What's your best home made remedy for a sore throat.

Make a hot tea pouring hot water over fresh ginger, lemon juice, and honey. Let it steep for a bit.

Ok, I know this might sound a little brutal….BUT it works….

Freshly squeeze a lemon, and pour the juice down your throat, then chase it with a spoon full of honey.

Also, gargle with hot salty water 3 times a day.

No germs can survive that kind of abuse. :)

Hot Toddy! – whiskey, boiling water, honey, lemon, cloves.

@j0ey Fresh Lemon sounds lovely, actually. I do have to make a run to the store today, regardless of how sick I am… So I’ll put lemon and ginger on the list. Fresh produce this time of year is a challenge.

I made a gargle of salt and garlic, because I heard that garlic has antibiotic properties when applied topically… I stink, but I have no one to impress here. I’m worried I have an infection and might have to go to the doc on Monday, but just want some relief until then. Grrr.. I hate being sick. At least I’m getting my strength back. I was weak as a kitten from Wednesday.

gargle with salt or use Chloraseptic spray then rinse your mouth and settle down to eat a lot of ice cream. Eat it until your throat gets cold.

@anartist….I didn’t think dairy was good for a sore throat…maybe make it soy ice cream :) just to be safe.

@j0ey but I don’t think i LIKE soy ice cream

the Scots know, a well-spiked Hot Toddy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A823439 [followup of above]

whiskey and . . . more whiskey

Yeah… showing up at the grocery store, sick as a dog, smelling of alcohol, with my 5y/o in tow… Not a good look. I think I’ll stick with lemon, ginger and garlic…...

@anartist We don’t get that spray here. I LOVED that stuff when I was in the US. It really did the trick to numb the throat.

if it’s a sore throat related to an impending cold…a raw clove of garlic… probably served best in a garlic and herb mayonnaise dip of some kind :-) the morning after I always seem to be right as rain! x

@cazzie

You don’t have to get wasted or anything. Gargling a little liquor diluted with water will ease the pain and help sterilize any infection. Follow it with some juice if you’re worried about the smell.

Instant russian tea mix usually works for me.

another vote for the classic Hot Toddy! works wonders every time for me, try a little extra honey and lemon if your throat’s being particularly stubborn. I prefer to use Bushmills 10 year for them, but 16 or Jameson gold work in a pinch.

The only thing I have in the house is some sort of rum. and a bottle Charlie’s Champers. The cold has been and gone… in stages, and left me with aching ears, throat and still a bit weak, but not as bad as Wed-Fri… I did go to the grocery store and now I’m absolutely drained.
@wonderingwhy If I’m going to force whiskey down me, it will have to be Scottish Single Malt.

I managed to find some lemons!! Yea! (so sad because in the life I left to come to this freezing hell, I had lemon trees in my bloody back yard!) So, I’ll have hot lemon and honey drinks….. and if I’m desperate, I’ll gargle with hubby’s rum… but he’ll scorn me something awful. Messing with a Noggies liquor is like fondling his 13 year old daughter… you just DON’T do it.

I have never heard a more creepy analogy for stealing someone’s alcohol, but you make your point lol. . .

Salt water gargle and sleep with the bedroom window open. Eat as much fresh veg as possible and orange juice.

@thenancysims Sleep with the bedroom window open? Where do you live? We still have below freezing temperatures overnight.

I use Throat Coat Tea by Traditional Medicinals. It’s awesome.

Tea and honey. Chicken Soup.

I will have to agree with @philosopher .

cold can of coke…or snapple

Oh… that reminds me… I should have gotten some hot tai soup…. I’m still gargling my garlic and salt water… Maybe I’ll have to bite the bullet and venture out again, but my knees hurt! ‘wwwaaaahhhh’

I usually warm a tablespoon of honey and squirt some fresh lemon in it.

I too agree with @philosopher. That’s what we do when we get sick. Different kind of soup though.

@philosopher .. you have great philosophy

A glass of iced cold water and a cup of hot drink (tea) and alternate sipping them. Plus take a mild pain killer.

vicodin

Lemon tea with enough honey to coat your throat is the best remedy I can think of. The honey has some antibacterial properties, plus it goes down nicely when your throat hurts. I had to work during a bout of strep throat once and the only thing that got me through the week at work was cup after cup after cup of lemon tea with honey (thank god we had a coffee/tea station). Also, when I feel a sore throat coming on, I like to drink lots of C-laden juice with ice in it.. the liquids are good for you, as is the vitamin C, and the ice helps numb your throat as you drink it.

Hope you feel better!

Pepper soup.

Listerine

For the sore “sand papery” part, maybe some warm water and salt gargling. OR (my preferred alternative) some mint tea with a little bit of honey. Try to drink it as hot as you can and it will DEFINITELY help clear out your throat and soothe it!!

I make a tincture of cloves (about 20 whole cloves in a cup of water, get it boiling, then remove from heat and let it sit for about 20 minutes), strained into about a tablespoon each of fresh lemon and raw honey.

The lemon and honey are awesome for the throat, and the clove is a natural expectorant – so if you’re coughing, at least the cough is going to do something other than irritate your already sore throat.

A couple of shots of fisherman’s friend dissolved in vodka (approx 2 bags per half-liter bottle)......but wait till after shopping!

Gargle with salt water. Or go to the beach and hang out there all day on a hot, sunny day.

OK here is mine:
Ingredients:

1 lime, 1 cup of tea, a tablespoon of honey, a tablespoon of blackseed(you can find this at ethnic stores or specialty stores).

Warm up the tea, squeeze the entire lime over it, add the honey and stir, add the black seeds and stir (you can either crush the black seed or chew them).

Drink the entire drink, preferably before bedtime and by morning, you will feel 10* better.

Another is to take NyQuil right at the first sign of cold! I have had success with this. My cold is less severe and sorethroat too!

If you really struggle with a sorethroat then go see an ear and nose specialist or ENT they have a very weird name that starts with at O but they are called ENT also.

Anyway, get a prescription for magic mouthwash: some of th stuff in it are over the counter but the pharmacist has to mix per the doctor’s instructions.

Mine gave me: Maalox, Lidocaine(prescription strength), and Benadryl! You gargle with that 4 times a day and it will numb the pain, just like the dentist.

Your insurance will cover it! Mine did but I had a copay of $65.00. It beats suffering through a sore throat!

Salt and water warm. Make sure you get it back to the throat and keep it there as long as possible without swallowing it!

@AdamN28 Interesting answer. I don’t live in a country that needs health insurance separately. We all get health care. It is a basic human right here. We don’t get your brand of NyQuil here. I can get lidocaine up to a certain strength over the counter at the pharmacy. I don’t know if I would gargle with it, but perhaps if I was really desperate. Masking the symptoms isn’t that great an idea though.

I ended up needing antibiotics in the end. The infection went to my ears. Paid MUCH less than $65 which ended up having to be a quick stop at the hospital ER. I think for the doc visit and the pills, I probably paid the equivalent co-pay of $30.00.

I have seen an ENT but not for a sore throat. I had a problem with my nose because of a divated septum. That was at a special private clinic, but still, covered by our national health care program, so I only paid about 150kr. He spend loads of time with me, too. Really nice guy.