# Home remedies for sore throat **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 17, 2000, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786 "2000-03-17T17:08:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drollman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f04885/32.png) [@drollman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drollman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/1 "2000-03-17T17:08:00Z")
I’ve had a sore throat for a couple of day now and, while the candy/lozenges provide temporary relief, it always comes back. (Still shakin’ off the winter flu, I guess.) Does anyone have an “old family secret” cure for a sore throat? * * * My fate keeps getting in the way of my destiny. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/2 "2000-03-17T17:18:00Z")
I dunno… hot tea with lemon? * * * “Penises don’t belong in the mouth, girls and boys. You’ve got the wrong hole there. Just like you wouldn’t shove pizza up your nose.” -From the **Brother Jed** flyer- ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/3 "2000-03-17T17:28:00Z")
Gargle with warm salt water. Sounds silly, but it helps. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/4 "2000-03-17T17:36:00Z")
Throat Coat tea really helps. It is a slippery elm bark tea made by Traditional Medicinals. It leaves a coating on your throat that relieves the soreness for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/5 "2000-03-18T06:02:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Green Bean: > **Throat Coat tea really helps. It is a slippery elm bark tea made by Traditional Medicinals. It leaves a coating on your throat that relieves the soreness for a while.** I’ll second that. Whenever I get a sore throat, I go through cases of this stuff. Not only does it taste good, but between the hot liquid & the coating effect it helps quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/6 "2000-03-17T21:36:00Z")
Drink something hot that’s non-dairy. I was told that the hot liquid will kill the bacteria causing the sore throat (not sure if that’s really the reason, but it works for me). The reason to not drink dairy products is that dairy will temporarily coat it, but in the long run it will irritate the throat (again, not sure if it’s true…but that’s what my doctor said once). ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/7 "2000-03-17T21:40:00Z")
Pour yourself a glass of warm water and mix a teaspoon of salt in it. Then gargle with the salt-water four or five times. Repeat every couple of hours. It does wonders to loosen up the phlegm and soothe the sore throat. ---
**Author:** ![Crystalguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dbc845/32.png) [@Crystalguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crystalguy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/8 "2000-03-17T22:32:00Z")
Hot tea with honey (1tbls) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/9 "2000-03-18T01:44:00Z")
Honey in brandy & lots of it, brandy that is. ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/10 "2000-03-18T02:34:00Z")
I’ve gotta go with gargling with warm salt water. Works wonders. The reason it works, BTW, is that the concentration of water is higher in the inflamed tissues than in the salt water, so some of the water in the tissues is drawn out by the salt water, relieving some of the inflammation. ---
**Author:** ![ASPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@ASPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASPA)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/11 "2000-03-18T03:33:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by drollman: > …Does anyone have an “old family secret” cure for a sore throat? > \*\* All of the above. TRUE STORY: In fact, I’ve made my own (pasty) cough “drops” by combining lemon, salt, SLIPPERY ELM, HONEY, and a little water. Well, what it was is this: while waiting for water to boil for rea, I’d mixed and stirred these ingredients and the dough looked and smelled so good—like cookie batter–that I actually started spooning it down. Before the water was ready, I’d eaten the “paste,” (drop by drop). And a teaspoon of brandy wouldn’t hurt. I’ll try that addition in the future. Slippery elm is great for a multitude of theings. Look into it. ---
**Author:** ![joemill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@joemill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemill)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/12 "2000-03-18T04:11:00Z")
quote: Originally posted by Green Bean: Throat Coat tea really helps. It is a slippery elm bark tea made by Traditional Medicinals. It leaves a coating on your throat that relieves the soreness for a while. Where do you find that? At the grocery store? At the pharmacy? At a homeopathic place? I’d like to try it… ---
**Author:** ![ASPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@ASPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASPA)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/13 "2000-03-18T04:41:00Z")
[QUOTE] any “natural” foods store and homeopathic pharmacy will have lozengers made with slippery elm—which is the key ingrdient. You could just get the slippery elm from bulk herb section. ---
**Author:** ![ASPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@ASPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASPA)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/14 "2000-03-18T04:45:00Z")
Yah, I mean the given types of stores will have teas and lozengers and other products containing slippery elm, but they’ll also have powdered or bak slip elm. Get the powder. If you make it pasty and then thin it out, it won’t get lumpy on you (as in lumpy tea!) It’s tasty with honey, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/15 "2000-03-18T06:10:00Z")
I get my Throat Coat at the local stupidmarket. In some stores, it will be with the regular tea. In others it will be in the herbal/natural medicine section. Throat Coat is really popular, so I would expect that any natural foods store would have it also. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/16 "2000-03-18T15:29:00Z")
Pineapple juice! seriously. It sounds like it would burn but it doesnt, releives a sore throat better then anything I know. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/17 "2000-03-18T15:40:00Z")
Open your mouth near a mirror & look at your tongue & throat if you can. Shouldn’t be full of white stuff, but if it is, well see a doc after 3 days. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2000, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/18 "2000-03-19T06:18:00Z")
> [@](#): > > some of the water in the tissues is drawn out Another way of saying it dries out the affected areas and helps them heal. Remember the doc telling you to keep sores & cuts cool & dry otherwise they’ll get infected? The reason mouth ailments are so slow to heal is that they stay warm & moist. Also, try to swish the mixture around as far back in your throat as possible- this has the effect of sand blasting (the salt crystals clean gunk out of the nooks & crannies back there, including the tonsils, which are porous and have a surface like that of strawberries & therefore tend to become encrusted with cheese doodles & other crap you swallow). Salt water gargle once or twice a week is one of the best preventive therapies, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![ASPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@ASPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASPA)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2000, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-remedies-for-sore-throat/8786/19 "2000-03-18T23:51:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by B\_Line12: > **Pineapple juice! seriously. It sounds like it would burn but it doesnt, releives a sore throat better then anything I know.** Oh yea, I think I remember experiencing that. I’ll have to add that to my mixture.