Heal your sore throat, nip your cold in the bud, and prevent high fevers by hydrating with these natural juices and teas.
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Sore throats are a fairly common problem during the winter months. Sore throats are often brought on by sudden changes in weather, by mucus drainage, or as a symptom of a common cold. The pain and inflammation that accompany a sore throat can be very irritating, and can even get in the way of your daily routine; especially if your job involves speaking to others or talking on the phone.
Causes of Sore Throats
A sore throat can be a symptom of a serious illness. But getting a sore throat doesn’t necessarily mean you need to rush in to see a doctor right away.
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Jeffrey Linder, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He did an interview with Time Magazine’s Health.com about some common recommendations for soothing a sore throat. According to Dr. Linder, “Staying hydrated is very important, especially when you’re sick and your throat is irritated or inflamed. You should be drinking enough fluid so that your urine is light yellow or clear. This keeps your mucous membranes moist and better able to combat bacteria and irritants like allergens, and makes your body better able to fight back against other cold symptoms.”1)http://time.com/3772261/soothe-sore-throat
Juices That Can Heal a Sore Throat
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There are several medicinal drinks that you can use to keep yourself hydrated, while medicating your sore throat at the same time. You can nip your cold in the bud and prevent high fevers by hydrating with these natural juices and teas that can save your day with their high concentrations of antioxidants and other beneficial compounds.
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To emphasize hydration, you can dilute fruit and vegetable juices with cold water and ice. To emphasize the medicinal qualities of the juices and teas listed below, don’t dilute these juices and drink them as they are.
#1. Ginger Juice
Ginger is full of minerals and antioxidants. The antibacterial properties of ginger can help to treat a number of infections in the throat. Consume a half cup of ginger juice at the first sign of an itchy throat. A combination of ginger and honey can work wonders and can help to heal a sore throat in no time at all.2)http://www.livestrong.com/article/265676-ginger-honey-for-a-sore-throat
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#2. Garlic Juice
Having natural antibacterial and antibiotic properties, garlic juice has proven to be an effective solution for people who catch cold easily. Take two teaspoons of garlic juice in a glass of warm water, and it can heal your sore throat without the need for any medications.
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#3. Licorice Root Tea
Licorice root ~ Image by GOKALP ISCAN from Pixabay
Known for its naturally sweet and mild flavor, licorice root is another great herbal remedy for a sore throat. According to herbwisdom.com, licorice root “soothes soreness in the throat and fights viruses that cause respiratory illnesses and and overproduction of mucus.”3)http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-licorice-root.html Licorice root is also widely used in treating stomach ulcers, as compounds in the root are useful for lowering stomach acid levels—relieving heartburn and indigestion, and even acting as a mild laxative.
#4. Pineapple Juice
Did you ever think that pineapple juice could help you when you are suffering from a sore throat? In addition to providing a good source of vitamin C and manganese, pineapple juice contains bromelain, a combination of protein-digesting enzymes that is only found in pineapples. Researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) are looking into bromelain as a potential treatment for many conditions including viral and bacterial infections—although UMMC advises taking bromelain as a supplement to get a higher concentration of the enzymes.4)http://www.livestrong.com/article/486718-fresh-pineapple-juice-bromelain
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#5. Watermelon Juice
Watermelon is more than 90% water, so it’s great for keeping yourself hydrated. It’s also a good source of vitamins C and A. And watermelon is a traditional way to heal sore throats in Chinese herbal medicine.5)Lu, Henry C. Chinese Natural Cures. New York, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc. Copyright 1986. A glass of cool, sweet watermelon juice can cool your sore throat and help to bring relief.
When to Seek Medical Care for a Sore Throat
Image by Anastasia Gepp from Pixabay
The CDC published recommendations about when you should seek medical care for a sore throat. They encourage you to get assistance if you or your child exhibit any of the following symptoms:
• Sore throat that lasts longer than 1 week
• Difficulty swallowing or breathing
• Excessive drooling (young children)
• Temperature higher than 100.4°F
• Pus on the back of the throat
• Rash
• Joint pain
• Hoarseness lasting longer than 2 weeks
• Blood in saliva or phlegm
• Dehydration (symptoms include a dry, sticky mouth; sleepiness or tiredness; thirst; decreased urination or fewer wet diapers; few or no tears when crying; muscle weakness; headache; dizziness or lightheadedness)
• Recurring sore throats
What Do You Think?
What is your favorite natural way to heal a sore throat? Let us know in the comments!
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This article was originally published on December 14, 2015. The author may not currently be available to respond to comments, however we encourage our Community members to chime in to share their experiences and answer questions!
