Sore throat are one of the unpleasant side effects of a cold - they often herald the onset of a cold. The pain that occurs especially when swallowing ranges from light scratching to very unpleasant discomfort. A sore throat caused by a throat infection is usually accompanied by swollen mucous membranes, difficulty swallowing, and a dry feeling in the throat. However, with home remedies and gentle herbal medicinal products such as herbal teas, gargle solutions and neck wraps, the annoying symptoms can be alleviated in a simple way.
What helps against a sore throat?
Everyone knows hot wraps from childhood. There are different types - the simple hot wrap, the potato or quark wrap and also the onion wrap.
The onion wrap is a tried and tested remedy for a sore throat. Onions kill germs and can relieve pain. For an onion wrap, you simply peel two onions, cut into thin slices and heat a little in the pan without fat. Then they are wrapped in a thin kitchen towel, which is then closed with an adhesive plaster. In this form, the onions are placed on the neck, a cloth is wrapped around it again and then a scarf so that the wrap holds. This should be able to work for a few hours.
A bad-tasting, but very effective onion milk can also be prepared with onions. For this, half a liter of milk is put in a saucepan and boiled. First, dice three onions as small as possible and then add them to the boiling milk. The milk should be kept warm and drunk as hot as possible. The onions can also be boiled and then chopped up and then mixed with honey to spoon. A spoon every half hour is enough.
Another useful home remedy is a hot bath with tea tree oil, which drives away the viruses. But it is also good to inhale with chamomile, which not only helps against the sore throat, but also against a cold itself.
Basically, all home remedies that ensure that the irritated, dry and inflamed pharyngeal mucosa is moistened and soothed help with a sore throat. This can be done, among other things, by gargling regularly with anti-inflammatory gargle solutions. Gargling should be done every two hours for acute sore throats. The purpose of gargling is to keep the mucous membrane moist, as it can only fulfill its function when it is moist. Plain salt can be used to make a gargle solution.
To do this, a teaspoon of table salt is dissolved in 200 milliliters of lukewarm water. The resulting gargle solution "cleans" the mucous membrane of deposits and has an antibacterial effect due to its salt concentration. Adequate hydration also keeps the mucous membrane moist. Herbal teas with effective ingredients from nature are recommended here. Chamomile and sage are known for their anti-germ and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the soothing effect is even more intense if the chamomile and sage tea is enriched with marshmallow root and flaxseed. A sore throat as an accompanying symptom of a cold can also be treated with sweat-inducing linden or elderflower tea.
In addition to the "internal" treatment, external compresses can be administered. Among other things, the cold, damp quark wrap is known here. To make it, a towel is folded into a narrow envelope and about five centimeters thick coated with cool quark. With the quark side on the skin and wrapped around the neck, the envelope is then covered with a dry cloth. The wrap is worn on the neck until the quark layer has dried.
Quick help
Quick help with Sore throat is especially important when you are out and about and cannot make any compresses or similar home remedies. Even so, if you have a sore throat, it is best to stay at home and spend a lot of time in bed so as not to let a long cold develop in the first place.
Sweets with sage or other medicinal herbs help quickly against sore throats. In addition, fluids especially help. Drinking a lot is the most important thing in order not to additionally irritate the mucous membranes by dehydration. Water and teas such as chamomile tea or sage tea are best. The tea is easy to take with you in a thermos. Keeping warm is essential if you have a sore throat - a warm scarf and little talking is therefore a good way to get rid of the pain quickly.
You can get table salt almost everywhere, even when you are not at home. Mixed with a little lukewarm water, it becomes an ideal gargle solution, which can also be made from strong chamomile or sage tea. Gargling moisturizes and soothes the mucous membrane, and the active ingredients ensure that the inflammation can subside.
As a first countermeasure for a sore throat, cough drops or lozenges are recommended. Sucking candy or the like stimulates the flow of saliva. The stimulated saliva flow, in turn, fulfills three functions: On the one hand, it moisturizes the irritated mucous membrane. On the other hand, the saliva contains active substances that regenerate the mucous membrane and fight off pathogens. And thirdly, the increased saliva production leads to an increased release of antibodies that mobilize the body's self-healing powers.
Many sufferers like to grab a hot lemon when they have a sore throat. However, this is rather harmful in its effect, as lemon contains acids that additionally irritate the already damaged mucous membrane. Basically, if you have a sore throat: You should avoid hot, spicy or sour food and drinks for the time being! If the sore throat is accompanied by difficulty swallowing, it may also be advisable to consume food in pulpy rather than solid form. In the case of a sore throat, it is also useful to ensure that the room air is sufficiently humidified, because this also protects the mucous membranes from drying out.
You can find your medication here
➔ Medicines for sore throats and difficulty swallowingAlternative remedies
Alternative remedies for a sore throat are easy to find. Because the healing power of nature should not be underestimated when it comes to a sore throat.
Cayenne pepper, for example, helps against a sore throat if you mix half a teaspoon of it with a few teaspoons of water and honey. The mixture should then be allowed to dissolve in the mouth in the morning and evening. Gargling with pure aloe vera juice can help relieve pain as well as gargling with apple cider vinegar diluted with water. These lesser-known tips are straightforward and effective. Anyone who makes a tea from elderflower is a good way to treat a sore throat. Teas made from plants such as yarrow, thyme, ribwort, mallow or marshmallow root are also effective.
However, it is also important to see a doctor early if the sore throat does not go away. Because if they haven't gotten better after about two to three days, a serious illness could be behind the pain.
Herbal preparations are generally known and accepted as throat pain relievers.Herbal medicine as an alternative healing method is therefore quite common and effective for sore throats. This effectiveness is based on the essential oils contained in the plants. This is the case, for example, with thyme and marjoram, which can also be used to make sore throats. When preparing such an herbal tea or a gargle solution from dried herbs at home, the steeping time, which should be around ten minutes, is important.
Fresh herbs, such as thyme, can also be used to make a sore throat syrup. This contains the essential oils in dissolved form and is particularly popular with children. The same goes for the combination of onion and honey. A finely chopped onion is doused with honey.
During the steeping time of at least 12 hours, the active ingredients of the onion can migrate into the honey. The onion honey is administered spoon-wise three times a day. In addition to pure herbal medicine, the potentized remedies of homeopathy can also be used against sore throats. These include Belladonna, Aconitum, Hepar sulfuris or Mercurius solubilis. Bach flowers can also be used for a sore throat.
