachusetts) on 06/08/2011
★☆☆☆☆
It did not help my soar throat at all and it actually made it worse I feel like shit now.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Alexis (Essexville, Mi Usa) on 02/20/2011
YES!!!!!! This helps A LOT!! I've had a sore throat for 3 days now and this defiantly helps :D
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Sydney (Surprise, Arizona) on 12/04/2010
Well... Ive heard salt water gargling works, so I tried it. I put it in my mouth, and once it got to the end of my tongue, my throat spit it back up, and I felt I was gonna throw up for 5 minutes afterwards. I didnt just spit it out because I hated the taste; my body somehow spit it back up. Try the tongue streching thing instead.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 11/13/2010
I don't agree with you. I have used salt water for a sore throat all my life and it really helps because it disinfects and I think that the fact that you gargle is also good, some kind of massage. I also use it when I have mouth sores. Cheap, great and without side effects!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Elaine (Key Largo, Fl/united States) on 11/12/2010
★☆☆☆☆
I am sorry to say this but.... It doesn't work..... It dries up your throat, it hurts still, and it makes your mouth super super dry..... :(
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Maverick (Lafarge, Wisconson Usa) on 08/03/2010
★★★★★
Hey thanx Chuck going to the Wisconsin dells tomorrow and I think you might have saved me.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Chuck (Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada) on 03/10/2010
★★★★★
Simple: im going to Europe for 10 days tomorrow and i came home today with a sore throat, major bummer. Anyways, i typed in "sore throat remedies" and was brought to the attention of this site. I scrolled down to the salt and water one, and am now on the road to recovery. All it took was 2 cups of water and 3 tspns. of salt. PRAISE SALT!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Winslow (Pittsburgh, Pa) on 11/27/2009
um... try going to the doc where he or she will prescribe you some amoxicillan. Its for bacterial infections such as strep throat. There's no gargling cure for that.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Hisham (Isa Town, Bahrai) on 11/09/2009
★★★★☆
Woooh! The salt gurgle treatment is great. It has taken away most of the pain but i am goin to keep repeating the treatment until it has tottally gone.THANK U SALT!!!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Christian (Toledo, Ohio) on 07/06/2009
★★★★★
Its 10:25 here in Ohio, and im home alone. having a sore throut kills but the salt water remedy works!!!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Gianna (Discovery Bay, California) on 03/13/2009
★★★★★
I have been feeling sick for the past few days, buy as usual mom made me go to school for finals. I hadnt been getting much rest and the pain was getting worse, i needed help. i had to go to school, so i knew i needed an easy way to get relief. I tried gargling salt water, but didnt last too long as i had hoped. so the next morning i put salt in a warm water bottle and every time my throat would hurt i would go to the bathroom and gargle.suprisingly it worked!i made it through finals and eventually started feeling better and better:)
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Rosa (Chicago, Il) on 02/18/2009
★★★★★
warm salt water for relief of sore throat; I was looking for a desparate cure for a severe sore throat late at nignt w/o having to use meds and this remedy helped immediatly. I used 2cups warm water with 3tspns salt and gargaled with it, the results helped the swelling go down immediatly and helped me sleep asap. when I woke up I repeated the treatment and the results improved drasticly. It will take a few times to completely get rid of the sore throat.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Chloe (Baltimore, MD) on 02/07/2009
★★★★★
Dear Friends,
Its about 8:15 here in Baltimore and a freezing cold morning. I was trying to get some more rest to hoping this was just temporary. Well, as it turns out, I actually have a severe sinus infection and the flu, I logged on to Google and typed 'Remedies for Sore Throats.' I clicked on the link to this website and scrolled through the options, where I decided to try this one. 1 word - YEA! I mixed about half a teaspoon of salt and warm water into a mug and gargled, it instantly soothed my throat and took pain and itchiness away. Let's get well together.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Craig (St. Louis, Missouri) on 01/06/2009
★★★★★
learned this method from grandma and have used it in the states as well as overseas as a medic and all my troops/patients said it worked great, lol usein it right now. i dump as much salt as u can take and use warm water if available.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Sara (Jacsonville, Florida USA) on 11/30/2008
★☆☆☆☆
the salt and water so works.......wrong! it hurt my throat even worst.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Moe Fizpatrick (Newbury, VT USA) on 10/02/2008
★★★★★
For my sore throat, i tried gurgling saltwater. I have been using this trick since i was a little kid. It's never failed me, just like may Dad used to say. It does kinda taste bad after, but it goes away really fast. Hope i helped!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Samantha (Edmonton, Canada) on 09/12/2008
★★★★★
yea thanks alot it really helped me i always used to gargle warm salty water but never tried putting vinegar in it!! thanks so much.
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Kaila (Springdale, Arkansas) on 07/13/2008
★★★★★
Welll i try salt and vinigar with hot water to gurgle. It might taste odd but it helps alot. Use five teaspoons of salt and a half cup a vinigar. but it does not mater how much water you use! Hope it helps!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by David (Dallas, Texas) on 05/27/2008
★★★★★
Sore Throat Remedy Feedback: YEA this works. The saline solution numbs the pharnyx, leaving you with no pain at all! This is byfar an extremly well remedy!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Carla (Cork, Ireland) on 05/12/2008
★★★★★
its a well know fact that the most basic remedies work the best and salt and water is no exception salt is know for its anti-septic properties, and, although it may not cause instant pain relief, it will remove the harmful bacteria causing the sore throat. just mix 2 teaspoons of salt with a mug of warm-hot water (the warm water willl help sterilse the surface of the throat) gargle 2-3 times a day and within a day or so your sore throat will dissapear! this is an ideal subsitute for anti-biotics and other harsh treatments. hope you feel better!!
Salt Water Gargle
Posted by Dylan (Kenosha, WI)
★☆☆☆☆
It stings and dries up my throat.
