Natural Treatments for Throat Pain
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Keep reading to learn about the best home remedies for sore throat, nonprescription drugs that can ease throat pain, and signs that you need to see your doctor or seek emergency care.
Top Home Remedies for Sore Throat
The following home remedies can provide some relief for sore throat in both children and adults.
- Honey (except for babies; see below)
- Saltwater gargle
- Baking soda gargle
- Chamomile tea
- Garlic
- Broth or soup
- Lozenges or hard candy
- Camphor or menthol-containing salves
- Steam or humidity
Honey
Saltwater Gargle
“Gargling with warm salt water or plain hydrogen peroxide 3 percent — this is the old-fashioned over-the-counter brown bottle — is excellent for killing excess bacteria in the mouth and often provides relief for sore throat,” says Bower. He recommends swishing thoroughly, gargling, and spitting two to three times per day for a few days, or until the sore throat gets better.
Baking Soda Gargle
The active ingredient in baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which would not cause any harm if someone were to use it as part of a gargle or oral rinse, says Bower. But there aren’t significant antiseptic properties to baking soda that would make it more effective than salt water or hydrogen peroxide 3 percent, he adds.
Chamomile Tea
Many people report that drinking warm chamomile tea mixed with honey soothes a sore throat, and there are really no downsides, says Bower.
Garlic
That said, garlic is metabolized quickly and has poor bioavailability, meaning it’s hard for the body to absorb any potential benefits.
If you want to use garlic to help relieve symptoms of a cold, including sore throat, there’s no harm in giving it a try, says Carlos Lerner, MD, a pediatrician at UCLA Health in Los Angeles. “There isn’t much evidence to show its efficacy, but there are anecdotal reports that it can help,” he says.
Broth or Soup
Warm broths and liquid soups are great ways to stay well hydrated and keep electrolytes up when in the throes of many illnesses, including sore throat. “The added benefit of broth and liquid soup is that they are much easier to swallow, passing easily by the throat and tonsils with minimal friction. I highly recommend broth and liquid soups to my patients when they’re suffering from a sore throat,” Bower says.
Lozenges or Hard Candy
Throat lozenges (aka cough drops) are an easy way to soothe throat pain, says Brian Antono, MD, MPH, a family medicine doctor at Duke Health in Durham, North Carolina. “I’m a fan of lozenges for sore throat; if they help you, use them,” he says.
Camphor and Menthol-Containing Salves
Steam or Humidity
“Steam via cool or warm mist or simple humidification of the air are excellent ways to reduce pain and soothe a sore throat, especially at night in the bedroom,” says Bower. But a humidifier can be used anytime of day to help keep the mucous membranes of the throat and sinuses moist, he says.
“When the nose and throat get dried out, sore throat pain almost always intensifies,” says Bower.
Can Cayenne Pepper or Hot Sauce Really Help Sore Throat?
Herbal Remedies and Supplements for Sore Throat
Compared with the evidence for remedies like honey, there isn’t as much data to support the use of herbal remedies for helping with sore throat pain, but a few show modest benefits:
- Peppermint
- Marshmallow root
- Licorice root
- Slippery elm
Peppermint
“Peppermint contains menthol, which may provide mild relief for some people suffering from cough or sore throat,” says Bower. It can also be an effective home remedy for mild nausea, especially in children, he adds.
Marshmallow Root
Licorice Root
Slippery Elm
Over-the-Counter Medications for Sore Throat
Depending on the severity of the sore throat and your medical history, traditional over-the-counter treatments can be highly effective. “Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin (ibuprofen) used independently are good options,” says Bower.
Why does your medical history factor in? Acetaminophen is filtered out of your body through the liver, and ibuprofen is filtered out through your kidneys, explains Antono. “So, if you have underlying conditions in either of those spaces — for example, kidney or liver disease — we would try to avoid the drug that works through that pathway and use the other option,” he says.
If you don’t have any underlying conditions that might make side effects of either class of pain reliever an issue, you can use Tylenol and ibuprofen together, every six hours, in accordance with the appropriate dosing guidelines for your age and weight. “This combination often provides significant relief,” says Bower.
Anesthetic sprays such as Chloraseptic are another good option to relieve temporary sore throat pain relief, says Bower.
A combination of appropriate over-the-counter medications, home remedies, and prescription strength medication (if needed and under the supervision of a licensed medical provider) is your best bet to get well soon, says Bower.
Should You Take a COVID Test if You Have a Sore Throat?
If you have a sore throat, which is a common sign of COVID-19, it’s a good idea to take a COVID-19 test, says Bower. “It is a higher priority to seek a COVID, influenza, and strep test if the sore throat symptoms are severe or with onset of fever,” he says.
Remember, if you’re taking an at-home test, it may be necessary to test a few days in a row if you get a negative result, says Antono. “Especially if you’re testing yourself in the first few days of your illness, you can get a false negative,” he says.
When to Go to the Doctor or Seek Emergency Care for Sore Throat
There are a few other scenarios where you would want to seek emergency care for sore throat, says Antono. “Medical emergencies would be if you have trouble breathing or if you can’t swallow. Also, if the person with a sore throat (often children) starts drooling and you don’t have a good explanation why,” he says.
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