With the winter months looming, we’re probably all dreading the inevitable stuffy noses and common colds that many of us are going to experience. Something that often comes along with this is a sore throat. It can be extremely uncomfortable, painful, and can make even simple things such as talking much more difficult. 

Nowadays it’s recommended not to take antibiotics for such illnesses, due to the fact that antibiotic resistance becoming is becoming a big issue. A sore throat is usually something that can heal itself, but there are some options of natural remedies that you can use to try and speed up the healing process. This article will inform you of some of the amazing natural remedies you can try out for yourself!

#1 Honey

Honey isn’t just something tasty that you can put on your granola! It also has some amazing healing properties. It has been proven to be a great natural remedy for a sore throat, especially for coughs that usually come along with it [1]. 

One study showed how after one night of taking some honey, a sample group of children reported back that their sore throat and cough symptoms significantly improved [1]. If this can happen overnight, then having some honey every day will help to majorly speed up recovery from a sore throat.

Comfort Soothie is a great product that contains honey and is a great way to support your throat comfort in a completely natural way. It’s perfect for children as it’s in the form of a lollipop!

#2 Lemon

Lemon is another amazing natural ingredient that can be used as a remedy for sore throats. It is a citrus fruit that has an extremely rich chemical composition, full of vitamins and minerals that are extremely beneficial to our health [2].

The vitamins found in lemons, and the fruit’s amazing anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties [2] are what make them such a good option of remedy for the common cold and all the symptoms that come with it, including a sore throat. 

Lemon is also an ingredient found in the comfort soothie, and you can see a list of the other beneficial natural ingredients their products contain here. 

#3 Chamomile

Chamomile has become very popular nowadays, especially in the form of chamomile tea. This is because the amazing herb has properties that are extremely beneficial to our health. 

One of these benefits that chamomile brings is that it is able to help sore throats. This is because sore throats tend to be caused from inflammation, and chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties which makes it the perfect remedy for adults or kids to help cure a sore throat [3].

Not only does the comfort soothie contain honey and lemon, but it also has chamomile! It has the perfect combination of natural ingredients and so really is the ideal candidate to support throat comfort.

#4 Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for our body that is obtained mainly from the sun. Unfortunately more people are becoming deficient in the vitamin due to society today being more about staying indoors.

One study showed that in a sample of patients who had symptoms of the common cold, which included a sore throat, about 96% were reported to have a deficiency in vitamin D [4]. This shows how important vitamin D is to our health, and how ensuring we are getting enough is a great way to naturally treat a sore throat. 

You can either supplement it with things such as gummy vitamins (although make sure they are made from completely natural ingredients), or you can eat fatty fish, seafood or just spend much more time in the sun!

#5 Ginger

Ginger is a root which has historically been used in medicine as it brings a number of different health benefits. 

It has been commonly used for treating sore throats, as it has anti-inflammatory properties that make it great for calming swelling, which is often a characteristic of sore throats [5]. 

One of the best ways to get these amazing benefits of ginger is to have it in the form of a nice, hot ginger tea. When you are feeling the signs of a sore throat, have a cup of ginger tea every night or morning to help speed up the healing process.

References: 

[1] Evans H, Tuleu C and Sutcliffe A (2010) Is honey a well-evidenced alternative to over-the-counter cough medicines. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 103(5), pages 164-165. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862067/ [Accessed: 12/10/2020]

[2] Klimek-Szczykutowicz M, Szopa A and Ekiert H (2020) Citrus limon (Lemon) Phenomenon - A Review of the Chemistry, Pharmacological Properties, Application in the Modern Pharmaceutical, Food, and Cosmetics Industries, and Biotechnological Studies. Plants (Basel). 9(1), pages 119. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7020168/ [Accessed: 12/10/2020]

[3] Srivastava J, Shankar E and Gupta A (2010) Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with a bright future. Mol Med Report. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/ [Accessed: 13/10/2020]

[4] Taneja M and Taneja V (2012) Vitamin D Deficiency in E.N.T Patients. Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery. 65(1), pages 57-60. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3585572/ [Accessed: 13/10/2020]

[5] Bodagh M, Maleki I and Hekmatdoost A (2018)  Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review of clinical trials. Food Science & Nutrition. 7(1), pages 96-108. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6341159/ [Accessed: 13/10/2020]