Oils for sore throat: effective treatments, precautions, results

Angina or acute tonsillitis is a serious infectious disease with pronounced symptoms that affects adults and children, which without effective treatment can lead to multiple severe complications. In the treatment of tonsillitis, it is very important to cope with the infection as quickly as possible and relieve the inflammatory process in the throat and tonsils. Both medications and traditional medicine recipes are great for this. Herbal decoctions, compresses, oils for tonsillitis, although considered auxiliary means, help to recover faster and prevent the development of complications. In addition, thanks to the use of traditional medicine methods, you can reduce the amount and dosage of medications that are less safe for the body than herbs and oils.

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Indications sore throat oils

A sore throat that gets worse when swallowing, a rise in body temperature to 40 degrees, a feeling of exhaustion and noticeable weakness – these are all symptoms of tonsillitis, familiar to most people since childhood. Few people have not encountered this unpleasant disease at least once in their life, which requires active treatment procedures: taking medications, frequent regular gargling, rubbing the body when the temperature rises, compresses on the throat in the case of a superficial form of the disease, warm drinks and a diet that is gentle on the throat.

Angina can occur in various forms, because it can be caused by various bacteria and viruses. With catarrhal angina, the treatment options are practically unlimited, while purulent forms of the disease no longer provide for thermal procedures that can cause complications of the infectious and inflammatory process and its spread hematogenously (through the blood). After all, under the influence of heat, blood circulation increases.

To avoid the spread of infection, it is considered most appropriate to reduce the number of pathogens at the site of their localization, i.e. in the throat, by means of local treatment. Antiseptic agents are well suited for this purpose. Some essential oils are considered such natural antiseptics. Esters are oily liquids extracted from certain plants. They have not only a strong and mostly pleasant aroma, but also great healing power (if used correctly).

It should be said that essential oils are quite often used for sore throat and other ENT diseases. Most often, they are prescribed as an active agent for inhalation. Essential oils can also be added to water for gargling, lubricate the inflamed mucous membrane of the throat, tonsils, nasal passages, which will prevent the spread of infection and improve regenerative processes in tissues affected by the disease.

Essential oils can also be added to baths during bathing. Inhaling the healing vapors in combination with cleansing the body will have the effect of medicinal inhalations, but with a more extensive effect.

Some oils, such as sea buckthorn, have a pronounced wound-healing effect. And with angina, microcracks and ulcers can form on the inflamed mucous membrane, which only worsen the patient's condition, cause severe pain and are a predisposing factor for the development of a purulent-infectious process. Local use of oils with a wound-healing and antimicrobial effect helps to quickly restore the throat mucous membrane and alleviate the patient's condition.

But not only essential oils are beneficial for sore throat. Butter is also actively used in the treatment of the disease. The inflammatory process in the throat during sore throat is almost always accompanied by painful sensations, which make it difficult to eat, which is so necessary to maintain the body's strength to fight the disease. After all, food is an additional irritant for the inflamed mucous membrane, especially if there are wounds on it. Butter creates a kind of protective film on the inner surface of the throat and tonsils, and the intensity of the pain syndrome is noticeably reduced.

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Dosing and administration

Unlike ethers, butter and vegetable oils, the well-known camphor and castor oils are considered full-fledged medical preparations. In pharmacies, they are on the shelves with other drugs, and sometimes are included in other preparations.

Camphor oil, which is actually a natural substance extracted from Japanese laurel, is famous for its antiseptic and warming properties, so it can be used for sore throat only in the absence of high temperature. And the drug is used mainly for thermal procedures.

Warm baths with added camphor oil (10 drops per bath is enough) will be useful for tonsillitis. The duration of such a procedure should be 20-25 minutes.

The second option for using camphor is warming compresses. For treating adults, you can use pure camphor oil, for children it is diluted with neutral vegetable oil. The compress, additionally warmed with a woolen scarf, is best left on overnight so that the patient can feel noticeable relief in the morning.

Some sources recommend putting camphor oil mixed with sunflower oil and propolis (2 drops for each nasal passage) into the nose. However, it should be taken into account that swallowing such a mixture is not recommended.

