Another frugal tip for flu/cold season. If you have a scratchy throat, gargle with salted hot water (as hot as you can stand) several times a day. Salt is a mild disinfectant and will kill germs in the throat and heal the irritation.
By Pamphyila from L.A., CA
Read more ideas below.
Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.
By Dawn S (05/27/2005)
ThriftyFun
Here is the magic recipe:
Boil water and while it's boiling grate ginger in it, then pour the water into a cup add a slice of lemon and some honey, stir and enjoy. (08/13/2005)
By Gee
I just drink anything hot, usually Peppermint tea, the pain is gone in 2-4 cups.
(08/17/2005)
By James
I tried "White Tea" comes from China, but you can buy it in stores, It really helps a lot especially if you add a little honey. (08/25/2005)
By Adam
Gee - can you use ginger powder or does is have to be raw ginger? (09/06/2005)
By Johanna
Editor's Note: Raw ginger is best but if you don't have any, use the powder.
Drink an English cup of tea, add sugar and milk and make sure its warm not hot.
(09/17/2005)
By Emily W.
Mix warm water with salt and vinegar. Gargle every few hours. (11/02/2005)
By Camille
Tomato soup works. It may burn at first, but it helps a lot. Hard candies work well, too. (11/12/2005)
By HotStuff
Try using hot Lipton tea with honey. Do not add milk, sugar, or anything else to this. Sucretes cough drops help too.
Hope this works.(11/25/2005)
By Slli
I have always found gargling with Jack Daniels Whiskey works good. (11/27/2005)
By Kenny
Gargle with Listerine every few hours.
(11/27/2005)
By J-Me
Try ice cream as well. It works nicely or anything else that cold. (12/05/2005)
By sparky
Drink Lots of Orange Juice, and gargle with warm salt water (12/21/2005)
By Trace
Stay away from dairy products such as milk ice cream and cheese. It will only make it worse. I suggest something with a soft acid or a mixture such as honey and lemon or honey and rice wine vinegar. Honey is known for its healing powers while the vinegar is known to destroy mucus buildup or bacterial infections. (12/22/2005)
By Drew
Anytime a sore throat lasts more than 2 to 3 days, there is a good possibility of strep throat. Make sure you get into a clinic or the health department and get a throat culture.
Strep is dangerous and can lead to secondary infections that are very difficult to fight. Make sure you go and get this checked out. It is very difficult to get rid of without antibiotics and can be spread to other people.
Susan from ThriftyFun (01/01/2006)
By ThriftyFun
An older woman taught my mother to mix equal parts of water, peroxide, and Listerine then gargle. This works great. Another older lady from our church taught us to use Listerine, either dabbed on with a cloth or sprayed on using one of those cheap spray bottles, to ease sunburns. This is the best sunburn treatment I have ever found. (01/01/2006)
ByK
Eat about 3 lemons, worked wonders for me. (01/10/2006)
By Mike
Gargle with sea salt. It's better than table salt and is much healthier for you. (02/16/2006)
By Lola
Tylenol, Advil. Either one helps reduce the pain. (03/18/2006)
I sing, so I use a whole variety of remedies. First, don't strain your voice and use it as little as possible. Then gargle several times a day with hot salt water as hot as you can stand. Use Ricola throat drops they really soothe the throat. I also use throat spray such as Singer's Saving Grace (you get it at the health food store). Throat Coat is good, too, as is hot black tea with honey and lemon. The citrus cuts the mucus.
If it's really sore you can use the Cepacol drops or spray you get over the counter which has a mild topical anesthetic. But it's best to rest the voice and take lots of Vitamin C and get well. If you have a fever there's an infection so get medical attention.
