Effective folk remedies for sore throat in adults and children

Angina is commonly called acute tonsillitis and is a serious pathology, expressed in painful sensations in the larynx, a jump in temperature, often an increase in lymph nodes, the formation of purulent plugs and plaque on the tonsils. The disease can be caused by streptococci, staphylococci, viruses, fungi against the background of weakened immunity and is dangerous due to its complications. [ 1 ] Its main treatment is the use of antibiotics, plenty of fluids in combination with bed rest, but in complex treatment there is also a place for folk remedies.

Folk remedies for sore throat

Medicinal herbs and plants with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anesthetic properties are exactly what is needed for treatment. Folk remedies for sore throat include chamomile [ 2 ], calendula [ 3 ], Kalanchoe, eucalyptus [ 4 ], St. John's wort, oregano, elderberry, sweet clover, sage, linden, marshmallow, anise, and calamus. [ 5 ] They can be used as a separate component for preparing decoctions and infusions for gargling and drinking, as well as in herbal infusions. Propolis has a powerful disinfecting property. [ 6 ] Alcohol tinctures of propolis wash out purulent plugs well and disinfect the surface of the tonsils and larynx. [ 7 ], [ 8 ] The arsenal of remedies also includes red beet juice, lemon, honey, and many other ingredients. [ 9 ]

Useful recipes

Folk remedies for sore throat include many useful recipes, the effectiveness of which has been repeatedly tested in practice:

• Combine chamomile, eucalyptus, calendula in equal parts, take a tablespoon of the mixture, pour 350g of boiling water, hold for a few minutes on the fire, remove, wrap the container with a towel. Strain after half an hour, periodically rinse with warm infusion;
• grind the Kalanchoe leaves in a meat grinder, squeeze out the juice, add the same amount of water, and the rinse is ready;
• Prepare elder flowers during the flowering period, dry them. Brew 3 tablespoons with a glass of boiling water;
• chew lemon zest every 3 hours, then do not eat anything for half an hour so that the essential oils can have their healing effect;
• put a piece of propolis in your mouth and periodically move it from side to side, leave it in your cheek overnight;
• gargle with an alcohol and water solution of propolis. To prepare it, grind 10 g of the substance and pour it into 100 ml of alcohol, leave it for a week in a dark place. You can get a water solution by diluting it in a ratio of 1:10 for adults and 1:20 for children.

Treatment of sore throat with garlic

Garlic is known for its antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antifungal action, and works as an antipyretic. [ 10 ], [ 11 ] It has been scientifically proven that it contains antibiotics, and allicin, an essential oil in its composition, which determines the smell of the vegetable, is a powerful antioxidant. All these characteristics speak in favor of its use in the treatment of sore throat. [ 12 ] You can get a therapeutic effect by simply putting and biting a clove of garlic in your mouth. No need to chew, just suck lightly. Another recipe: chop 3 cloves, place in a glass of hot milk, leave until it becomes warm and drink in small sips. For rinsing, you can use the following composition: crush 4 cloves of garlic, put in a mug, add a teaspoon of salt there, pour hot water, leave for 20 minutes to infuse. Repeat the procedure up to 6 times a day.

Treatment of sore throat with folk remedies at home

Manifestations of angina, unlike a cold, in which a person does not always resort to bed rest, force a person to fall out of the usual routine for at least a week, put to bed. Noticeable pain in the throat, head, weakness, fever force not only to call a doctor, but also to remember or look for folk recipes. Gargling, plenty of warm drinks, compresses, inhalations with antibiotics will be useful [ 13 ]. When angina begins, chewing a piece of lemon with the peel or slowly absorbing honey will alleviate the condition.

Honey with warm milk is a very popular remedy for relieving pain and stopping inflammation. You can also make a rinse based on this bee product: 250g of warm water plus a teaspoon of honey and the same amount of 6% vinegar. Another type of rinse is the juice of grated and squeezed beets with the addition of a spoon of water and vinegar.

At the initial stage of the disease, when abscesses have not yet appeared on the tonsils and the body temperature has not soared, or after the peak of the disease, warming compresses are used. A bandage or cloth is moistened in the prepared solution, applied to the throat, bypassing the location of the thyroid gland, cellophane is placed on top of it to retain heat, then a warm scarf or towel.