Castor oil, which many people first became familiar with during constipation, can also be used to treat sore throats. It helps to soften a sore throat, facilitates the removal of phlegm from the respiratory tract, and relieves pain.

In case of angina, castor oil is used to lubricate the sore throat. The most effective recipe is considered to be one in which you need to mix equal amounts of the drug "Rotokan", Lugol's solution, castor oil and aloe or Kalanchoe juice. It is recommended to lubricate the throat with this composition several times a day.

But in the absence of other components, you can also use a single-component composition based on castor oil.

Application for children

In childhood, many human organs and systems continue to develop, so the treatment of a child should be approached no less carefully than the therapy of an expectant mother. Insufficient development of the immune system in early childhood, on the one hand, causes frequent colds, but on the other hand, it causes allergic reactions to the drugs and folk remedies used.

Oils for sore throat in children are considered a pleasant and safe medicine that helps to cope with the disease faster, improve immunity, prevent complications such as bronchitis, pneumonia, otitis, heart and kidney problems. But their use will be safe only if the child's body's reaction to the natural medicine is taken into account.

The safest for treating children is considered to be butter, which we regularly consume internally as part of various dishes. Moreover, many recipes for medicines based on this tasty product turn out to be quite appetizing and children take them with pleasure.

Local application of castor oil, which is considered a medicine for adults and children, will not harm the baby either. But you need to be careful with camphor oil. Its use is not recommended for children under three years of age, although in some cases doctors may prescribe external treatment procedures with it earlier, mainly for the treatment of otitis and complicated sinusitis (dropped into the ears and nose).

For older children, in the absence of intolerance reactions and other contraindications, camphor oil can be used in compresses on the throat and in the form of inhalations, and instilled into the nasal passages. From the age of 5, the child's body can be rubbed with a solution of camphor oil (for children under five, the oil can be added to baby cream, but only with the permission of a doctor), if the body temperature does not exceed 38 degrees.

It is not advisable to use camphor oil to lubricate a sore throat, for gargling, or in baths due to the substance’s rather high toxicity.

Sea buckthorn oil, which has a wound-healing and anti-inflammatory effect, can also be used to treat inflamed mucous membranes of the throat in children. The procedure is carried out up to 3 times a day. In this case, you do not have to worry about swallowing the oil. For children under 3 years old, a safe dose for internal use is considered to be 2.5 ml, which also saturates the baby's body with useful vitamins and microelements and improves immunity.

Sea buckthorn oil can also be added to water for gargling or inhalation (up to 2 ml). For coughs in children, which occur as a complication of angina, sea buckthorn oil can be used for compresses on the chest or back (2 tablespoons per glass of water), rubbing with a mixture of sea buckthorn and camphor oils, and instillation into the nose (it gradually flows into the larynx and bronchi, where it has a sputum-thinning effect).

Caution should also be exercised when using essential oils. The fact is that children with their underdeveloped immune system have more allergic reactions to oils than adults. Moreover, not all essential oils are useful for children.

The safest essential oil is considered to be tea tree oil, which can be used for sore throats from the very birth of the child. This oil in the amount of 1 drop, mixed with an equal amount of base oil, can be added to the baby's bath, used for compresses on the throat. At high temperatures, 3-4 drops of oil can be diluted in half a liter of water and used to wipe the baby, which will contribute to a more effective reduction in body temperature.

Fir oil can also be used for sore throat in children. It is instilled into the nasal passages (1 drop in each nostril three times a day) or lubricated with the nasal mucosa when a runny nose appears, used to treat inflamed tonsils (1 drop per tonsil 3-4 times a day), inhaled, sprayed in the child's room.

Before using essential oil in children under 3 years of age, an allergy test is required. In addition, it is not recommended to use fir oil in its pure form. It must be diluted with a base oil 1:3.

For the treatment of children over 1 year old, you can also use lemon essential oil, which increases immunity and stimulates the body's own defenses to fight the causative agents of sore throat, which is especially important for the viral nature of the pathology and helps prevent complications of bacterial infections.

