Sore Throat | Remedies Found In The Kitchen

Do you remember the time when Covid was not a part of our reality? It was more or less a simple time. None of us would freakout over a sore throat and mild cough. You would not call in sick if after having a chilled coke if the next day your voice would become hoarse and weird. It was basically a time when a sore throat was merely a “sore throat”. 

Although the time we are talking about here is less than 4 years back, but it is safe to say “those were the better days”. Now it is all about taking the right precautions, eating the right (bland and boring) food, and well don’t forget the glamours of isolation. Who wants to do all of that! But if you make sure to develop your inner strength and immunity from inside; then there is no stopping you whatsoever.

So, let’s get back to basics. 

What qualifies as Sore Throat:

Sore throat is when your throat feels mild to severe pain, itchy and scratchy. It is usually accompanied by difficulty swallowing. Other concomitant symptoms are:

• Mild to moderate fever
• Malaise
• Cough
• Ear pain
• Sinus blockade  
• Headache

More often than not the cause is usually what we eat or drink. For instance, if you decide to have a pickle sandwich with a chilled coke you can expect to have a sore and itchy throat the next day or so. However, it can be caused by bacterial or viral invasion too.

Some of the most common causes are:

• Strep throat is extremely painful condition caused by streptococcus bacteria
• Flu and influenza causing viruses also cause sore throat
• Frequent acid reflux from eating spicy foods will eventually lead to painful and sore throat and mouth blisters
• Frizzy carbonated drinks consumption on a regular basis can also lead to thrush and soreness of gums and throat.
• Transfer of bacteria via air droplets, putting something contaminated in mouth. 

At home treatment of sore throat:

Generally speaking, there can be two ways to look at sore throat treatments. I-e:

1. Prevention by improving natural resistance and immunity

2. treating it after the symptoms of painful throat began to appear

Foods to treat sore throat

You know how every time we go to the ER for fever and flu like symptoms; we are always prescribed merely Ibuprofen and told to take warm fluids and soup. Don’t we all hate not being prescribed with some high potency antibiotic. Truth is! More often than not; there is no need for the antibiotic to begin with because they will not heal that painful throat and flu. So, lets dive into things that will infact prevent and heal at the same time.

A bowl of soup:

Omg…. the amazing healing power of a bowl of soup can do wonders for that pain in your throat. Grab your bowl of soup, curl up in a warm blanket and let the soup do its magic in just a few minutes. Just make sure it include the beneficial ingredients, cooked up long enough to impart their goodness. Some of the most beneficial ingredients are as follows:

Turmeric:

Adding a tea spoon of a turmeric will make all the difference. It has the healing power due to its potent antioxidant properties. In addition, turmeric causes controlled DNA replication thus can prevent uncontrolled bacterial proliferation and growth.

It can also be taken by adding a spoonful in warm cup of milk, which is a common and well proven treatment by homeopathic and ayurvedic practices too. This is esp. recommended for teens and young adults to boost their natural immunity. 

Garlic:

Although a rather controversial ingredient in terms of taste, but garlic is amazing when treating flu or sore throat problems.

Garlic has active ingredient allicin. This compound imparts strong antiviral and antibacterial effects. Adding a few cloves of garlic will enhance the flavor and beneficial potency of your soup.

Onion:

Onion and garlic when put together in a soup taste amazing in addition to making the soup more potent. Some of the benefits of onion are as follows:

• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-viral
• Anti-histamine properties due to the presence of sulfur like compounds in the onion
• Helps stop production of excessive mucous 

Brew up a cup of tea:

Ofcourse we all know how beneficial is having warm tea during those down days esp. when you are feeling under the weather. But did you know that for sore and painful throat drinking tea made up of ingredients mentioned below can eliminate the need for taking any sort of medicine.

Honey:

 No! your tea doesn’t have to be fancy shamancy. To a warm cup of water, you can add in a teaspoon of honey. Research conducted by India health professionals in 2016 conclusively prove the beneficial properties of honey in treating sore throat. Honey helps by:

• It is a potent antioxidant and helps reduce swollen throat tissue
• Helps in swallowing by acting as a lubricant and soothing agent
• Acts as a strong antibacterial agent
• Act as preventive therapy against sore throat if consumed during cold weather 

Ginger tea:

Ginger may taste a little too pungent to some people but making ginger tea a cup of choice helps profoundly. The active constituents of ginger are esp. more effective against bacteria like C. albicans, St. mutans. 

Cinnamon:

Cinnamon bark has proven benefits in treating cold, flu and other related respiratory tract infections esp. sore throat. It has proved antibacterial effects against respiratory tract bacteria such as M. catarrhalis.

Cinnamic acid, cinnamaldehyde and other potent cinnamon constituents make it ideal for usage against sore throats.

Immunity boosting diet:

This falls under the category of preventive measures. Don’t underestimate the power of developing a healthy immunity. Having a well-established immunity is your most important tool against any bacterial or viral infection. Some naturally immunity boosting foods are as follows:

foods	Beneficial role in immunity boost
Citrus fruits (lemon, tangerine, orange, lime)	Rich source of vit C, strong antioxidant
Nuts and seeds (flaxseed, chia seeds, almonds, pistachio etc.)	Rich source of potassium, zinc, and high omega 3 &6
Green vegetables (spinach, broccoli, kale)	Rich source both macro and micro nutrients, selenium which is strong antioxidant and protein
Beans, lettuce, mushrooms etc.	Benefit by providing ample source of folic acid which is essential for cellular resistance against bacteria and toxins.

Take away:

We all need to adapt to our surroundings in order to survive. Sometimes adapting means developing strength and the will to do something or to prevent something. Sore throat although a minor disease; but don’t ignore it lest it worsens. With everything going on in the world you chances of leading a normal happy life depends on the choices you make.