In hoarseness, the voice is brittle and rough, speaking or swallowing is exhausting and sometimes accompanied by scratchy pain in the throat. In summary, appropriate behaviors, remedies and home remedies can be used to combat the symptoms.
What helps against hoarseness?
A helpful tea can be infused from medicinal herbs with expectorant properties such as coltsfoot. Causes of hoarseness are many, in addition to colds, for example, vocal fold nodules, hypothyroidism or acute inflammation of the throat, larynx or vocal cords can be triggers. If the symptoms persist for a long time without a cold, the medical advice of an ear, nose and throat specialist should be sought. Otherwise, hoarseness complaints can be alleviated with proven home remedies from natural medicine. An absolute ban on speaking brings help. Especially whispering should be avoided, because the irritation is thereby promoted by the rubbing together of the vocal cords, instead of alleviating it. If a distinct sensation of cold is noted, a cozy, warm scarf or a potato wrap will bring quick relief. To make a potato wrap, first boil 2 to 3 unpeeled potatoes until soft. They are then placed on a spread linen cloth and mashed with a fork. After rolling up, the poultice can be applied to the chest and neck. The poultice should be pleasantly warm. By slowly releasing the heat, a potato wrap provides improved blood circulation, relaxation of the affected areas of the skin and thus supports the healing processes.
Quick help
Moderate fasting days with soup and tea also prove effective against hoarseness. Of course, irritants, for example, hot spices, alcohol or tobacco smoke, are absolutely taboo. This demonstrably shortens the course of the disease. Because dry air can intensify hoarseness, one should provide for sufficient air humidity. Humidifiers or damp cloths on the radiators are advisable. Filled water bowls also prove their worth time and again for hoarseness complaints. You can add a few drops of essential oils to the water. Peppermint, lavender, spruce needle or thyme have a relaxing, antiviral, antibacterial and expectorant effect. Soothing relief can also bring a handkerchief, which is drizzled with a little eucalyptus oil before bedtime and placed next to the pillow.
Alternative remedies
Various alternative remedies for hoarseness have also proven effective. If hoarseness occurs at the beginning of a cold, Schuessler salts are particularly helpful. Hoarseness sufferers should then reach for Ferrum phosphoricum (No. 3). The iron phosphate counteracts inflammation and fever. It generally strengthens the immune system, which has been battered by the common cold. At intervals of 30 minutes, one tablet is allowed to dissolve in the mouth until one notices an end to the acute phase of hoarseness. After that, you can reduce the dose to 3 tablets throughout the day. Colds, infections, exposure to irritating gases, smoke and dust or excessive smoking can lead to inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx. The Schüssler salts No. 4, Kalium chloratum, and No. 6, Kalium sulfuricum, act against this. They are taken alternately every half hour. If hoarseness occurs as a concomitant of hypothyroidism, the Schuessler salts No. 14, Kalium bromatum, and No. 15, Kalium iodatum, are helpful. Hoarseness due to vocal cord paralysis or exhaustion improves under the influence of Kalium phosphoricum (No. 5). Medicinal herbs or gemstones are also among the alternative remedies for hoarseness. Whether they are really useful or not remains to be seen at this point. Especially medicinal herbs containing mucilage can bring relief. They coat the irritated and excessively dry vocal cords. Teas made from mallow leaves, Iceland moss or marshmallow root have proven effective. Coltsfoot also has an expectorant effect. To prepare a tea, you need about 2 teaspoons of coltsfoot leaves, which are poured over with hot water. The tea must steep for 10 minutes. Drink 2 to 3 cups daily as a cure for 2 to 4 weeks. Gargling with salt water or chamomile tea and sucking tablets with Icelandic moss or Ems salt also help. Even sage or thyme candies can help and relieve, because they stimulate saliva production and ensure moist mucous membranes.The healing effects of gemstones can also be used to combat hoarseness. Chalcedony and lapis lazuli are applied directly, taken as a healing gemstone tincture, or applied to the throat area.