From the age of two, the use of eucalyptus essential oil is also permitted, which is used to aromatize the air in the patient's room, for gargling in combination with lemon and tea tree oils (1 drop of each essential oil per glass of water with the addition of soda, the procedure is carried out up to 4 times a day). Eucalyptus essential oil is also used for inhalation treatment using special devices (inhalers).

Steam inhalations with essential oils are allowed for children from the age of six and should be done very carefully so as not to burn the child’s delicate throat mucosa and face.

Cocoa butter, which is usually used to combat cough due to its pronounced antitussive effect, is not among those prohibited for children. But as it turned out, this oil also has a noticeable anti-inflammatory effect. It can be given to drink with warm milk (honey can also be added as an antiseptic if the baby is not allergic to bee products). Enveloping the inflamed mucous membrane of the throat and tonsils, it reduces the severity of pain and helps to stop the inflammatory process.

Children will love recipes based on cocoa butter, because they retain the pleasant aroma of the favorite delicacy of children and adults - chocolate, for the preparation of which this natural product is used. But doctors recommend starting treatment with cocoa butter no earlier than the child is 3 years old due to the risk of developing allergic reactions to cocoa in young children.

Any essential oils and vegetable oils can be used to treat small children only after conducting an allergy test. To do this, apply a small amount of oil to the elbow of the child's arm or earlobe and wait for 24 hours. You can also conduct an allergy test for the body's reaction to inhaling the essential oil: drop the oil on a napkin or handkerchief and bring it to the baby's nose several times a day. Warning signs include redness, rashes on the skin, sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes. In these cases, the use of essential oils is prohibited.

When using essential oils for sore throat in children, it is necessary to adhere to strict dosages. For children under 6 years old, essential oils are diluted with neutral plant oils and used 1-3 drops. From 6 to 12 years old, dosages are adhered to that are half those recommended for treating adults. And from 12 years old, you can switch to standard doses in the absence of a negative reaction from the teenager's body.

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Use sore throat oils during pregnancy

Aromatherapy and oil treatment are considered to be among the safest methods of treating angina. Women pay special attention to the safety of treatment during pregnancy, when they have to think not only about their health, but also about the health of the little person in their womb, on whose formation and development the disease can have the most negative effect.

Pregnancy is a time of pleasant excitement and extreme caution in everything. This also applies to the choice of oils for the treatment of colds. It is known that some essential oils can harm the expectant mother and her baby. These are esters of cypress, juniper, clove, cedar, myrrh, sage, savory and some others (a total of about 18-20 varieties), many of which are used to treat various diseases, including colds.

But there are also essential oils that can benefit the expectant mother, preventing complications of angina, which are extremely dangerous during pregnancy both in terms of the impact on the development of the child and the woman's condition, and in relation to the increase in the number of unsafe medications for their treatment during this period. Thus, in case of infectious diseases of the ENT organs, a pregnant woman can use antibacterial agents of pine, eucalyptus, tea tree oils, if, of course, the woman's body reacts to them calmly.

But even essential oils permitted during pregnancy should be used correctly by the expectant mother. We will not talk at length about the fact that essential oils during pregnancy can only be used as external means for treating the disease. The dosage of ethers should be half the usual recommended for adult patients (or at least a third less than the standard). Essential oils should not be used in their pure form; they should be diluted with any neutral base oil (most often, lean or olive oil is used).

The expectant mother can spray essential oils indoors, inhale them, use them in compresses and gargles, avoiding swallowing them, but she should be very careful with baths, resorting to such a procedure only in case of extreme necessity. It is very important to listen to your feelings and conduct a skin test for oil tolerance in advance.

Symptoms indicating an allergic reaction will include itching, redness, various rashes on the skin, general reactions such as shortness of breath, tachycardia, hyperhidrosis, difficulty breathing, headaches. In this case, you should refrain from using essential oils. In addition, folk medicine has many effective recipes for sore throats that do not involve the use of ethers and are not dangerous during pregnancy.

For example, sea buckthorn oil is considered absolutely safe and incredibly useful during pregnancy, and can be used to lubricate a sore throat. Recipes based on butter will also not harm the expectant mother or her baby (if there is no intolerance to their components).

Peach and rosehip oils are also excellent for treating sore throats. Peach oil can also be instilled into the nasal passages (2 drops) for nasal congestion and difficulty in removing phlegm, which occurs when sore throat is not properly treated in the first days of the illness.

