Natural Ways to Soothe a Sore Throat

A sore throat… isn’t that the worst? For me its usually the first sign of an oncoming cold or allergies about to flare up. And this is the time of year they love love to pop up. No Fun! I’ve learned a few tips and tricks when it comes to dealing with sore throats over the years (especially those Choir years!) and my favorite ways to soothe a sore throat are all natural!

The best part? There’s no need to go running to the store for pain medication and expensive brands that may or may not work for you. These ideas come from things that are typically right in your own home!

• Honey
  • Honey has many healing properties, not only is it good for you (of course in moderation) but it can relieve a sore throat in minutes. You have a few options for honey; you can just eat some or drink it in tea. If you have raw honey, just eating it with a spoon will help your sore throat. Be sure not to have too much (A tablespoon will do!) and eat it slowly letting it melt in your mouth. Add in a tablespoon to a cup of tea and allow it to mix with the tea before drinking it. Both of these options have been proven to relieve and reduce sore throats.
• Saltwater
  • The dreaded salt water! It may taste bad but gargling with warm salt water is one of the best known ways to reduce the duration of a sore throat as well as immediately alleviating the pain that comes along with it. The warm water aids in pain relief while the salt acts as an antibacterial as well as a sort of antibody against the things causing your sore throat.
• Garlic
  • This is going to sound terrible, but suck on garlic to relieve a sore throat, even if you hate the taste. Studies show that the allicin in garlic reduces pain. Place a clove in each cheek, sucking on them as you would a cough drop. Every few minutes push the cloves against your teeth releasing what could be called “garlic juice” for lack of a better term, which contains the pain relieving chemical called allicin in turn taking away the sore throat pain.
• Steam
  • Steam has been proven for generations to aid in any type of cold related pain or discomfort. From coughs and congestion to sore throats and headaches, steam is your answer for an all-natural way to relieve the ailments. There are a few ways to go about using steam; sink, shower, hot water bowl and a humidifier. Taking a hot shower produces steam whether you’re in the shower or just sitting in the bathroom with the door closed. You can also place your head over running water with a towel over it to keep the steam in (works best with a sink) and take deep breaths to get the steam into your body. A bowl of steaming water will work in the same manner as the sink, and there are humidifiers that release warm steam into the air that you can do this with as well. As always, be careful not to burn yourself with any of these options as the water will need to be fairly hot to produce the steam.

My favorite natural way to soothe a sore throat is ginger, honey and lemon “tea”. Boil some water. Wash and thinly slice some ginger root. Put the sliced ginger in a mug, pore the boiling water over the slices. Let that steep for 2 or 3 minutes. Before drinking, stir in 1 tsp of honey and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. This tea is tart, spicy and so very soothing 🙂

What is your favorite way to soothe a sore throat?