Be patient a sore throat is irritated and won't heal overnight. We rush things too much nowadays. (04/11/2006)
By pam munro
A good remedy I do is tea tree oil. It comes in little glass bottles at health stores. You can mix a little of it with water and gargle or swallow it. The taste is wretched, but it numbs good and works instantly. (04/14/2006)
By Luke
Go into your bathroom and set your shower on as hot as it can go. Don't go into the water just let it steam up and sit in there and in hale the steam until it feels likes its gone. It gets you through the night. (06/25/2006)
By John O
I've used apple cider vinegar with good results. (06/25/2006)
By Bliss
Gargle with TCP every three or four hours. Drink lots of water. Take painkillers regularly. Stay in bed and rest. Personally, I find no relief by sucking Strepsils, but they do now manufacture sugar-free Strepsils, which may prevent mucus forming. Do not go outside after 5 p.m. SA time.
Editor's Note: It must be winter down there. What is TCP? I don't know that we have that in the U.S. or Strepsils. (06/30/2006)
By Willem
Strepsils is the brand name of lozenges to ease sore throats, in different flavours. I noticed a new anti-bacterial one on the shelf on Saturday as well. TCP is an "all purpose personal antiseptic liquid that cleans and protects mouth and throat infections, cuts, grazes, minor wounds, insect bites and minor burns. Each ml contains 6.0 mg Chlorinated Phenols---".
Also, keep warm. We are having the coldest winter in Pretoria, SA in years, with day temperatures under 20 and nighttime temperatures just above freezing point. (07/02/2006)
By Willem
Have the South Indian "R A S A M" (with pepper). It is basically tomato and pepper boiled in water with some small ingredients for flavour, drink it hot.
It helps more than any capsule or mints. (08/03/2006)
By Kris
Cayenne Powder, gargle with water every 15 minutes is worth a try. (09/04/2006)
By Brian
I don't know if you can find it around your area. But try getting something called Antifludes. I also suffer from a sore throat. I took two pills and I already feel much better. The pain is not completely gone, but it sure is a whole lot better. (10/05/2006)
By Sherri
Gargling with plain water also clears mucus which harbors bacteria and virus. Do this daily. This is a good cold/virus prevention tactic and was recommended by a local physician. (12/12/2006)
By Diana
I've found that one of the best as well as most pleasant sore throat remedies is fresh pineapple. The fresher the better. Pineapple (ginger works well, although not as well) contains a natural anti-inflammatory that will speed up the healing of a sore throat as well as alleviate the pain. (01/15/2007)
By Dr.Bacon
When you don't drink enough liquids, your throat no longer has the lube necessary to protect it from bacteria/infection. The best heal all is to drink lots of water. The Chinese have used onion tea for centuries for sickness, because onion actually absorbs germs. A cut onion set out will actually absorb germs right out of the air. Remember this during cold season. (02/04/2007)
By Kelly
Room temperature grape juice works. Believe me or maybe its a placebo and the healing is all in your head. Either way what do you have to loose? (08/08/2007)
By Dhaliwal
I used about 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of ginger, with some lemon to cut the mucus, and mixed that in a cup of water. Gargle with the mixture and drink all of it.
Works great for me.
(08/30/2007)
By Todd
I have a really bad sore throat and it helps if you take a hot shower and gargle with hot salt water. Another thing I try is chamomile tea with honey or you can buy a tea called Throat Coat it works very well. Feel better soon. (10/07/2007)
By Becca
If you hate salt water (it works) use a gargle of 1/2 water 1/2 regular hydrogen peroxide and "don't swallow it".
Drink hot tea, put red/cayenne pepper in your soups. Drink Throat Coat tea from the health food store or for coughs/congestion with mucous, make a tea out of the Chinese 5 spice seasoning from the supermarket, plus dried thyme. Tastes awful, but works.
