Sat 17 Mar 2007
I’ve been sick for most of the week and last couple days I have had a really bad sore throat. I had been sucking on cough drops and other common things to try to relieve my sore throat, but it kept getting worse and worse, to the point where I could barely manage to swallow. As a kid I had tonsillitis and strep throat probably on average 5-6 times a year, but back then it was taboo to take your tonsils out so I spent a fair share of my time at the doctors office and on amoxicillin and other antibiotics. Well I hadn’t had strep in a long time and was worried that this had to be strep again. I was just dying so as usual I went to the internet to find a solution.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I am only posting this because I heard such great things about it and had such wonderful results myself, please consult with your physician before trying this magical elixir.

image by: André Karwath aka Aka
What I found was what appears to be a pretty fail safe cure for a sore throat over at earthclinic.com. They recommend that you you gargle with Cayenne Powder. Now before you think it’s crazy, go ahead and read the 135 people or so that have commented on the site about their amazing results. Believe me I was a little skeptical at first too and the thought of gargling with cayenne pepper powder makes you cringe, but honestly it is not that bad, not even near as bad as a common sore throat. You don’t really taste the cayenne at all and the only part that burns a little is when you spit it out the tip of your tongue burns a little bit and if you get it on your lips it will also burn a little, but nothing unbearable at all and nothing that won’t go away with a quick rinse of fresh water (note don’t gargle the fresh water as you want the cayenne to stay on your throat and work its magic.)
My Recipe
I don’t think there is really a science to this thing as if you read around there are tons of different recipes and all seem to have very good results. So here is what I did to make my cayenne sore throat elixir.
- 1 standard drinking glass of hot to warm water
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne powder
- a couple pinches of salt for good measure (most people say its not necessary but it won’t hurt)
That’s it! Just simply take a mouthful and gargle away. There are two things that I want to point out though. One you will need to constantly stir the elixir right before you gargle as the cayenne likes to settle at the bottom and two you may want to gargle with your eyes closed as maybe I’m just a bad gargler, but one time I did gargle some of the mixture into my eye (note: cayenne pepper in the eye burns)
My Results
Like I said I was to the point where I could not swallow anymore. Within minutes of gargling the cayenne powder and water I could feel a marked improvement. I kept gargling my glass of water and cayenne powder on and off for about 45 minutes and my sore throat kept dissipating and dissipating. When I woke up this morning I noticed two things. One my sore throat was essentially gone and two my sinuses and throat were completely free of any kind of gunk you get when you are sick. I feel so clear and so good I just had to let others in on this little miracle. Certainly this remedy should not take the place of seeing your doctor if your conditions do not get any better, but for about 10 cents of cayenne powder it’s worth a try to see if you can save a costly trip to the doctor. I can’t think of a cheaper remedy to a common ailment that has such excellent results. In fact the next time I get a head cold I am going to try some cayenne gargling because it really does clear everything out and the process is not nearly as bad as it sounds. I honestly feel amazing today compared with how I felt last night and the 3 days before that.
Other options from Earth Clinic
Hot Apple Cider Vinegar & Cayenne Pepper
I did not try this one, but it seems to have similar success. This one you actually drink rather than gargle and again people feel great. The recipe is found on the same page as the cayenne gargling.
Again all of the credit goes to the wonderful people at Earth Clinic for posting this cure and commenting on the results.
Again consult your physician before using cayenne and I have no personal evidence that any of the below are true
- Improved blood flow (note: it does thin your blood so don’t use before surgery)
- Improved digestion
- Relieves chronic pain including
- Pain for diabeties
- headaches
- toothaches
- post-surgical pain
- Muscle pain due to fibromylagia
- Nerve pain
- Osteoarthritis pain
- Rheumatoid Arthritis pain
- Relieves gas
- Raises metabolism
- Stop heart attack (again don’t believe everything you read and consult with physician just reporting because I found it in quite a few areas and found it interesting)
Related Posts
- My Financial Journey Best of March 2007
- The best of MyFinancialJourney.com in 2007
- Carnival Recaps & March Madness Update
- Welcome new visitors and Cayenne pepper lovers
- When lightening strikes


March 19th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
That sounds like it will hurt
March 19th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
It actually does not hurt at all. You never feel or really taste anything in your throat and like I said the only hotness occurs when you spit it out and that is just the tip of your tongue and lips which is a very mild (think salsa).
