Sore Throat Cure

A sore throat is basically an irritation that develops in the throat for many different reasons. When there is an inflammation or swelling at the back of the throat (pharynx), it is said to be a sore throat. Sore throat is often a symptom of common cold, cough or influenza caused by viral infections. Besides viral infection, a sore throat can also occur due to many other reasons such as tonsillitis, sinusitis, measles, mumps, diphtheria, allergy, excessive smoking, screeching and shouting and exposure to environmental pollutants. In most cases, a sore throat is accompanied by fever, earache, headache, swollen lymph glands and difficulty in swallowing and talking. Doctors usually prescribe some pain relievers and antibiotics to stop the infection from spreading. Most sore throats can be effectively cured at home using some simple home remedies for sore throat. To know about some of the simple sore throat cures, just scroll down.

How to Cure a Sore Throat

• Gargling with lukewarm salt water every couple of hours is an ancient cure for sore throat.
• A sore throat resulting from a common cold can be easily treated with a strained solution of coarsely powdered cinnamon boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of black pepper powder and two teaspoons of honey added to it. This drink can be sipped at regular intervals as a treatment for sore throat.
• Herbal teas are great for soothing a sore throat. Prepare tea by adding a teaspoon of dried chamomile to boiling water and drink half a cup every few hours.
• In a small bowl add some honey and a slice of onion. Let the onion slice soak in the honey for a couple of hours. Later, discard the onion and have a teaspoon of the honey every few hours.
• An effective sore throat cure is sage. Place 12 to 15 sage leaves in a large bowl, boil one liter of water and pour it on the sage leaves. When the water cools down, add 2 teaspoons of vinegar and one of honey and gargle every few hours. If the vinegar sours the water too much for your taste, add some more honey.
• Ginger tea is also very effective in its treatment for a sore throat. On a low flame, simmer cleaned and mashed ginger root or dried ginger powder in a cup of water. Strain the liquid, add fresh lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Gargle every hour with this ginger spiced concoction.
• Honeysuckle flowers (sweet tasting herbs) should be boiled and the extracted liquid taken orally with some honey added to it.
• Gargle with apple cider vinegar. The apple cider will kill the infection in a natural manner. To the gargle concoction, you can add lemon, honey and some black salt.
• Barberry tincture can cure a sore throat very quickly. One can get this tincture from any herbal store. Add about 20 drops in ¼ cup of water and drink this mix thrice daily for a week.
• The mango bark is yet another herb full of anti-inflammatory properties. The extracted liquid of the bark can be used not only for gargling (10 ml of the liquid extract mixed with 150 ml of water), but also can be applied externally on the throat for a soothing effect.
• Goldenseal is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae and is known for its healing properties. Add half a teaspoon of powdered goldenseal with a few drops of tea tree oil in hot water and gargle at least four times in day.

A diet consisting of fresh natural herbs, like, ginger, garlic, fenugreek, basil, etc. are considered excellent natural sore throat cures. However, before trying out the above mentioned sore throat cures, check with a herbalist, as some of the herbs may cause an allergic reaction in the body. Drink lots of water as water will to keep the body from getting dehydrated, another common symptom of a sore throat.