(10/15/2007)
By pam munro
Guys, it doesn't happen as soon as you gargle with salt water or anything, if its just a sore throat then just gargle with salt water, give it some time, like people say, takes a few days, just constantly do it every time you get something to drink, can't gargle too much, remember that. (11/25/2007)
By Russell
Honey. Its been all over the news, just a teaspoon of natural buckwheat dark honey for a sore throat and/or cough is the best thing. Its been proven in recent studies. Not sure as to how many times a day to take it, but I suppose it would depend on your symptoms. Not only does it sooth, its also a natural antiseptic which helps to heal your throat. (12/06/2007)
By Sara
Ginger. It's really amazing how fast it works on sore throats. Raw is best. If you can, get it in a fresh fruit smoothie or vegetable juice. I like carrot-ginger juice personally. You can make ginger-honey tea. You can also add it to chicken soup. I have been so desperate that I have eaten straight raw pieces of ginger (sliced very thin). It is kinda sweetly spicy and burns a sore throat a bit, but it's worth it. It also supposed to help with stomach upset and nausea. I can't say because I usually go straight for something in the medicine cabinet. If you have never bought raw ginger before, it should be yellow inside. (12/15/2007)
By nra
Found this on a website for a yoga book review. It really helped my current really sore throat.
Here are the instructions to easing your sore throat pain: Stick out your tongue as far as possible, trying to touch the tip of it to your chin. This is an extreme stretch; when you feel you have reached full stretch capacity, stretch it further, and then even further. You should give this all you've got. You should stretch your tongue toward your chin until you nearly gag. That's it. Usually, sore throat pain will be minimized (if not removed.) immediately. Repeat this technique every half hour until significant improvement is gained. I have used and shared this technique for over 10 years with family, friends, and clients, with nearly 100% of people reporting moderate to complete pain relief.
(01/15/2008)
By Dee Olive
Try this. Take 1 full tablet of Tylenol; crush it into a fine powder; Add a few drops of water so that it has a mud like consistency, then take 1 finger and smear it on the back of your tongue. It has an almost unbearable taste but if you can do this, your sore throat will disappear for hours. (02/06/2008)
By Frank
I had this nasty sore throat that even hurts when I swallow saliva. I'm taking "broncolin" a Mexican honey syrup. Instantly I can breath and my throat feels better. This stuff tastes good also and its only like 7 bucks.
(02/19/2008)
By SVTCOBRA
I get sore throats all the time and they are majorly painful, everything you guys are saying, scratchy, cant sleep, hard to swallow your saliva. I have the cure, no joke, I have searched all my life for a cure. It is is Oil of Oregano. You can buy it at the health store, and is an organic product. So there are two ways to take it. First, you place only 3 drops under your tongue, 5 drops if your adult. Trust me try 3 first and swallow.
It tastes nasty, and burns, but not as bad as your sore throat. Take this every 2-4 hours, and I know that your sore throat will be gone within a couple days. Secondly, if the flavor is too intense for you, you can rub it on the souls of your feet, either way (the 1st method is more affective). Please note: It helps not only viral sicknesses, but aches and pains, if applied to the outside of the body. (Do not get in your eyes.) Hopefully this helps. (03/05/2008)
By Alex D
Try this remedy. Heat up some milk with a Tbsp. of butter and a Tbsp. of honey. This works well and tastes great. (04/22/2008)
By kafaye
This worked great for me. I drank this concoction and felt 85% recovered in 5 minutes.
You'll need:
Mix well with hot water. In every swig, gargle for a few seconds, then swallow slowly. Make sure you have something in your stomach before you drink this, as it could be reactive with stomach acids to produce some belching fuel. Excellent remedy. (06/05/2008)
By magnum
The way in which my grandad told me to get rid of a sore throat was to eat butter and sugar. I have been doing that ever since I was 6 and had a sore throat and I am now 14 and it still works. (06/23/2008)
By Jack P.
