I've recently been suffering from a "scratchy" throat and chesty cough (read: man flu) After being kept awake until 3am this morning and having no Covonia in the cupboard, I decided to finally take some of my nan's advice and try one of her remedies. Boil some water, dissolve in some salt, let it cool a bit and gargle and spit the entire glass's worth of salt water. It was disgusting (I think I put too much salt in), but it worked! I slept like a dog and now, this afternoon, only have a slight soreness back again. I was wondering by what mechanism was this actually successful? Ideas I've had so far: 1) Coincidence 2) Placebo 3) Coated my throat and the added moisture lasted through the night 4) The salt acts like an abrasive, and cleans away the bacteria and mucus 5) The homeopathic memory of wat...hahah I can't even finish that sentence Does anyone have any ideas? Or even some more remedies for me to try again tonight?
There are many herbal remedies for strep throat that can ease the pain and tenderness that is experienced with strep throat. Chamomile tea is the most effective strep throat herbal cure. Owing to its analgesic, or pain-relieving, properties, chamomile tea is ideal to alleviate throat pain and headaches. Moreover, chamomile tea also helps lower body temperature in case of fever and prevents dehydration. Another excellent strep throat herbal cure is sage. It is effective in reducing inflammation and also protects the throat’s sensitive tissues. Among the popular herbal remedies for strep throat, garlic is listed as being extremely effective owing to its antibiotic properties. Peppermint, lavender, jasmine, rosemary, and thyme are some of the other strep throat herbal cure ingredients that can be used in various forms such as ointments for easing the pain. Other home remedies for strep throat include a salt water gargle, which fights against bacteria and eases the swelling and tenderness in the throat. Keeping away from drinks that are very cold or very hot and spicy foods will also help relax the throat area. Sleep is another important part of the healing process, but often, neglected since the irritation and pain in the throat does not allow for rest. Herbal remedies for strep throat such as ginseng and passion flower are extremely effective owing to their sedative and analgesic properties.
Thanks for the reply. It's funny you should mention garlic, as that's another one of my nan's miracle remedies. She's old and Italian, so she basically thinks every ailment can be cured by crushing (lots of) garlic into a glass of olive oil and drinking it. I hated it when I was younger. I tried chamomile tea the night before last but I couldn't notice any effects.
As usual... Cosmic, you didn't answer the question! Let's repeat it, why does the salty water solution help the sore throats?? For the OP, the trick is that once you are done with the gargling (head up), you was your mouth out with normal water(gargling head down), but making sure that you spit it out so you don't effect the coating of the salty water on your throat. As an answer, my guess is that oh hell, why not just google the problem? Answer seems to be osmosis: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4607558_gargling-salt-water-sore-throat_.html They don't really know for sure but the 2 guesses are: 1. Dehydrating the bacteria. 2. Eliminating the swelling.
In # 2 post I stated.. "Other home remedies for strep throat include a salt water gargle, which fights against bacteria and eases the swelling and tenderness in the throat." Isn't that the same answer that you gave?
I guess I have to apologize, I didn't have the patience to read the whole thing. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
ya, u hate me so much you never bother to read what I post! hahaa! You read Christa and go oh shit.. IGNOREING THAT ONE!
I kick a wall. Doesn't really get rid of the sore throat, but it keeps me from thinking about it for a while.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
The salt can kill bacteria through osmosis. That assumes that the cause of soreness is bacteria close enough to the surface to come into contact with the salt. It is unlikely that this will 'cure' the problem, since some bacteria will be out of reach, but it appears to reduce symptoms which is good. Another topical treatment is manuka honey. Honey is an excellent topical treatment for a whole lot of things, including leg ulcers, cuts etc. Honey contains large amounts of sugar, meaning it has the same osmosis mechanism as the salt solution. It also contains a preservative produced by bees to keep the honey fresh, and this preservative also kills bacteria. Manuka honey also contains a chemical (called UMF) which comes from the flower, and which is strongly antibacterial. It is also true that alcohol is anti-bacterial. So I go the whole hog. Dissolve manuka honey in hot water. Add lots of whiskey and lemon juice for flavour. Dunno how many bacteria I kill, but it sure makes me feel better. Especially after the third glass!
