If you have a sore throat, you know how painful it can be. As a teacher, I would inevitably get a case of laryngitis every year. Sometimes, I would lose my voice without throat pain, but other times, swallowing hot coals would not have burned as much as my throat did. Over the course of the years, I have devised some home remedies for sore throats which have worked very well for me. You might find these recipes will work for you, too.
As a disclaimer, I am not a physician. If you have a severe sore throat, especially with a fever, you need to go to your doctor in order to rule out the possibility of strep throat.
Sore throats have many causes. Since I have allergies, nasal congestion and drip was the cause of my sore throat, but I also had laryngitis from overuse of my vocal chords when I was teaching. The root cause of my sore throat prompted me to look for different remedies for relief of the pain.
For any cause of a sore throat, it is important to keep hydrated. Drinking a lot of water, coffee, or hot or iced tea can help. Often I will alternate between hot and iced teas and coffees. The warmth soothes, and the cold numbs the pain. If you have a cold causing your sore throat, drinking a lot will also help to keep you from getting dehydrated. Any hot or cold beverage of your preference will work. You could even try milkshakes to numb your throat.
For my sore throats that were related to my allergies, I would often have a stuffy head which needed to be cleared up. Taking a cure from the old Chinese remedy of hot and sour soup, I created my own version of pepper tea. This is not for the weak of heart, or stomach, and if you find that this draft is too pungent, you can just breath in the vapors to get the congestion clearing effects, but without drinking it you will not help your throat.
Pepper Tea
Makes 1 serving
1 c. water (or broth of your choice)
1-2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Ground Pepper to Taste
Salt to Taste
Sweetener of your choice to taste (I use 1 packet of Equal, but you could use sugar or honey)
- Boil water, or broth. Add in
vinegar and spices, and let it sit for five minutes to steep and
cool.
- Hold close to your face as you sip
at it.
When my voice is taken down from a case of layringitis, I find that resting my voice and drinking plenty of fluids are the only things which help. Whispering makes it worse. My students have said that I sound like Linda Blair in the Exorcist when I try to talk with laryngitis. I have found that if I take a drink just before I have to say something, I can do so with a little more volume, but my voice is still raspy.
Remember that if you have a persistent sore throat with or without a fever, you should get it checked by your doctor, but for a simple sore throat caused by a cold, allergies, or laryngitis, you can try the above remedies.
