Sore throat remedies

[Slater]

I was wondering, what do y'all do when you get a sore throat? any special things to help you get rid of it?

[Sakura15]

I drink tea, eat vitamin C's, and my mom gives me sore throat pills.

[Nightshade X]

I've found that gargling warm salt water helps... just be sure that you don't swallow it or you'll have one ruuuuude awakening.

[Puritan]

I make sure to drink lots of liquids, and hot drinks (tea, hot chocolate, etc.) help pretty well too. I have tried warm salt water in the past myself, I have known people who swear by it as a sore throat remedy, but the taste makes me feel sicker than the sore throat did.

[Slater]

oh yeah, I do the salt-water gargle.

Also, I heard that drinking boiled water (like coffee, but without anything in it) while it's still very warm is good.

Right now, I'm gonna go buy some lozenges

[Tommy]

Wait for it to leave.

[mitsuki lover]

Try warm water and lemon juice.If that doesn't work try garlic.If the garlic doesn't help...well at least the vampires will stay away from you!
Ok,that was 95% serious and 5% joking(the part about the vampires).
But really warm water and lemon juice.

[Tenshi no Ai]

But really warm water and lemon juice.

I do that and add some honey in (and I find it tastes good!)

Once I had a really sore throat and tried Buckleys (also curious just to see JUST how bad it was) ...well not only did it tasted awful, but it didn't really work and I think it messed up my voice box temporarily >_<

[Slater]

thanks guys. I'll add those different things to my shopping list!

[TurkishMonky]

avoid those temporary sore throat sprays - they stop the sore throat for a few minutes, but it usually makes it worse for me...

[Tringard]

hot tea, zinc, vitamin c, and sugar free lozenges

[Lady Macbeth]

The suggestions for honey-based remedies were good ones - honey coats your throat and allows other ingredients mixed with it to better do their job.

A particular honey recipe that works well is 3-4 cloves of finely minced garlic, a large pinch of cayenne and two tablespoons of honey. A lot of people don't like this because the mixture has to be chewed and swallowed, and yes the cayenne is HOT.

My husband, who can't handle spicy foods, takes a prepared blend tea that I picked up for him. Throat Coat, a tea by Traditional Medicinals ( http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/ ) contains licorice root, slippery elm bark, marshmallow root, wild cherry bark, bitter fennel fruit, cinnamon bark, and sweet orange peel. This is a good combination for tea for sore throats, but it's not something you should try to mix up on your own, especially since the handling of licorice root and slippery elm bark can be tricky - you want the right amount, not too much or too little.

If you look for over-the-counter stuff such as cough syrups or drops, look for products with a mint family ingredient (peppermint, spearmint, catmint, etc) or eucalyptus. Those (with the exception of peppermint and spearmint) can sometimes have the effect of causing drowsiness, however. I know a couple of manufacturers now make cough drops with eucalyptus and honey now, and those work fairly well.

Hope that helps you out.

[Lynx]

make sure you stay hydrated! the tea with honey previously mentioned is a good idea:)

[Sai]

We have this weird rescipe w/ cayenne pepper too. If you want it u can PM me. I have never had it but it worked for my mom and siblings.

[Dante]

for some reason I have always gargled with mouth wash for as long as I could when I got soar throats caused by my sinuses... I believe it works and I even convinced my mother, who used to use the old vinagar and salt remedy (Yuck).

[Mave]

I drink lotsa water and dab my throat with salt before I sleep. I basically stick my finger into my mouth to apply the salt and do my best not to swallow before sleeping. ^^ Sounds uncomfortable but it works wonders for me.

[eggroll]

Question: Anyone know /why/ we even get sore throuts? I have no idea.

I'm just a kid!! >_<

[Lady Macbeth]

Question: Anyone know /why/ we even get sore throuts? I have no idea.

I'm just a kid!! >_<

Infection, either bacterial or viral, usually. The infection causes inflammation, which in turn causes pain.

There are also a lot of medical conditions associated with sore throats, but the typical "I have a sore throat" complaint is usually associated with the common cold.

Overuse (such as singers and actors) can also cause sore throats, for similar reasons (inflammation, stretching, drying and vocal cord inflammation) and is often treated in a similar manner.