In fact I would feel comfortable having my child gargle the solution. It’s not painful at all and the hotness is less than Listerine or other mouthwash IMO.
March 19th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
I would imagine part of it is the capsaicin (sp?) that relieves pain, the stuff is a real miracle drug. But the long-term overnight effects, I don’t know if it lasts that long or not.
I agree it doesn’t hurt much if at all, but cayenne powder does taste about as good as heartburn belches. Enjoy!
And yes, it does work, and work well.
March 19th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Maybe try replicating these results before advocating them?
March 19th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
I have been gargling with hot water, salt and turmeric powder (not cayenne) ever since my childhood for sore throats and every time it has worked for me.
Yes I might try cayenne powder next time, but for all those who fear cayenne might hurt, try turmeric powder.
turmeric is well known for its anti-biotic properties, hence it kills the bateria immediately
March 19th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
This is not a good idea, because it will treat the symptoms rather than the disease. Capsaicin (the active ingredient in cayenne peppers, jalapenos, habaneros, and so on, that give the peppers their spice) acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. In particular, it shuts down the cyclooxygenase pathway in a manner similar to aspirin, ibuprofen, and other COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex and Vioxx. Thus, if you gargle with cayenne pepper powder it will stop the swelling and reduce inflammation. Yet these are exactly the defense mechanisms your body uses to protect you against the disease. Shutting down these symptoms will only allow the strep or whatever it is to grow faster and further infect your system. You are much better off just getting a lot of sleep.
–N
March 19th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Since most sore throats are caused by viruses, not bacteria, it is doubtful that any “anti-bacterial” properties of turmeric would be terribly useful.
March 19th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
@asdf - Valid point, but seeing as how the site I linked to has hundreds of people that have replicated the results I felt it was ok to share my experience and give people the option to choose the method for themselves.
@NI - Thanks for the comment and you sound very knowledgeable. All I can say is I was wore down, sick, and getting worse and worse each day. I gargled with cayenne pepper 3 days ago and have felt like a million bucks ever since. I agree it may only be treating the symptoms, but because of the cayenne I was able to get a great nights rest and like I said I went from feeling horrible for a good part of a week and heading worse to feeling pretty amazing in a short period of time.
March 19th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
This is what is referred to as ‘regression to mean’ when discussing the reasons people beleive odd things have curative powers (the bulk of alternative and much of western medicine for example). Though capsaicin certainly feels good on a sore throat, it must be pointed out that you waited ‘until I could not swallow any more.’ i.e. your throat was already as bad as it was going to get, thus anything you gargled would have made you think it ‘cured’ your throat.
It should also be mentioned that while the overwhelming majority of upper respiratory infections are viral, a true strep infection demands antibiotics. This is not because antibiotics make your throat better faster (they don’t), but that they prevent later autoimmune complications of your kidneys and heart valves that are potentially deadly. Don’t be the guy on dialysis regretting getting his medical care at Whole Foods.
March 19th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Yes, NI, taking Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or aspirin for pain is *exactly* what the virus wants, so it can grow more powerful and carry out its dastardly plan. Go read that chapter again, undergrad.
Interrupting the COX-2 pathway isn’t going to impact the virus one way or the other. It’s going to relieve pain and inflammation. That’s it.
BTW, try ‘getting a lot of sleep’ with an unbelievably painful sore throat. Maybe add ‘drink lots of fluids’ to that as well. Nice one, Dr. Weil.