It is believed that castor oil will also be safe for pregnant women, which in addition to preventing constipation can effectively treat inflamed tonsils, creating a film on them and relieving inflammation. If castor oil is not prohibited to take internally during pregnancy, then local oils for lubricating the throat for sore throat will certainly not cause harm.

But camphor oil used to treat sore throat is unsafe for expectant mothers, because its active substances can penetrate into the blood. The placental barrier is not an obstacle for them, but such treatment can be fatal for the child. When using camphor oil, you need to stick to minimal dosages (1% solution for local use), while damage to the mucous membrane is already a contraindication to its use, since it increases tissue permeability and facilitates the penetration of oil into the blood.

Doctors prefer not to recommend camphor oil to pregnant women for the treatment of sore throat, except in cases of extreme necessity, for a single use in minimal doses. You should definitely not prescribe such treatment for yourself. If the doctor insists on it, it is important to learn all the nuances associated with the treatment, clarify safe dosages and frequency of use of the oil, as well as any contraindications and side effects.

Ideally, as a precaution, the expectant mother should consult with a doctor about the use of any folk remedies, and especially essential oils, and not use them without first checking for tolerance.

Contraindications

When choosing any medications to treat a disease, you must pay attention to the existing contraindications to their use. Oils for sore throat, although considered relatively safe, will not be useful for everyone. After all, even the most popular butter may contain unsafe substitutes.

When using butter to combat a sore throat, you need to make sure that it is a natural product. Substitutes of plant and animal origin, which are sold in stores together with natural butter, the basis of which is milk fat, are not able to create such a good protective film. Moreover, such butter is poorly absorbed by the body and will be harmful to small children, whose digestive system is not designed for heavy food.

As such, this product has no contraindications for use. It may be dangerous only for people with lactose intolerance and excess weight. But in the latter case, there is no need to worry too much, because we are talking about a short course of treatment and very small dosages.

Now let's talk about healthy vegetable oils. A common contraindication for any oils is their individual intolerance and the development of allergic reactions against the background of their use. But each natural product has its own contraindications.

Let's start with sea buckthorn oil. In the absence of allergic reactions, there are no restrictions on external use of this oil. Contraindications mainly concern internal use, which is dangerous for inflammatory pathologies of the liver, gall bladder, pancreas, and diarrhea. The oil is not recommended for internal use by children under 12 years of age and pregnant women.

There are practically no contraindications for peach oil (except hypersensitivity to it). But it is not recommended for internal use for overly excitable people.

Rosehip oil, which due to its rich chemical composition can be used for sore throat both locally and internally as a tonic and immune-boosting agent, has limitations associated with oral administration. It can affect blood clotting, so it is prohibited in cases of increased thrombus formation, venous thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, and heart failure. The product is also not recommended for the treatment of patients with ulcerative inflammatory diseases of the stomach and intestines, developing against the background of increased acidity of gastric juice.

Black cumin oil, used for sore throat for internal use and lubrication of inflamed tonsils, is not allowed for oral use during pregnancy. It is not recommended to take the oil internally for ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and during the recovery period after myocardial infarction (increases blood clotting). It is also dangerous after organ transplantation (it can provoke implant rejection).

Patients with diabetes who take hypoglycemic drugs should be careful when taking cumin oil internally, as it acts in a similar way and can cause hypoglycemia. When using black cumin oil, it is necessary to reduce the dosage of antidiabetic drugs with the consent of the doctor.

But external use of the product has no other contraindications, except for hypersensitivity to its components.

Fir oil for sore throat is not used in case of allergy to ether of coniferous trees, intolerance to the components of the drug, ulcerative lesion of the stomach and duodenum, tendency to convulsions and epilepsy, exacerbation of kidney diseases. Treatment with fir oil is strictly prohibited in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, and subsequently the future mother should be careful if she decides to use it at all, given that there are many other safer means for treating sore throat.

Tea tree oil, known for its excellent antibacterial properties, which put it on a par with local antibiotics, also has virtually no contraindications for external use. It can be used in aroma lamps, sprayed in a solution in a patient's room, used in small doses for gargling and inhalation, added to baths and compresses, but you should not lubricate the throat with it to avoid swallowing.

