10 Powerful Natural Remedies to Cure Sore Throat at Home – Fast Relief

| Author: Manoja Kalakanti

Pain in the throat can be pretty irksome. Every time you swallow, you are reminded of the fact that you have a sore throat. Sometimes, you are even saddled with a cold and a choked voice, which makes the situation a whole lot worse.

But all is not lost yet! Before swallowing over the counter medicines, you can seek respite with these effective home remedies, which will not only help you get great relief from the pain but also help you find your voice again! Sound good? Then let’s get down to finding out which home remedies are really effective.

Why do you suffer from Sore Throat?

Many factors lead to a sore throat. The causes range from infections from viruses or bacteria to sinus drainage and allergies, among others. When should you see a doctor, you wonder? You should see your doctor right away if you have a sore throat accompanied by a high fever, if you have problems breathing or swallowing, or if you suddenly feel faint.

A sore throat usually ails you, when the mucous membranes that line your throat get infected or inflamed. Your body’s response to the infection is then to have a lot of blood rushing into that area. That way, the white blood cells and antibodies have more access, so that they can fight off infection while the damage is repaired.

What acts as a hurdle, is that in order to get the blood rushing to those cells, your body releases certain chemicals that cause the blood vessels in the nearby tissues to swell. All this swelling puts great pressure on the nerve endings in your throat and results in pain. Pain is one of your body’s ways to signal that there’s something wrong.

If you are suffering from a sore throat, the first thing you can always try is to gargle with salt water. Because salt water is a more concentrated form of a fluid and works great for your throat, it drains out the fluids right out of the swollen area and mitigates the swelling. Less swelling invariably means less pain.

The Home Remedies to Heal your Inflamed Sore Throat

These home remedies are super easy to concoct, are easy on your pockets and have very little side effects. We’re sure your grandmother will also give these remedies her nod of approval! Every grandmother’s idea of restoring health is seeking natural and easy to procure remedies that help you get back to life and work in no time at all.

The following home remedies are tried and trusted, and have worked great for us. We hope they work for you too!

1. Apple cider vinegar, your secret potion to health and wellness

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is one of the most potent home remedies that can provide a solution to every niggling health problem, even weight loss. It enjoys hallowed status with all the top superfoods that should find a place in your kitchen cabinet. Though its taste can be pretty strong, it is highly effective, as its rich acidity content decreases the pH of the tissue, which obliterates the growth of bacteria.

Raw ACV is said to contain prebiotic inulin, which shoots up the white blood cell and T cell count and bolsters your immune system. ACV has a natural expectorant nature, which loosens and thins the mucus or phlegm present in the throat. This makes breathing and swallowing far easier.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey
1 cup of very warm water

Method:

Mix the ACV and honey into the slightly warmed water. Drink it up while it’s still warm!

2. Garlic

Garlic may help the body heal the infections that give you a sore throat while also combating the germs which are a chief cause of the pain and the irritation. Allicin is the compound that may be responsible for this, which is specially released when raw garlic is cut, chewed or crushed.

You can eat a raw garlic clove daily to release the allicin that helps kill the bacteria which causes a sore throat. Apart from the above solution, you can use garlic oil too. Add a few drops of garlic oil to one-fourth cup of water and use the concoction to gargle daily.

Also, try to eat garlic both in raw and cooked form. You can also pop in garlic pills if the taste of garlic seems repulsive to you.

3. Ginger

Ginger is a very potent spice which has both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that may provide considerable relief from throat pain. Many researchers swear by the miraculous effect that ginger has on inflamed and infected throat conditions.

You can also purchase ginger tea, which works as well. Buy it online or from nearby markets. You can also brew yourself a cup of tea.

Ingredients:

Fresh ginger root
1liter water
1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey or any other sweetener
A squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

Peel the ginger root and grate into a small bowl.
Boil water in a large saucepan then removes from heat.
Place 1 tablespoon or 15 ml grated ginger into the saucepan and cover with lid.
Let the concoction steep for 10 minutes.
Add any sweetener and lemon juice, and then stir to combine.
This tea can be reheated later as per requirement and can even be served cold.

4. Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper is another one of those wonder ingredients which can be a great remedy for a sore throat. Hot peppers are a counter intuitive way of providing relief to your burning throat.

How does it work? Cayenne contains a chemical called capsaicin that has similar effects to aspirin, which gives relief to your searing throat. It is achieved by hindering something called substance P, which helps transmit pain signals to your brain. The annoying discomfort from your sore throat is considerably diluted when it comes in contact with cayenne pepper.

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
1 cup of boiling water
1 teaspoon of honey

Method:

Add 1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper to 1 cup of boiling water.
Blend in the honey, and wait until the mixture is warm, but not scalding hot and sip on it all throughout the day.
Also, make sure you constantly stir it so that the Cayenne does not settle at the bottom of the glass.
See if you are comfortable with the amount of pepper; if you are not, then make sure you reduce the amount to about 1/8th of a teaspoon.

5. Cinnamon

Cinnamon is an indispensable spice that has myriad health benefits. Those trying to lose weight swear by its fat-burning properties. But there is more to cinnamon, as it is high in antioxidants and also has antibacterial benefits. The Chinese swear by its therapeutic properties that give instant relief to cold, flu and sore throats.