March 19th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
I did some graduate studies in Europe a few years back and lived there through the Winter virus-passing months. I was the only American in this particular lab. Whenever someone else in the lab came in with some kind of ailment I would ask them if they tried this or that home/herbal remedy. It just seems to come naturally at home that we swap these remedies, but to them it was like I was imparting some exotic, unknown knowledge. After a few of these situations one of the Europeans asked why I knew all of this stuff. I thought about it a while, came to a realization and then replied: “You see in America we don’t have universal health care and going to the doctor is quite expensive. So most of us must try to fix ourselves.”
March 19th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
I’ve tried this a couple of times and it has worked. I found it online the same place you did. Any science out there backing it up?
Actually I got over a sore throat and a cold over this weekend with a combination of gargling with cayenne pepper and flushing my sinuses with a Neti pot. What’s a Neti Pot you ask? Go check it out on Youtube. Looks pretty gross but works like a charm.
March 19th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Hi! I just recently got a recipe for a throat gargle from my naturopath that I thought I would share. It is similar in that it uses cayenne and tumeric. Very effective! It will often get rid of strep.
4 oz warm water
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
Mix and gargle the whole thing.
March 19th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Crunchy toast spread with honey. Eaten so that it deliberately scrapes your sore throat.
Works every time for me. And tastes nicer. Maybe try this first before progressing to more extreme measures…
March 19th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Worker -
Tylenol (acetaminophen) is more of a pain reliever than an anti-inflammatory agent. Inflammation is an ancient mechanism used to protect the body before bodies had brains. Nature couldn’t anticipate that you might be able to splint a broken limb, so a mechanism evolved to stiffen the affected body parts to prevent motion. Complement flows, white blood cells increase in prevalance, and a thousand and one other things take place to bring defense mechanisms to the site of injury. When the injury is caused by a disease process, inflammation helps to bring mechanisms to bear to reduce that disease. Toning down this process may have beneficial effects (like allowing you to get a good night’s sleep, or allowing you to swallow so you can get lots of fluids) but it may also have detrimental effects, like allowing a viral infection to replicate faster. Capsaicin affects both COX-1 and COX-2. It is a nonspecific antagonist, unlike the aforementioned Celebrex and Vioxx. You posted: “It’s going to relieve the pain and inflammation, that’s it.” What do you think the pain and inflammation are for? The body doesn’t do it just for fun.
MFJ: if it works for you, that is great. Be careful and don’t overdo it though. Intense sore throat pain can be caused by all kinds of things — even by a bit of food stuck in the ‘crypts’ of your throat that you didn’t notice. Capsaicin can shut down inflammatory pathways for four months or longer, depending on intensity and duration of exposure. It is used to treat chronic pain for certain conditions, and can make your tissues more prone to excess inflammation after the anti-inflammatory effect has worn off. Just take note, and remember to mention it the next time you see your doctor.
March 19th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Ahh natural medicine, it’s amazing what it can do. The human race has been using things like this to treat common maladies before the advent of modern medicine and as a race we’ve survived!
The capsaicin molecule is extraordinary thing, it makes hot food tasty and hot but it has many medicinal properties. It’s an irritant which causes nerve endings to numb, it’s an anti-bacterial, it has been shown to help people sleep better and scientists are having success testing it on cancerous cells. See the links below if you want more info.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=365281&in_page_id=1774
http://cancer.med.upenn.edu/resources/article.cfm?c=3&s=8&ss=23&id=8830&month=09&year=2002
March 19th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Wow, perfect timing. Just so happens I have a sore throat.. and it worked!
March 19th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
I always have gargled with warm water + salt which solved the problem.
March 19th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
[…] article on How to cure a sore throat has been finding it’s way onto the sites of Reddit, Del.icio.us, and others, which means […]
March 19th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
I have had good results with a clove of fresh garlic. Just take one of the sections and peel off the husk. Chew it slowly and swallow the saliva. Works for me but I will try this pepper thing next time I have a sore throat.
