Home remedies for sore throats

Sore throats can run the gamut from a mild scratching to severely inflamed mucous membranes in your throat and pharynx. Fortunately, just open your cupboard to find a range of remedies for this common ailment.

• Drink lots of fluids to keep your mucous membranes moist. Hot herbal or fruit teas (especially anti-inflammatory sage tea) are ideal drinks. Sweeten to taste with honey.
• Honey has a natural antibacterial effect that makes it a particularly effective home remedy. Allow five millilitres (one teaspoon) of honey to run slowly down your throat several times a day to chase sore throats away.
• Heat helps support the body's natural defenses. Wear a scarf when you feel a sore throat coming on, and avoid drafts and cold.
• Dry air further irritates mucous membranes. To keep humidity levels in your house high, place moist cloths on the radiators and bowls of water on the windowsills. Add a couple drops of essential oils for a soothing effect.
• Gargling soothes pain and swelling in your throat and pharynx. Mix five grams (one teaspoon) of salt with 500 millilitres (two cups) of water to make a solution for gargling. Or try an old home remedy: thirty millilitres (two tablespoons) of cider vinegar in 250 millilitres (one cup) of water. Sweeten with honey.
• Garlic has antiviral and antifungal properties, so it can be particularly effective at relieving a sore throat caused by a virus. Add to food or blend a few cloves of garlic into a veggie cocktail. The good news: it makes no difference if it's fresh or dried.
• A very effective home recipe for sore throat is a mixture that tastes better than the ingredients might suggest: 2.5 grams (1/2 teaspoon) of freshly grated horseradish is stirred into a glass of warm water along with five millilitres (one teaspoon) of honey and a pinch of ground cloves. Drink slowly.
• Toss your toothbrush. Bacteria trapped on a toothbrush may cause a lingering sore throat.