Special care should be taken when treating small children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. They are allowed to use tea tree oil only as prescribed by a doctor for procedures during which the oil cannot penetrate the digestive system.

Tea tree oil should not be used on the skin in its pure form, as it can cause burns to the mucous membrane.

Cocoa butter, which is used primarily internally for sore throats, is not recommended for increased excitability of the nervous system and sleep disorders. It is also not very suitable for people who are overweight or who adhere to a low-calorie diet.

Camphor oil is not recommended for those with micro- and macrodamage to the skin, bronchial asthma, epilepsy, and pustular diseases. Pediatricians do not recommend using it to treat children under two years of age.

Castor oil, when applied externally, does not pose a danger to patients in the absence of hypersensitivity to the drug. But for internal use, there are other restrictions: diarrhea caused by poisoning or gastrointestinal diseases. Doctors do not recommend drinking castor oil for children under three years of age.

As we can see, before choosing effective folk remedies based on vegetable and animal oils, you need to find out what contraindications for use this product has. This will help to avoid the influence of side effects and deterioration of the patient's well-being.

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Side effects sore throat oils

It was not for nothing that we mentioned side effects in the previous paragraph, which, unfortunately, are not only typical of full-fledged medicines. The use of oils for sore throat and other diseases can also be accompanied by unpleasant symptoms.

Usually we are talking about local allergic reactions or irritation of the throat mucosa. Sometimes allergies occur due to increased sensitivity of the body to a certain type of oil (mainly oils from plant materials and esters). But it also happens that after purchasing an essential oil, its use did not cause side effects, and after 1.5-2 years the body began to react to it with itching, skin rashes, reddening of the mucous membranes and even general reactions: watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, swelling of the throat, etc.

Such “delayed” allergic reactions are typical for oils that have been stored for a long time and are expired, as they contain specific substances that are considered strong allergens.

Lemon oil has a tonic effect, so it is not advisable to use it before bedtime to avoid causing insomnia.

Essential oils of citrus fruits, such as lemon, can increase the skin's sensitivity to light, so it can quickly turn red and burn in the sun. A similar situation can be observed if you apply cologne or alcohol to your skin.

Tea tree oil also causes burns if applied to the skin and mucous membranes in its pure form. Low dosages of this substance are sufficient to provide a pronounced antibacterial effect.

When using oils for internal use, you need to monitor your feelings especially carefully. Nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, bowel disorders (diarrhea), abdominal pain, various manifestations of allergic reactions should be alarming. Most often, such a situation is observed in patients with gastrointestinal tract diseases, but can also occur in a relatively healthy person.

Oils used for sore throat do not have a negative effect on the hearing organs, liver, kidneys, do not have a narcotic effect and are usually well tolerated by patients. But you should not abuse them. Exceeding the doses of essential oils, i.e. overdose, increases the frequency and severity of the above-mentioned side effects. Nausea, increased nervous excitability, incomprehensible anxiety or loss of strength, psycho-emotional exhaustion (prostration) may also appear.

If such reactions occur, you should immediately ventilate the room, rinse your throat and nasal passages with warm water, and, if possible, go out into the fresh air. If we are talking about internal intake of oils, you should immediately wash out your stomach and take sorbents that can attract allergens, toxins, and other substances harmful to the body. If nausea is severe, you can take antiemetics (for example, Metoclopramide).

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Storage conditions

The appearance of an unpleasant bitterness indicates that the oil has spoiled. In order for vegetable or butter to serve properly for the allotted period, it is necessary to observe the storage conditions.

Butter is usually stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of up to 6 degrees, other oils retain their properties well at room temperatures. However, an opened bottle cannot be stored as well, so it can be placed in the refrigerator on the lower shelves, trying to expose it to temperature changes as little as possible. Before using oil from the refrigerator, it is kept at room temperature for half an hour (the required dose, not the entire bottle).