Treatment of tonsillitis with folk remedies in adults differs from treatment of children in that recipes with alcohol can be used for them. Although compresses do not exclude its presence, the concentration should be made less. Children are treated with a compress of potatoes boiled in their skins, slightly mashed with the addition of a spoon of vegetable oil. Applying a cabbage leaf with honey to the neck, previously scalded with boiling water, is effective.

Such treatment of angina can be applied to pregnant women. It is very relevant for them, because the use of medications during pregnancy is completely undesirable, it is resorted to when the potential threat to the woman's health exceeds the risk of harm to the fetus.

Folk remedies for purulent tonsillitis

The first symptom of follicular or purulent tonsillitis is intense pain when swallowing and a rise in temperature above 38°C. When examining the larynx in front of a mirror, enlarged tonsils with purulent plaque or plugs, redness are visible, the same thing happens with the tongue: it is coated, and an unpleasant odor appears from the mouth. Laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis is the sowing of a streptococcal infection during the examination of a smear from the throat. [ 14 ] Here you cannot do without antibiotics, but with the help of folk remedies you can remove purulent masses and cope with the disease faster. [ 15 ], [ 16 ] Rinses are suitable for this purpose, and the most popular and effective of them includes salt, soda and a few drops of iodine in a glass of water., [ 17 ] It is also good to use a solution of eucalyptus: a few drops per 250 g of water. For another type of rinsing, you can prepare a solution from the following herbs: wormwood, plantain, calendula (a tablespoon of the mixture per glass of boiling water). The procedure should be carried out as often as possible, but compresses should not be used in this case. [ 18 ]

It is also recommended to remove white purulent plaque using fir or sea buckthorn oil. Tincture of radiola root on vodka is also effective; rinse with it 5-6 times a day.

Linden will help to lower your body temperature; brew it like tea, drink half a glass three times a day, adding a small spoon of honey. [ 19 ]

Folk remedies for herpetic sore throat

Children are more susceptible to herpetic sore throat than adults. Its presence is confirmed by red blisters on the tonsils and tongue, weakness, headache, pain in the larynx, abdomen and a very high temperature, reaching 41 ° C. Gag reflexes may appear, which is sometimes misleading and perceived as poisoning. Acute symptoms usually last 4 days. [ 20 ], [ 21 ] You cannot do without drug treatment, but folk remedies will also have a beneficial role. It is necessary to drink a lot, and also gargle often. If the child is small and cannot do this, then it is necessary to moisten a cotton pad in a decoction of medicinal herbs and treat the oral cavity with them, and also irrigate it from a regular syringe. Rosehip infusion and herbal teas will increase immunity. [ 22 ] An infusion of linden and chamomile, taken in a ratio of 2:1 per glass of liquid, will relieve pain and counteract inflammation. You can brew raspberry leaves or add fresh, frozen berries to boiling water. [ 23 ] It is unlikely that the child will like onions and garlic, so it is better not to use them, but inhalations with propolis after the temperature drops will be just right: grind 15 g of raw material into powder per liter of water, heat to 50 ° C, breathe for a quarter of an hour in several approaches.

Treatment of lacunar tonsillitis with folk remedies

Lacunar tonsillitis is characterized by severe hyperemia of the larynx and tonsils, purulent inclusions on them, body temperature up to 39°C, painful swallowing, radiating to the ears, headache, in the lower back, abdomen. In terms of symptoms, it is similar to follicular tonsillitis, but its severity is stronger and it requires longer treatment (up to 10 days). The following recipes can be effective for getting rid of this type of tonsillitis:

• 2 teaspoons of grated ginger pulp are placed in 250-300 g of water, boiled, and then simmered for a quarter of an hour over low heat. After cooling to 40-45 °, add a spoonful of honey and the same amount of lemon juice. Drink two-thirds of a glass 3 times; [ 24 ], [ 25 ]
• chop the onion and garlic with a knife, place them in a plastic bag and inhale the odors;
• pour plantain juice into warm water, rinse every hour;
• drink warm milk with honey added to it;
• rinse with water and apple cider vinegar (a small spoon per 200g of water); [ 26 ]
• a handful of anise fruits is poured with a glass of boiling water, infused for an hour, taken 50 ml before meals; [ 27 ]
• Peeled beets are boiled until done, and the decoction is used to gargle the throat at least 4 times a day.