Depending on the severity and trigger of tonsillitis, various home remedies can be used to relieve or at least mitigate the symptoms of tonsillitis. One should not forget, however, that in the case of tonsillitis caused by streptococci, treatment with antibiotics is absolutely necessary to prevent the serious secondary diseases. Most home remedies can be used by the affected person at home without any problems.
These include first of all very simple general measures, above all (as far as possible) bed rest, soft food and lozenges. In addition, there are other household remedies, each of which aims to combat a particular symptom of tonsillitis. For sore throats, for example, there are throat compresses.
Anyone can easily make these themselves by boiling about 500g of potatoes (with skin) and then placing them in a kitchen towel or towel in which they are crushed. This cloth filled with potatoes is then placed around the neck. It is best to put another cloth in between so that the heat is not too intense and directly on the skin.
Also useful against the pain, but also against the inflammation in the throat, is rinsing or gargling. Various kinds of tea are well suited for this purpose, especially sage tea, which is boiled up normally and then, instead of being swallowed quickly, should be kept in the mouth for several seconds to wash around the inflamed areas for a longer period of time. This is not only effective for tonsillitis, but in principle for all inflammations of the throat.
Calf compresses are recommended against fever. Cold compresses (e.g. kitchen towels soaked in cold water and then wrung out) can often lower the body temperature by up to one degree. For this purpose, the towels must be rolled up from the ankle to the knee.
After about 10 minutes, the wraps must be changed to ensure adequate cooling. After the fourth to sixth change, the desired effect is usually achieved. The generally known “sweating out”, i.e. keeping the body warm from the outside (lying under a blanket) and inside (drinking hot tea for colds) is also effective against fever.
Painkillers can also be taken, of course. Ice is mainly recommended in connection with tonsillitis after surgical removal of the tonsils. In this case, the ice cream should mainly counteract swelling.
In the case of tonsillitis, however, ice can be useful under certain circumstances. In general, it is recommended to drink a lot of liquid in case of tonsillitis. However, this is often difficult, especially for children, as the affected persons often complain of sore throats and difficulty swallowing.
Ice can help with the fluid intake. It is important not to eat ice cream, as it contains a lot of sugar and thus promotes bacterial growth. However, ice cubes can provide relief and ensure an adequate water supply.
In general, however, it is still recommended to warm the throat and neck area with neck wraps and warm clothing instead of cooling with ice. The kitchen onion is often recommended in the form of onion compresses against tonsillitis. Juices from the onion are also said to have a healing effect.
Normal kitchen onions contain alliins, a sulphur-containing amino acid. It is found, apart from onions, mainly in garlic and wild garlic. The active ingredient is known to have an antibiotic effect, which means that it can kill bacteria.
In the form of wraps placed around the neck, it would be wrong to assume that the ingredient can pass through the skin in sufficient quantity and then fight tonsillitis. Nevertheless, the wraps can promote healing due to their heat release. As an onion juice, the ingredient of the onion can theoretically fight the pathogens, if bacterial, of tonsillitis to a small extent.
However, there are no studies on this subject that confirm these theories. Salt water solutions are often recommended when it comes to household remedies for tonsillitis or sore throats. Since salt water has a disinfecting effect and can partially kill the bacteria, regular gargling of these solutions is highly recommended for tonsillitis.
To do this, dissolve a teaspoon of salt in half a liter of water and gargle the solution about ten times for half a minute.Honey was already known thousands of years ago for its effect on coughs, hoarseness and colds. Even today honey is recommended by the World Health Organization for certain respiratory diseases. The ingredients are also said to speed up the healing process of tonsillitis.
The healing effect of honey has not been completely clarified, but there are various studies that deal with the subject. Thus the honey is to have probably positively anti-inflammatory effect on the mucous membranes in the throat area. Reason for this are to be so-called phenols, a well-known contents material of the honey.
Honey is to positively affect and strengthen in addition the immune system. Since honey is taken particularly gladly in combination with teas and bulb extracts to itself, it should be paid attention to the fact that the honey does not exceed room temperature, because otherwise those positive active substances are lost and cannot unfold their effect in the body. It should also be ensured that children under 12 months of age should not eat honey, as small amounts of the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum can be found in it and can cause so-called infant botulism.
A well-tried household remedy to fight tonsillitis is the quark wrap: Take a package of household quark, as it is available in the supermarket. The quark is first warmed to room temperature. This can be done using a heater or a plastic bag that you dip in warm water.
However, the quark should not be too hot or too cold, but should create a pleasant warm feeling. As soon as the quark is warmed up, you spread it about half a centimeter to one centimeter thick on a sheet. This should be able to be wrapped around the neck about 2-3 times.
A smaller amount of curd of about half a centimeter is recommended for small children. As soon as the compress is ready, it is carefully wrapped around the patient’s neck. It is advisable to wrap kitchen towels around the upper and lower edges to keep the curd in place.
The compress can be used for about 2-3 hours. If the temperature drops too much and the compress cools down, it should be removed quickly. Even dried curd is a sign to change the wrap.
The application can be repeated up to twice a day. A common household remedy against tonsillitis is a compress for the throat. Common ingredients of these compresses are potatoes, quark, linseed and onions.
There are generally two types of throat compresses. On the one hand, there are cold compresses, which are recommended in the case of an acute inflammation that has not been in existence for long. Especially when cold liquids alleviate the symptoms, cold neck wraps, which usually consist of a damp linen cloth, are also recommended.
The other type of neck compresses are the warm compresses. Potatoes are well suited for the “contents” because they store the heat well and can remain on the neck for a long time. It is important to make sure that the compress is not too hot when it is applied. The warming throat compresses ensure better blood circulation and can thus accelerate the healing of tonsillitis. It is considered very unlikely that the ingredients of the compresses will penetrate the skin and thus significantly influence the healing process.
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