If you have ever had the unpleasant experience of having a sore throat, you know how painful it can be to swallow, and how difficult it can be to speak normally when your voice box is irritated. Fortunately, there are many ways you can reduce the pain and inflammation of sore throat pain naturally, without resorting to over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Try these five methods to relieve sore throat pain the next time you’re sick with the flu or cold symptoms.
5 Natural Ways to Relieve Sore Throat Pain
1) Salt Water Gargle
Gargling with salt water and resting your voice can help sore throats. To do it, pour about a teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water and gargle for at least two minutes. Rest your voice for half an hour after gargling to give your vocal cords time to heal. You should also eat foods that are high in vitamin C such as berries, tomatoes, oranges, peppers and broccoli as well as avoid greasy or spicy foods like pizza or barbeque that can irritate your throat further.
2) Take an Aspirin
If you have a sore throat, you may think that aspirin will make it worse. However, aspirin actually can soothe a sore throat if it’s caused by a virus. And while acetaminophen or ibuprofen (prescription or over-the-counter) are also good at reducing pain and inflammation, they don’t fight viruses—they only reduce symptoms. If your sore throat is caused by bacteria (which is rarer), you should take antibiotics as directed; otherwise you could get sicker. So before taking any kind of medicine for your sore throat, talk with your doctor about what you might be dealing with. Then pick up an over-the-counter NSAID like aspirin to help relieve that pain until your condition gets better on its own.
3) Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
ACV, or apple cider vinegar, is a very popular folk remedy for many ailments. It’s been shown to reduce throat pain by increasing immune function and reducing inflammation. Just one tablespoon of ACV mixed with warm water can provide relief from sore throat pain within a few minutes.
Try taking two tablespoons every few hours as needed for extended relief from a sore throat.
You can also gargle with warm ACV water if you don’t want to swallow it directly; just let it sit in your mouth for about 10 seconds before swallowing. Remember, ACV is acidic so be sure not to swish it around too much or else you might burn your mouth.
4) Drink Plenty of Fluids
When your throat hurts, you feel like you can’t do anything right. The last thing you want to do is drink water or other fluids. But it’s important that you stay hydrated when your throat hurts because dehydration will only make it worse.
So, if you have a sore throat, sip something that has plenty of water in it (like tea or lemonade) until your sore throat goes away. Stay clear of dairy drinks and smoothies since they may actually irritate your throat.
To help soothe your sore throat, add mint tea or lemonade with honey to water and drink at least three cups per day until you feel better.
5) Garlic Soup
Garlic can both soothe and reduce inflammation in your throat. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and antifungal, which helps with sore throats.
It also contains antioxidants that help improve your immune system's response when dealing with infection. Make a pot of garlic soup using one cup each of diced onions, carrots, and celery along with six cloves of minced garlic.
Add 8 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth to the veggies and bring it all to a boil for about 10 minutes. Strain out all of the veggies and add in 1 teaspoon each thyme, sage, rosemary, marjoram, oregano and salt.
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