Sunlight and air have a negative effect on the properties of essential oils, so these substances are usually placed in dark glass bottles and tightly sealed. If the bottle is transparent, it should be stored in a cardboard box that protects the ether from light. It is strictly forbidden to store essential oils in plastic containers, since as a result of reactions they can acquire toxic and carcinogenic effects.

Care must also be taken when using oils, as they are flammable substances.

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Special instructions

Oils for sore throat are not included in the first-line drugs used for this disease. They are rather auxiliary means that are used for treatment and medical and hygienic procedures. It is impossible to cure sore throat with oils alone, but they help to make the course of the disease easier and prevent dangerous complications.

Despite the fact that vegetable and animal oils are not considered full-fledged medicines, they are used for therapeutic purposes along with medical drugs. Usually, dangerous drug interactions are not observed. But it should be taken into account that interactions with other drugs may have a slightly different nature.

For example, essential oils can enhance the effect of antibiotics, which allows you to reduce the dosage of the latter. But homeopathic treatment should not be carried out simultaneously with the use of essential oils, since it will not have the desired effect.

When lubricating or gargling a sore throat with oils, it is necessary to observe an interval between procedures carried out using various oils or other antiseptics. This is especially true for liquid solutions. Oils form a film on the surface of the tonsils, through which liquid antiseptics have difficulty penetrating, so there is no point in increasing the lubrication of the throat with subsequent use of an antiseptic spray.

It is not recommended to use several different oils at the same time or to increase the frequency of procedures, referring to the fact that different oils are used in them. There are special products based on several essential oils, in which the dosages of each component are relatively small. So if you want to use several oils at once to improve the effect, it is better to give preference to complex products than to drip a few drops of different oils into a glass of water to gargle.

When choosing oils for treating sore throat, you need to give preference to natural products, not their synthetic and other analogues. This applies to both butter and esters. "Fakes" will not only not have the expected effect, but can even harm your health. They are especially dangerous for children, teenagers, pregnant women and the elderly.

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Shelf life

For your own safety, you need to pay attention to the expiration date of the oils. So, natural butter, packed in parchment, should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days, and what is placed in foil - up to 20 days. In the freezer, the product can retain its properties for up to 3 months. Store-bought butter, which has a longer shelf life, contains various additives, and therefore is considered less safe.

Manufacturers indicate the expiration date of various essential oils on the packaging. It is usually within 1-3 years, after which it is better to throw the product away.

Castor and camphor oil can also be stored for 2 years. After that, they should not be used for medicinal purposes.

Reviews

Treatment of sore throat using various oils of plant and animal origin has ancient enough roots for humanity to fully appreciate the effectiveness of this type of therapy. And the fact that recipes for pain and inflammation of the throat based on oils are passed down from generation to generation only confirms their effectiveness.

At a time when even local antiseptics, oils for sore throats are an excellent alternative. This is truly a budget treatment, because the dosages of the oils used are minimal and the consumption is very economical, and the effect is quite good.

By the way, many patients also liked the fact that the effect of using oils comes much faster than from using local antiseptics. Warm milk with butter and honey helps to remove pain and sore throat almost instantly, while a pharmacy antiseptic requires more than one application to achieve the same effect.

Compresses that relieve inflammation and sometimes temperature, lubrication and gargling also act quickly. And applying essential oils to the mucous membrane of the nasal passages provides good protection of the respiratory system from additional invasion of infection into the body weakened by the disease, while instillation helps to create a protective film on the back of the throat, which is difficult to achieve with lubrication.

Oil treatment of sore throats in children, who get sick more often and more severely than adults, offers great opportunities. Babies like tasty and aromatic oil medicines much more than bitter antiseptic solutions and many sweet syrups. In addition, some essential oils have a calming effect and help the baby get a good rest, despite the disease with its unpleasant symptoms. And a weakened child or adult needs rest so that their body can fight the infection.

When using oils for sore throat, you need to understand why and for what purpose we are using them. Different oils have their own healing properties, so you should not use them thoughtlessly. Each oil has its own recommended dosages for the disease, which are adjusted depending on the patient's age, as well as at certain periods of the woman's life. Taking into account these features, contraindications to the use of various oils, their side effects, which can usually be avoided with the help of an allergy test, make the treatment of sore throat not only effective, but also safe.