I always like tea with honey and lemon. I’ve also used an herbal tea called Throat Coat that has licorice and slippery elm and other soothing herbs. It doesn’t seem to do much for a deep chest cough, but it is very helpful for a scratchy back-of-the-throat.
Myron, I haven’t heard of those. Where can you buy them generally?
Incidentally, my doctor says that a hot salt water rinse should be made with about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt to 6 ounces of hot water. I was making my solution MUCH stronger than that.
If you have a cough, I’ve found that Hall’s sugar free cough drops work better than the ones with sugar in them. They actually taste better too, you don’t get that syrup coating your mouth. Generally, I can’t stand sugar free stuff, so if I like it, it’s good.
Chicken or beef broth is good to sip, as well as the tea. It helps moisturize the throat.
Make sure you get plenty of plain water, too.
assuming the sore throat is not due to Strep (the vast majority aren’t) I recommend that my patients use an over-the-counter lozenge like Sucrets maximum strength, or the generic version (contains a high concentration of benzocaine, which numbs) along with acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain relief, fluids (hot or cold), steam, and if nasal drainage down the throat adds to the problem, use something like pseudo-ephedrine to decongest. Stay away from products containing antihistamines unless your symptoms are from allergies, as they will dry and thicken the secretions and mucous membranes, often exacerbating the sore throat symptoms.
For severe symptoms, you may get your doc to prescribe viscous xylocaine jelly, which you can then gargle with, or paint on the back of the throat with a q-tip as needed. Disadvantage: the whole inside of the mouth goes numb. Narcotic analgesics (codiene, etc.) are occasionally used for extreme symptoms.
Bonus tip:
The xylocaine jelly can really numb that burning sensation you get at the far end of the digestive canal after eating highly seasoned foods
Qadgop, MD
** aha** horehound drops are candy items. check in places with “old fashioned” candy stuff (don’t know where you live, but if there’s a “Cracker Barrel” restaurant near you, they sell them)
Sorry, Aha, I’ve been in bed the last few days with bronchitis.
What Wring said. They’re hard candy. I went through a whole bag this weekend.
Horehound is actually an herb of the mint family. We have it growing in our garden. Next year I’m going to try making my own drops.
Hope you’re feeling better; I sure as hell am not, horehound notwithstanding.