You can have it in any form; cinnamon tea is something you can try for quick relief. Also, you can add cinnamon to your regular black or herbal tea.

Adding cinnamon to your milk provides you with lasting relief and helps soothe your throat quickly. It is not like your awful tasting regular medicine that you have to gulp down. It is, in fact, a delicious way to provide relief to your choked throat.

Here is the best way to consume cinnamon, in almond milk.

Ingredients:

1 cup of almond milk
1/2 teaspoon or 2.5 ml of ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon or 0.6 ml of baking soda
1 tablespoon or (15 ml) of honey or any other sweetener of choice

Method:

Put the cinnamon and baking soda in a saucepan and mix together.
Add the almond milk and blend again until the concoction is nicely blended.
Heat the mixture until it just begins to simmer, and then remove from heat.
Stir in the sweetener. Drink up while hot!

6. Turmeric

This common spice, found in every Indian household is packed with a variety of medicinal properties. The presence of a plethora of vitamins, minerals, proteins and dietary fiber make it a powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, expectorant, antiseptic, anti-carminative and anti-carcinogenic compound, which is a great remedy for a sore throat.

Turmeric contains three essential compounds, namely curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin, and bis-desmethoxycurcumin, together known as curcuminoids. Apart from these properties, the root also contains myriad essential oils with healing properties.

Turmeric works against a sore throat by mitigating inflammation and provides you ample relief from symptoms like burning, the uncomfortable feeling, pain and swelling of the throat.

Another great remedy for a sore throat is turmeric, which has powerful antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Turmeric method #1

Ingredients:

One-quarter of turmeric powder
One glass of warm water

Method:

Mix a one-quarter of a teaspoon of turmeric powder into one a glass of warm water. Drink it straight up slowly in the morning on an empty stomach. Try to do this every day for three or four days.

Turmeric method #2

Ingredients:

1 tsp. of turmeric powder
1 tsp. of ground black pepper

Method:

Add one teaspoon of turmeric powder and one teaspoon of ground black pepper into a glass of warm milk and drink it just before you hit the sack.

Turmeric method #3

Ingredients:

1 tsp. of turmeric
1 tsp. of salt

Method:

You can also try gargling with turmeric to provide solace to your aching bad throat. Add one-half teaspoon of turmeric powder and one-half teaspoon of salt to a glass of warm water and blend it well. Gargle with this mixture twice daily.

7. Fenugreek

Fenugreek or methi seeds are a really effective remedy to cure a sore throat. Because of its potent antibacterial properties, researchers have substantiated that fenugreek is especially effective against the bacterium that is the chief cause of a sore throat.

Fenugreek has properties that dissolve mucous, so you will feel a great respite from the constant lump in your throat, which makes swallowing so difficult. A gargle solution using fenugreek seeds is really beneficial for your inflamed throat.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. of fenugreek seeds
6 cups of water

Method:

Start by adding two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds to six cups of water. Let the concoction boil for about half an hour. Let it cool to room temperature, and then strain it.
Try to gargle with this solution at least three or four times a day.

8. Honey

Honey works particularly well to give relief from a sore throat. What makes honey so effective, you ask? Honey has anti-inflammatory properties which help mitigate inflammation and swelling. It also soothes irritation in the glands, skin and mucous membranes.

Honey contains an enzyme called the ‘glucose-oxidase’, which combats infections to a great extent.

It also has antibacterial and antiseptic properties which help do away with viral and bacterial infections.

Finally, honey has hypertonic osmotic properties; which means that it helps to draw out water from the affected area and thus reduces the pain or swelling.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. of honey
1 cup of warm water

Method:

Add one to two tablespoons of honey to one large cup of warm water and try to drink it up several times a day. You can also add honey to your black tea or green tea to get great relief.
Another thing you can do is take one teaspoon of honey before you call it a night, it will give you relief from the pain and thus help you fall asleep.

9. Lemon

Lemon contains citrus acid, which helps break down the mucus responsible for causing a sore throat and also helps give you relief from throat pain and inflammation.

It is also rich in vitamin C and anti-oxidants, which help bolster your immune system. It is a natural antiseptic, which knocks out the bacteria and viruses from your throat. Lemon juice also helps in increasing salivation that moistens or lubricates an inflamed throat.

Ingredients:

I/2 a lemon
1 tsp. of honey
1 cup of warm water

Method:

The concoction of hot lemonade with honey works great. Blend the juice from half a lemon and one teaspoon of honey into one cup of warm water. Sip on it unhurriedly.

10. Cloves

Cloves are an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and have been used for centuries for its medicinal properties.

Cloves were used as an analgesic, and are a part of many medicines and toothpastes. It contains a substance called eugenol, which has great pain-relieving properties; so much so, that even dentists recommend using it for oral problems. Do not ingest clove oil instead of cloves though, as doing so will result in an upset stomach.

Ingredients:

Several whole cloves
A glass of water

Method:

Pop one or two cloves into your mouth and suck on them until they soften, and then keep on chewing on them like gum. You can even swallow them afterward.

If your sore throat refuses to subside even after two to three days, then you probably need to get it treated by your doctor. Do let us know if you found any of these home remedies useful. We would love to get your feedback in the comments section below.