Synonyms
Cold, hoarseness, sore throat, sore throatPatients should be advised to ensure an adequate fluid intake and to rest during the period of illness. In order to prevent such carry-over, no sports should be done during this time. The ambient air should be humidified and alcohol and smoking should be avoided.
Gargling with salt water and drinking cold teas such as camomile and sage tea should be repeated at regular intervals. Drinking hot lemon and sucking non-medicated sweets as well as neck wraps can also bring relief, as can herbal substances (mucilaginosa) or sage throat spray. To find out how long sore throats usually last, read our article Duration of sore throats – what is normal?
The best known household remedies for sore throats
There are a variety of home remedies that can help patients of all ages to effectively relieve sore throats. However, it should be noted that sore throats can occur as a result of both bacterial and viral infections, so there are different causes. If a bacterial infection is present that leads to severe sore throat, the use of home remedies may need to be supplemented by antibiotic therapy.
In the case of a viral infection, however, only the symptoms can usually be treated. In these cases, the various household remedies often represent a good alternative to the use of potent drugs. Many people who suffer from recurring sore throats swear by so-called neck wraps to alleviate the symptoms.
When using this household remedy, a cold compress should be worn around the neck for a longer period of time. The cold neck compress ensures that the warmth of the inflamed neck radiates. The heat is transferred to the neck compress and can help to reduce the inflammatory processes that cause sore throats.
The application of a neck wrap is therefore a so-called heat application. Many of the patients concerned swear by wearing the neck compress overnight as a household remedy for sore throats. In this way, it can relieve the pain and effectively inhibit the inflammatory processes.
To make the neck wrap, a simple linen cloth can be moistened with cold water, folded into a scarf and wrapped around the aching neck. A dry cloth should also be worn directly over the neck wrap and a warm woollen scarf over it. The use of the neck wrap can be supplemented by other household remedies if necessary.
For example, some patients find it helpful to fill the neck compress with cool curd instead of cold water. The effect of this so-called quark wrap corresponds to the principle of action of a conventional neck wrap. However, many of the affected patients report that the sore throat subsides much faster when using a neck wrap coated with curd.
Sore throat is usually caused by inflammatory processes in the throat area. For this reason, painkillers that also have anti-inflammatory properties can help to alleviate the symptoms. In addition to the known drugs (e.g. ibuprofen), natural household remedies can also help to contain the inflammatory processes.
In this context, fresh ginger or ginger tea is one of the most popular household remedies for treating sore throats. Ginger is considered a natural painkiller and is very similar to known analgesics in terms of its mechanism of action. The natural painkiller ginger also develops its effectiveness by inhibiting an important enzyme, cyclooxygenase.
This is an enzyme that plays a decisive role in the production of so-called inflammation mediators. As soon as the cyclooxygenase is inhibited by the ingredients of ginger, the synthesis of the pain mediating messengers comes to a standstill. In addition, the spread of the inflammatory processes responsible for sore throats can be contained in this way.
Ginger, as a household remedy for sore throats, therefore has both analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Before using this household remedy, about two to three centimeters of fresh ginger root must be cut, peeled and cut into small cubes. Afterwards the ginger cubes can be heated in approximately one 3⁄4 liter of water.
The resulting broth can be sweetened with a little honey if necessary and drunk as ginger tea.With regular use of this household remedy, the sore throat usually decreases significantly within a few days. However, if the use of ginger as a household remedy has no effect even within a week, a family doctor should be consulted. Under certain circumstances, it may be a sore throat caused by bacteria, which must be treated with an antibiotic.
Another household remedy that can be used for upper respiratory tract infections and sore throats is commercial honey. Milk or tea enriched with honey has been considered an effective household remedy for sore throats since the Middle Ages. The various ingredients of this household remedy have both a pain-relieving and an anti-inflammatory effect.
Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, honey as a household remedy can help to relieve local swellings as well as to lower the increased temperature in the nasopharynx. Since most illnesses that lead to severe sore throats cause reversible damage to the mucous membrane in the throat area, honey can have a particularly calming effect. In addition, the active ingredient Inhibin contained in the household remedy honey should be able to combat methicillin-resistant staphylococci and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.