Most "remedies" treat the symptoms, not the problem. They ease inflammation and soothe sore tissue. In cases where doctors prescribe anti-biotics, it's because they suspect that it's a bacterial infection and the medicine kills the bacteria.

Viral infections do not respond to antibiotics - they just have to work themselves out. Treating the symptoms and boosting your immune system (every day, not just during the malady) is the easiest and most effective way to deal with viral attacks.

[eggroll]

ok, thankies! ^_^

[EireWolf]

I've been dealing with a nasty virus for 3 WEEKS!!! It sucks. But it's a cough, not a sore throat (except for a day or two).

Anyway, I've tried to gargle with salt water before, and it just makes me gag. The Throat Coat tea that LadyMacbeth mentioned is a good temporary relief. I also like "Tea For Colds," but my grocery store stopped carrying it.

All in all, I'm not much help.

[Fionn Fael]

I have a sore throat right now(a side effect of the flu), so this is quite helpful for me, as well!

As for my own remedies, I drink lots of sugar-free Red Diamond tea, eat soup, take DayQuil, and, of course, sip on the occasional Sunshine Smoothie from Sonic.

[TheMelodyMaker]

My sister's husband gave us a recipe (I have no idea where he got it from) that works great and tastes good, too. ^_^

You mix a bottle of cola together with some honey, lemon juice, grated ginger root and a teeny bit of aromatic bitters and then bring the mix to a boil and simmer it for half an hour. He just calls it "cold remedy", but I call it "bitter honey lemon ginger cola".

Served hot or cold, works great for sore throats.

[Azier the Swordsman]

I would recommend something you can buy at just about any drug or grocery store called AirBorne. AirBorne is not a drug, it's all natural, and all you do is disolve in water and drink it. The claim is that if you take it at the first signs of being sick, it will wipe it out instantly, while if you take it during a sickness, it will cut recovery time significantly. While I haven't had the oppurtunity to try it out myself, I used to work at a Walgreens drugstore where I had contact with many customers who say it indeed does work.

[soul alive]

I know people who swear by emergen-c. Never taken it myself though.

My parent's were given a recipe for sore throats that involved gargling with a mixture of rather nasty sounding ingredients, including hydrogen peroxide (which is apparently okay to gargle as long as you don't swallow). But apparently it's an ultimate last resort kind of remedy, as it may induce vomiting, being so nasty and all. But apparently it works. (haven't tried it myself)

[Starfire1]

like some of the others have said, i HIGHLY reccommend that you gargle with warm salt water (but don't swallow it!!!) and have a cup of hot lemon tea w/ honey before you go to sleep. it's excellent for a sore throat.

[~Natsumi Lam~]

warm tea with honey and lemon.... famous remedy... personally i like tea with honey only


~NL~

[Godly Paladin]

I find that gum (Wrigley's Extra Polar Ice) helps keep your mouth moist during the day and keeps the pain to a dull throb.

[livewire]

Infection, either bacterial or viral, usually. The infection causes inflammation, which in turn causes pain.

There are also a lot of medical conditions associated with sore throats, but the typical "I have a sore throat" complaint is usually associated with the common cold.

Overuse (such as singers and actors) can also cause sore throats, for similar reasons (inflammation, stretching, drying and vocal cord inflammation) and is often treated in a similar manner.

Most "remedies" treat the symptoms, not the problem. They ease inflammation and soothe sore tissue. In cases where doctors prescribe anti-biotics, it's because they suspect that it's a bacterial infection and the medicine kills the bacteria.

Viral infections do not respond to antibiotics - they just have to work themselves out. Treating the symptoms and boosting your immune system (every day, not just during the malady) is the easiest and most effective way to deal with viral attacks.

yeah....-_-
I had a pretty bad infection in my throat a while back and the doctor gave me Penicillan and told me to drink hot tea...

I also have a tendancy to get viral pharangitus, which is where the uvula (the little punching bag in the back of yoru throat) swells up...
and the only remedy for THAT is to drink warm liquids and not to talk...
which I find HORRIBLY difficult to do...the not talking part, that is...

[K. Ayato]

Ginger works well. True, the thought kind of makes you not want to try it, but if you can find a ginger chewable candy, just let it sit in your mouth. It ends up numbing the pain of the sore throat. I've tried it. It's awesome.

[ssj2gohan61]

peppermint works as well