Eat (drink) miso soup. The type you get at Japanese restaurants. It must be hot still. This really works. I just ate some and I had a sore throat now its gone in minutes. (07/03/2008)
By Megan
I've been a vocalist in a metal band for quite some time now and I never got a soar throat until now. I have a show this coming weekend, so I took some advise from a good friend. She told me to eat a cucumber drenched in salt and lemon juice, I did it and I'm almost as good as new. (07/21/2008)
By Sam
I have found that heating up a cup of Tropicana peach lemonade and adding honey to it works very well. I am sipping it right now and it doesn't hurt as much to swallow anymore. (09/22/2008)
By Allie
I have found that a simple ice pop can help a sore throats when they first flare up. This way I'm not over medicating if its just a dry throat from the cold season. My kids and I love Throat Cooler products which I can get at my local CVS. Details at throatcooler.com (10/12/2008)
By Brian Pasch
I know this might sound crazy, but bacon works for my soar throat. Just pop some pieces in the microwave and eat it and you're good. Also, I boil water in a tea kettle and I put like 2 scoops of Lipton Ice Tea in my mug and it's like hot iced tea. So it's lemony flavor and it's hot. It's really good and they both work wonders. I also drink green tea with honey as well. (11/01/2008)
By Amabda
I found a throat spray containing propolis, as well as lozenges with this ingredient. This is pretty good stuff. My sore throat was the worse I've ever had (with excruciating pain when I swallow). There is no longer pain. I've tried the saltwater gargle, the ACV and honey, the hydrogen peroxide. The propolis seems to be better. You'll most likely find it at a health food store. (12/06/2008)
By Daisy F.
The pain is unbearable I know, but you'll live trust me a few solutions to a sore throat. Sore throat spray, also a few cough drops with honey in them can work too. Actually put the cough drops in some hot water and let them dissolve it works pretty well, also salt water can help the pain too, sprinkle a little salt in the mug of your choice and boil some salt water that satisfies your throat a lot. You can also eat apples and cucumbers drenched in salt and lemon juice. This can eliminate the pain, trust me. I'm no doctor but these will work. (01/11/2009)
By ifithurts
My little brother has a really bad sore throat. What always help me and him is warming up a mug of apple juice for about 1 minute. It works great. Also gargle hot/warm salt water. Also, he's only seven and Pediacare really helps. Ice cream only helps for a little while. Don't eat dairy. It builds up mucus. Hope I could help. (01/23/2009)
By Kennedy
First I used a nose spray called Zicam, with cooling menthol and Eucalyptus to clear up the mucus in my nose. Then I gargled with Listerine. And then the zinger, I cut up a fresh pineapple and ate it. My sore throat is completely alleviated. I just went to the grocery store though, and spent $50 bucks, so I have all the other remedies as well, but so far. Just with what I did above, has worked already. (02/13/2009)
By Frankie G
OK. So I went to the doctor today and it turns out it's not a sore throat. I have Tonsillitis. My tonsils are swollen and have puss pockets on them. Yuck! That's why whenever I tried some remedies it didn't help. The doctor prescribed 2 pills for it. So if you have a sore throat be sure to go to the doctor and have it checked, it could be tonsillitis. (02/16/2009)
By Rachel
Chicken broth; just get a can of chicken noodle soup, and make sure you heat it up really hot, but hot enough to where you can't stand it, and just drink the chicken broth in it. It really works. (02/24/2009)
By Sam
There are two different kinds of strep. The viral and the bacterial. If none of the above remedies seem to be having a sgnificant effect, you may have the bacterial. This type of strep is best treated with amoxicillin to reduce the inflammation, and hydrocodone for the severe pain. Try the home remedies first, but if they do not work go to the doctor, because you need the antibiotics. If you have insurance, it shouldn't cost you much. I do not have insurance right now and I spent $200 for the visit, steroid shot, and prescriptions mentioned above. But, well worth, I don't feel like I'm dying and I guarantee I'll sleep tonight. Hope this helps. (02/27/2009)
By Anonymous- My Experience
Eat a green apple. It really helps. (06/14/2009)
By Kate
Gargling with Listerine then drinking Airborne works for me. (07/25/2009)
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