# How can I get rid of a strawberry seed from my throat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896 "2007-04-20T05:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SiouxChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/1 "2007-04-20T05:04:00Z")
I had a Peanut Butter & Jelly smoothie this afternoon (don’t laugh–they’re awesome), and somehow got a strawberry seed stuck in my throat. It’s very uncomfortable. I’ve tried to gargle and cough, but wasn’t able to get it out. I’ve read that eating a piece of dry bread will help. But I just did that without any luck. Any ideas? Will this be the first in a long chain of events that will eventually lead to my death? ---
**Author:** ![Toaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@Toaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toaster)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/2 "2007-04-20T06:36:22Z")
I would say it’s unlikely the seed is actually still in your throat (plus they’re so tiny), but perhaps it caused a very tiny scratch that got a very tiny infection, and the local swelling there is making it FEEL like it’s still stuck. (I’m just remembering a thread a while back on pills stuck in your throat, and this was the explanation by probably **Qadgop the Mercotan**. (And sorry if it was anybody else.)) I mean, they are pointy on one end, so they would have the potentiality for scratching. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/3 "2007-04-20T18:35:07Z")
[QUOTE=SiouxChief] … Will this be the first in a long chain of events that will eventually lead to my death? [/QUOTE] Yes, of course it will. However, you can take comfort in the fact that your grave will be covered by a lovely patch of strawberry plants and your loved ones will always be able to nourish their stomachs as well as their souls when they come to visit your gravesite. 😃 More seriously, what **Toaster** said. ---
**Author:** ![SiouxChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/4 "2007-04-20T19:02:24Z")
Haha! Well, as long as the family is well-fed, it’s a good thing! I must say I would make an excellent fertilizer… Thanks for the advise…I’m hoping you’re right and it’s just a scratch. I guess that would make sense since the pain feels more intense when I gargle in a certain way. Clearly I’m just irritating the would. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/5 "2007-04-20T19:29:51Z")
I once got a piece of popcorn husk stuck in the back of my throat, and no amount of hacking, coughing, eating or drinking could dislodge it. I figured it would work its way loose, but after a day or two it felt worse. I finally took a look at it in the mirror (it was high in my throat, behind my uvula) and saw it was larger and coated in a white crusty substance. Finally I took something (a drinking straw or a popsicle stick, I don’t remember) and literally scraped it off - which turned out to be a bit harder than I thought it would be. It came off, and left a little raw spot with a tiny bit of blood, but man I felt 100x better. Is that too much information? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/6 "2007-04-20T19:30:36Z")
Be sure to gargle with something antiseptic. Warm salt water is excellent and cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/7 "2007-04-20T19:40:05Z")
[QUOTE=Mama Zappa] YHowever, you can take comfort in the fact that your grave will be covered by a lovely patch of strawberry plants and your loved ones will always be able to nourish their stomachs as well as their souls when they come to visit your gravesite. [/QUOTE] _Strawberry Fields Forever._ ---
**Author:** ![Infinite\_Levels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f475e1/32.png) [@Infinite\_Levels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infinite_Levels)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/8 "2007-04-20T23:44:31Z")
The best cure for dislodging things in the throat is with things that are hard. Raw carrot, popcorn, corn chips. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/9 "2007-04-21T01:29:05Z")
[QUOTE=Mama Zappa] Yes, of course it will. However, you can take comfort in the fact that your grave will be covered by a lovely patch of strawberry plants and your loved ones will always be able to nourish their stomachs as well as their souls when they come to visit your gravesite. 😃 More seriously, what **Toaster** said. [/QUOTE] Until **THEY** choke to death on the seeds. Circle of life. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/10 "2007-04-21T02:44:19Z")
Swallow dirt. When the plant grows, pull it out. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/11 "2007-04-21T04:01:39Z")
Start an IV, give yourself 2 milligrams of glucagon and a shot of nitro spray. Or just drink lots of water. As long as you can swallow. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/12 "2007-04-21T12:36:04Z")
[QUOTE=Skammer] I once got a piece of popcorn husk stuck in the back of my throat, and no amount of hacking, coughing, eating or drinking could dislodge it. I figured it would work its way loose, but after a day or two it felt worse. I finally took a look at it in the mirror (it was high in my throat, behind my uvula) and saw it was larger and coated in a white crusty substance. Finally I took something (a drinking straw or a popsicle stick, I don’t remember) and literally scraped it off - which turned out to be a bit harder than I thought it would be. It came off, and left a little raw spot with a tiny bit of blood, but man I felt 100x better. Is that too much information? [/QUOTE] Gross out time: I once had to do this with a loogie. I’m serious. The end of it was dried to something resembling a burr and it was stuck at the back of my throat. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/13 "2007-04-21T14:49:08Z")
Are you sure it’s not a tonsil stone? I had one a while back that I discovered after having a feeling like something was stuck in my throat for a few days. I looked at it in the mirror and could see a little white lump, so I pried it loose with a Q-tip. Gross! ---
**Author:** ![SiouxChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/14 "2007-04-23T19:14:31Z")
Update… The feeling is gone! I think it was definitely a scratch. Two days ago, the feeling in my throat was still pronounced, but it felt more like a bad sore throat than a seed, although in the same spot. Yesterday the feeling felt the same, but with only mild pain. Today, the feeling is gone completely. From now on, I’m only going to drink a smoothie if the strawberry seeds have been properly sanded, buffed, and polished! > [@](#): > > Are you sure it’s not a tonsil stone? I had one a while back that I discovered after having a feeling like something was stuck in my throat for a few days. I looked at it in the mirror and could see a little white lump, so I pried it loose with a Q-tip. Gross! Tonsil stone? Yikes! Any idea how that developed? ---
**Author:** ![xoxo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/51bf81/32.png) [@xoxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xoxo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-a-strawberry-seed-from-my-throat/400896/15 "2022-08-10T03:21:10Z")
I literally just had this issue like 2 hours ago and I was drinking a smoothie with strawberries in it and OMG I feel like the seeds r still in my throat. I have tried coughing and drinking tons of water and eating bread, nothing worked. I will update if it goes away:)