This topic might also be of interest to you: Household remedy with a vocal cord inflammationAlso the onion is considered already for a long time as particularly effective household remedy against sore throat, ear pain and other cold complaints. Above all, a syrup made from honey and onions is considered a particularly potent household remedy. Both the onion and the honey have ingredients that have both an anti-inflammatory and disinfecting effect.
Due to this fact, the healing of colds, which are accompanied by sore throats, can be effectively supported by the syrup made from onion and honey. Before using this home remedy, a large onion must be peeled and cut into fine cubes. Afterwards the onion cubes can be enriched with some honey.
After some time the honey starts to extract the cell fluid from the onion. The resulting syrup is the onion-honey mixture, which is considered a potent household remedy for sore throats. After preparation, about one to two teaspoons of onion-honey-syrup can be taken several times a day.
The effectiveness of this household remedy against sore throat usually develops within a few hours. Gargling with salt water is experienced by many patients as extremely unpleasant. Nevertheless, this household remedy, if used several times a day, is considered to be particularly effective for the relief of sore throats caused by infections.
The mechanism of action of this household remedy is based on the fact that viral pathogens in particular are attracted by the salt particles and can then be rinsed away by the mucous membranes of the throat. Before using the household remedy salt water, an effective rinsing solution must be prepared independently. Alternatively, special salt water solutions can be purchased in pharmacies and drugstores.
In principle, any type of salt is suitable for preparing the solution. However, coarse sea salt has proven to be particularly suitable in the treatment of sore throats. Affected patients should put about one to two teaspoons of the salt into a cup and then add lukewarm water.
After a time of about five to ten minutes, the finished saltwater solution can be applied. Salt water has a disinfecting effect when used regularly (about three to four times a day). When using the saltwater solution, however, it must be noted that a slight burning sensation may occur if the mucous membranes are very irritated.
Coughing and sore throat are among the most common complaints in childhood. Especially in the cold seasons, infants often experience recurring sore throats that cannot always be treated with a household remedy. The symptoms are usually caused by irritation of the nerves in the throat, larynx, windpipe or large bronchi.
Especially in small children, clear signs of inflammation can often be seen when looking into the mouth. The tissue of the throat is usually swollen and reddened in the affected children. In addition, in pronounced cases, purulent deposits may develop.
In general, sore throats can be caused by both bacterial and viral pathogens.While some home remedies can help relieve sore throats caused by viruses, antibiotic treatment is often required in the case of a bacterial infection. In the case of a small child, it is also important to ensure that the sore throat is not a sign of a more serious illness. If the infant suddenly suffers from severe sore throat and coughing, diseases of the lungs (pneumonia; pneumonia) and the upper respiratory tract (e.g. pseudocroup) must be excluded.
However, a precise examination of the symptoms occurring in small children can help to distinguish a possible emergency situation from unproblematic sore throat, which can be alleviated by household remedies. Parents who observe a barking cough with rapid, rattling respiration in their infant should not rely on household remedies but should consult a pediatrician (for example, in an emergency room or at the pediatric emergency service) as soon as possible. The affected infant may have a pseudocroup attack.
Other signs of this “disease” are visible retractions of the muscles in the collarbone and ribcage area. Pseudocroup is not so much a disease in itself as a symptom. In the affected infant, an infection of the upper respiratory tract leads to the development of inflammatory processes in the area of the mucous membrane of the larynx and the vocal cords.
As a result, the diameter of the trachea can be greatly reduced and breathing difficulties can be caused. Infants and toddlers are particularly at risk. It is important for the parents of an affected infant to know how to deal with a pseudocroup attack, which is often announced by sore throat and hoarseness.
Although it is a potential emergency situation for the infant, the parents of the affected infant should remain calm if possible. The reason for this is that stress and excitement accelerate the swelling of the airways. In case of a pseudo croup attack, a pediatrician should be consulted as soon as possible and a cortisone preparation should be applied.
On the way to the pediatrician, cold, humid air is considered a household remedy to relieve the symptoms. In addition, a sore throat may occur in young children due to asthmatic conditions, allergies or persistent heartburn. Suitable household remedies are warm drinks (preferably tea) and camomile-based inhalation solutions.
In addition, sore throats in small children can often be alleviated by offering them sufficient amounts of liquid. However, since sore throats are caused by irritation of the mucous membranes, sweet drinks should be avoided. These can burn the throat and increase the discomfort.
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