Sore throats can be very painful however there are many natural home remedies which can help to heal a sore throat. In some cases a very severe sore throat may be strep throat. If the pain is very intense see a doctor to find out if you have strep throat. In some cases strep throat requires much more aggressive treatment by a doctor.
Home Remedies and OTC Medications for Sore Throats
Ricola cough drops which work wonderfully to numb the pain. Zinc lozenges can also help a sore throat heal much faster. They can have a soothing effect on your throat. Be sure that they contain phenol and benzociane as these ingredients work effectively at controlling pain produced by the sore throat. Follow the usage directions as they are not candy and you should only use a certain amount each day.
Hot beverages such as tea can also help to soothe the throat, but be sure to avoid the ones that contain caffeine. A wonderful tea which works well is green tea with lemon and honey. Ginger and chamomile tea also work wonderfully. Water lemon and honey together can also help. Chew your food slowly and try to only swallow small bits of food at a time.
Gargle with sea salt water. This works to temporarily ease throat pain. Combine one teaspoon of salt and one pint of warm water. Sea Salt is ideal but if you don't have sea salt you can use table salt. Gargling with this every hour or so can really help.
Eat more garlic. While your body is trying to heal include garlic in many meals or even chop it up and drink it in a juice. We used to add garlic to celery and carrot juice. It can be powerful though. The garlic works as a natural antiseptic and antibiotic.
Take 1000 mg of vitamin C each day. This will help to boost your immune system which will help your body to heal much faster. In addition to this take a whole food multi vitamin and mineral supplement daily as part of a healthy lifestyle. Be sure to buy whole food vitamins because these are made from real food. The body knows how to use these vitamins. Many vitamins are made with chemicals so its best to look for the whole food label.
Spray colloidal in your mouth each day to help combat and fight the infection. Colloidal silver is a natural antibiotic which can be very effective at helping to relieve a sore throat.