Causes and Symptoms of Sore Throat
If you have pain, irritation or itchiness in your throat then you are suffering from sore throat. You will find it difficult to swallow foods and drink liquids and the pain would feel like worsen every time you try to eat anything. There are various causes of sore throat and they include bacterial infection like the Streptococcal bacteria that causes strep throat, viral infections, environmental factors like cigarette smoke and natural irritants like molds, GERD and in very rare cases HIV or throat cancer can also cause sore throat.
The major symptoms of sore throat condition is the pain that comes associated with it in the throat region, swollen glands near the neck region, dry throat.
1. Best Tea for Sore Throat Relief
There are various types of tea available in the market that are touted to cure sore throats but they are not as effective as the tea you can make in home using few ingredients like ginger, lemon, honey, peppermint, and garlic.
All you need to do is add them in the order by taking peppermint, 8 slices of fresh ginger, 4 cloves of garlic, of 1/4 of lemon juice and honey. The peppermint, garlic, and ginger possess anti-microbial properties. The menthol has anti-inflammatory effects while honey provides a mucous coating on the membranes that soothes throat and lemon boost immune system.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar for Sore Throat cure
- Apple Cider Vinegar are very effective in treating sore throat as it balances the pH level of the tissues in the throat region and so eliminates the bacteria causing it.
- Being expectorant in nature it loosens the phlegm present in the throat thus making us breathe easily.
- The pre-biotic inulin present in the ACV boosts the immune system by increasing the production of T-Cells and White Blood Cells.
- Check Health benefits of Apple cider vinegar for more uses of acv.
3. Best Foods for Sore Throat
There are various types of food that helps with sore throat, they include:
- Bananas, Chicken Soup, Honey and Lemon Juice Mixture.
- Egg Whites or Scrambled Eggs.
- Honey, or Ginger Tea, Oatmeal, Sage, Whole Wheat Pasta, Boiled Carrots.
4. Quick Remedy for Sore Throat
For quick relief from sore throat you can opt for various remedies that include: Having lozenges as when you have the cough tablets, they stimulate the production of saliva that keeps throat moist so cures sore throat. You can also take cough syrups as they will ease the soreness and alleviate the pain associated with sore throat.
Herbal teas like green tea can provide immediate relief from sore throat and you can enhance its effects by adding a tablespoon of honey in herbal teas, tea made from marshmallow plant has also been used from centuries to cure sore throat. Finally you can take help of medications like anti-inflammatory or anti-bacterial tablets by getting it prescribed by the doctor.
5. Honey and Lemon for Sore Throat Treatment
Honey and lemon are very effective for treating sore throat as the honey possess a lot of anti-oxidants in it on top of that it also fights bacterial infections while lemon is a champion when it comes it boosting the immune system of the body while also balancing the pH of the sensitive throat tissues. When used together in conjunction then they display great results in curing Sore throat.
You can add the juice extracted from a ½ of lemon to hot water and then add 2 teaspoons of raw honey.
6. Essential Oils for Sore Throat infection
- There are various types of essential oils that can treat sore throat effectively, like lemon, garlic, peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, tea tree, sage, and ginger.
- The best way to have essential oils for sore throat is by taking a gargle with them. You can add few drops of Essential Oils to a glass of lukewarm water and then gargle some time.
- Remember not to swallow the solution after completing the gargle.
7. Soothing Drinks for Sore Throat
Various drinks to cure sore throat include:
- Blackcurrant, the best way to prepare blackcurrant drink is by diluting Ribena using hot water and sipping it slowly.
- Warm lemon water with raw honey drink can also be used to relieve pain associated with sore throat.
- Ginger- Garlic drink is a strong drink and is very effective in curing sore throat.
8. Garlic for Sore Throat
- Garlic is very efficient in treating sore throat infection, as it has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties which kill the host agent causing sore throat.
- If fever also accompanies with sore throat then consume small amounts of raw garlic several times a day to mitigate the effect.
9. Gargle for Sore Throat
Gargle is one of the best remedy for sore throat and has been used to treat for sore throat infection from several centuries. There are various types of solutions that you can make to do gargle, like salt water gargle which draws up moisture and cleanses the phlegm present in the throat, you can prepare this solution by adding half teaspoon salt in a cup of lukewarm water. Other solutions include Honey gargle solution and peppermint gargle solution.
10. FAQ on Sore throat
- Ginger for sore throat
Recipes made from it works wonders in curing sore throats and you can use it by consuming a tea made from ginger. - Is ice cream good for a sore throat ?
Yes, you can eat ice cream treats when you are suffering from a sore throat. - how long does a sore throat last ?
Sore throats caused by viral and bacterial illnesses and usually lasts for 4 or 5 days. - Is sore throat is contagious ?
Yes, it can be if a virus causes the sore throat infection. - sore throat sign of pregnancy ?
Yes, it could be a sign of pregnancy, Sore throat and flu like symptoms (many women think they are coming down with cold before finding out they are actually pregnant)