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References
| ↑1 | http://time.com/3772261/soothe-sore-throat |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | http://www.livestrong.com/article/265676-ginger-honey-for-a-sore-throat |
| ↑3 | http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-licorice-root.html |
| ↑4 | http://www.livestrong.com/article/486718-fresh-pineapple-juice-bromelain |
| ↑5 | Lu, Henry C. Chinese Natural Cures. New York, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc. Copyright 1986. |
COMMENTS(24)
Timely post, been suffering from a sore throat going to try out pine apple juice first
I use straight fresh or bottled lemon juice in a spray bottle and spray my throat about every 2 hours or more often. It burns, but is very effective in combating and healing a sore throat in a very short time.
Stella Stone
great idea
I tried this on my sore throat last night and it worked wonders. I felt so much better and it didnt taste so bad also . Thanks for sharing.
Praise God and to Him be the glory! Pineapple juice seems to work on the worst itchy throat(common food allergy) as well; google search shows it as being 5x better than cough syrup–whatever that means. Still, I stumbled onto it by trial and error and noticed the itch seemed to go away. The itch doesn’t go away completely, but it spreads out from the throat to other areas–just as if you had taken a good OTC antihistamine that worked for your throat itch. When it LEAVES the throat, that’s a victory in itself–because the throat is the worst area for a severe itch to be! And hot sauce(Louisiana brand) and prescription cough syrup did very little in tandem to stop it.
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Information.
Aloe Vera juice is the best sore throat cure ive ever used regards Paul
I’m on sore throat day 3 and drank a watermelon juice I just happened to buy for smoothies at Costco and the sore throat went away. I was to the point I had lost my voice and it came back immediately after drinking a bottle of the juice! It works!
Wow. Now I know what to do with this bag of dried watermelon rings I bought from Nuts.com, that is too too sweet to just eat: Put it in the water I make tea with. With some lemon juice. Yeah!
Can’t wait to see if this will help alleviate my annual fall sore throat (pesky allergies). Going to try the pineapple juice first. Mmmmm. Thank you for sharing.
pineapple juice made fresh with the core is AMAZING for allergies ..the active ingredient int he core of a pineapple, bromelain, is an amazing enzyme that helps with many things..fighting allergies is one of them!
-Heather
Ginger juice and garlic juice? That’s pretty hardcore. I like it!
I am normally not a tea drinker, but when I am ill, tea is a comfort. Plain old tea you buy off the shelf, sweetened with a little bit of local honey and some lemon…HOWEVER, tea (and coffee) are diuretics, so it is very important to balance that with plain water to remain hydrated.
I make a homemade ‘cough syrup’ that also soothes sore throats. Local honey, lemon, ginger, and a little garlic and ACV. Good for colds ane allergies as long as you use local honey. Local is key for allergy symptoms, as the bees will have collected pollen from allergens local to your area. Will help you build up immunity, I am told (wink wink)
instant total relief for cough/sore throat: put ginger powder in a bottle cap, stir in honey, let set until it forms a paste, stick finger in, suck finger
My go to for colds, flu, coughs etc is ginger, garlic, a little turmeric, all root form, fresh squeezed lemon juice, all blitzed well, local honey to taste, don’t be shy with the honey, and last but not least, cayenne pepper, as much as you can handle. I have a 2 litre glass jar of concentrate in my fridge all year round. My children make it for their children, my siblings use it and friends and neighbours know how good it is too.
I’m new to using herbs and natural remedies. Where does one find ginger juice? Is it something you can buy or do you make it with powdered ginger?
I have the quickest cure with a teaspoon of vinegar in 1/2 cup of water- gargle and feel the burn… but only for a few seconds- the science behind this: bacteria can’t survive in an acid solution!
I repeat this as often as needed.
My favorite is the licorice tea and I also like a Turmeric & Ginger tea I have.
These are absolutely amazing bevs. I already do these in my day to day lifestyle. Yay!
I use a triple whammy drink. Start with honey that has a high “+” factor. (Between a tsp to Tbsp) Add lemon juice (half to whole leom) and pure cranberry juice (about 1 – 1.5 inches in an average sized glass). Stir to dissolve honey. Add approx 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon or cloves then add hot water to fill glass. Stir and steep. Alternatively you can steep the spice in the hot water first and then add other ingredients.
The honey and cranberry actually kill and clear the infection fairly quickly. The lemon cuts the mucus. If the throat is really sore, I will have several drinks throughout the day, but it usually knocks it out pretty quickly – even those infections that attack the tonsils. Gargling before swallowing will also clear out any infection lower in the throat.
I have also used clove and cinnamon oils instead of the dry spice (only a couple of drops), but as they do not mix well and can burn, I prefer the dry spice. Of course you need to let it steep a little in order to profit from the healing properties.
I do drink other teas like licquorice, turmeric and ginger frequently, but for me personally, they do very little to help with sore throats. Cranberry on the other hand, always works a treat for me!!
Cheers
Didn’t know watermelon can help with the sore throat. An interesting and informative article, thanks!
gargle with salt water
These are really cool and most taste lots better than my colloidal silver in salt water, not so sure about the garlic juice though. I’m not sure I’m that hard core…