Sore Throat

It’s a special kind of torture that everyone from opera stars to off-key shower warblers dreads. Yet the raw, burning sensation of a sore throat is an extremely common symptom that usually means you have an inflammation somewhere between the back of your tongue and your voice box.

Often it is the first sign of a cold, the flu or a viral or bacterial infection such as strep throat or mononucleosis. In other cases, that tickle in your throat can be caused by dry indoor air, allergies or exposure to smoke, chemicals or pollution. In most cases, a sore throat will subside on its own in a few days. The natural remedies in this chapter, used with the approval of your doctor, may help lessen the symptoms of a sore throat and speed its healing, according to some health professionals.

Aromatherapy

To speed the healing of a sore throat, Los Angeles aromatic consultant John Steele recommends applying a thin film of carrier oil externally over the throat area. Canola, sunflower, grapeseed and safflower are popular choices and are available in most health food stores. Apply seven drops of sandalwood essential oil over the carrier oil and rub gently into the skin, suggests Steele. “This treatment is soothing and smells wonderful, and the carrier oil prevents skin irritation,” he explains. Or, he says, add two drops of tea tree, ginger, sandalwood or geranium essential oil to ½ ounce of warm water and gargle. Any of these essential oils can be taken with a spoonful of honey to coat the throat, says Steele.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Ayurveda

Stir ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of turmeric into a cup of hot water, and gargle with this mixture before going to bed, says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If your sore throat doesn’t go away within a few days, see a doctor, he adds.

Food Therapy

Allicin, the compound that puts the pungent odor in garlic, has antibiotic and antifungal properties that can heal many types of sore throat, says registered pharmacist Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D., professor of nutrition at Pacific Western University in Los Angeles and author of Earl Mindell’s Food as Medicine and other books on nutrition. Take two or more cloves, crushed or whole, at the first sign of a sore throat and continue eating two cloves a day until your symptoms clear up, he says.

Raw garlic is the most effective, says Dr. Mindell, but it can cause gastrointestinal upset. He suggests baking and stir-frying as other ways of getting garlic into your diet. Or, he says, take garlic supplements for all of the benefits with none of the digestive upset. Garlic supplements are available in most health food stores and many drugstores; Dr. Mindell recommends taking three capsules twice a day with meals until your symptoms clear up.

Herbal Therapy

Try gargling with goldenseal tea, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. To make the tea, Dr. Tyler says to pour boiling water over one to two teaspoons of the dried herb, which you can buy in most health food stores. Steep for ten minutes, strain to remove the herb and cool before using as a mouthwash, he says.

Sage is another good choice for a sore throat, according to Dr. Tyler. He says to chop two teaspoons of fresh leaves (available in most health food stores), then pour boiling water over them and steep for ten minutes. Strain the tea to remove the leaves and cool before using as a mouthwash, he says.

Dr. Tyler suggests that you repeat the gargles as necessary for a maximum of two to three days.

Homeopathy

To treat a bright red sore throat that develops suddenly on the right side of the throat, is sore to the touch and is accompanied by high fever and thirst, take a 6C or 12C dose of Belladonna and consult your doctor, says Mitchell Fleisher, M.D., a family practice physician and homeopath in Colleen, Virginia.

If you feel irritable and the soreness begins on the right side and then moves to the left, and if your throat feels better after you drink warm beverages, Dr. Fleisher suggests a 6C or 12C dose of Lycopodium. If the soreness begins on the left side and moves to the right and is worse when you swallow saliva but better when you eat, he says to try a 6C or 12C dose of Lachesis. Take one of these remedies up to four times daily, says Dr. Fleisher, and if your throat doesn’t feel better within 48 hours, see your medical doctor or homeopath.

All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Hydrotherapy

“Charcoal has been shown to adhere to certain pathogenic germs that cause sore throats,” says Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. Using activated charcoal powder (available in most health food stores and some drugstores) and cold water, make a paste thick enough to roll into a ball. Suck on the ball as long as it lasts to heal a sore throat fast, suggests Dr. Thrash.

Juice Therapy

Ginger and pineapple both contain natural anti-inflammatory agents that can speed the healing of a sore throat, according to Cherie Calbom, M.S., a certified nutritionist in Kirkland, Washington, and co-author of Juicing for Life. She suggests juicing three pineapple rings together with a ¼-inch-thick slice of fresh ginger for a delicious healing cocktail.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Reflexology

Work the throat reflex points on your feet, say Kevin and Barbara Kunz, reflexology researchers in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and authors of Hand and Foot Reflexology. They also suggest using the corresponding golf ball technique (page 588) to work the adrenal gland and throat points on both hands.

To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

Whether caused by a virus, pollutants or just misusing your voice, a sore throat usually means that a more acute infection will follow. Vitamin C can help prevent infection and speed up the healing process, says Richard Gerson, Ph.D., author of The Right Vitamins. He says you can safely take up to 10,000 milligrams a day of vitamin C at the first sign of a problem, provided you drink plenty of water to flush away excess amounts of the nutrient.

See also Laryngitis