March 19th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
[…] the blog My Financial Journey] […]
March 20th, 2007 at 12:09 am
Follow this tried-and-tested Indian cure:
Take two spoons of turmeric and add honey to it create a paste like texture. Has worked for me most of the time.
March 20th, 2007 at 12:11 am
Every time my dad would get a sore throat he would make a big bowl of soup and dump half a bottle of tabasco sauce into it. He would finish the bowl and head off to work. Never liked tobasco sauce so I have never tried it myself. Anyone else ever try this?
March 20th, 2007 at 12:31 am
Counterintuitive… but brilliant!
March 20th, 2007 at 12:31 am
[…] it hurts, burn it Cure your sore throat with Cayenne?.  I’ll have to try this the next time I’m […]
March 20th, 2007 at 1:51 am
I just use salt in warm water and that works great. Salt seems to be a common ingredient in sore throat recipes so, while it may not be essential, it does seem to help.
March 20th, 2007 at 3:30 am
I use something simillar to this recepie.
My girlfriend will try this.
I’ll post the results
March 20th, 2007 at 4:43 am
When ever my throat feels funny, I immediately gargle with salt water. when the kids in school are coughing around me, as soon as I can, I gargle with salt water. My wife was just sick for 3 weeks with the flu, and I kept gargling and sniffing salt water up my nose, and I manage to stay healthy. I have not been sick since fall 1989!
March 20th, 2007 at 7:09 am
[…] Ignoring that this guy keeps using the term “soar throats,” his idea for curing one—gargling with cayenne pepper and water—is intriguing. [MyFinancialJourney] […]
March 20th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Read an report somewhere by a Dr. who said
he always carried cayenne in his bag and used
it for first treatment for heart attack victim.
Same recipe but swallowed.
He said it works.
March 20th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Don’t like the heat, try a mouthful of warm water into which a spoonful (or two) of sugar has been dissolved. Works like a charm everytime I’ve recommended to someone who’s taken a bite of something they found too hot for their liking.
In a pinch, simply put the sugar on your tongue and swirl it around as best you can.
March 20th, 2007 at 11:34 am
I’m not sure that the cayenne powder was the relieving agent in this case. I’ve found, from my own dealings with sore throats, that gargling with warm salt water can help to relieve a sore throat on its own. The salt relieves swelling by shrinking swollen areas.
March 20th, 2007 at 11:38 am
[…] to cure a sore throat almost instantly Filed under: Uncategorized — recar @ 4:37 pm How to cure a sore throat almost instantly An almost sure-fire way to get over a sore throat. Seems to actually work and lots of people have […]
March 20th, 2007 at 11:47 am
In my case they yanked tonsils and adenoids out when I was about 4 years old. I remember it well all these years later.
Yet I still regularly had ear infections, strep throat, etc.
In truth our doctors are pretty much clueless.
March 20th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Also, avoid dairy when sick. Dairy causes you to form more mucous which makes it harder to get over a cold or flu.
Personally, my sinuses and congestion have complety cleared up and I haven’t gotten sick at all since I quit dairy altogher over six months ago.
March 20th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Actually you dont really need cayenne pepper, just salt will do. (if it is rock salt the better the results).
Add a spoon of salt in warm to hot water, stir well and gargle it atleast 2-3 times a day when you are suffering from soar throat. That should suffice, you will notice great releif !!
March 20th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
When ever I get a sore throat, I go down to the local Mexican restaurant and order a to-go thing of salsa and chips. Works like a charm.
March 20th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
It’s common knowledge that gargling salt water, a known antiseptic, will help a soar throat.
March 20th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
When ever I feel sick I suck on ice cubes with
lemon juice on it. Works like a charm
March 20th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Apple Cider Vinegar, 50 percent solution, gargled or swallowed. Braggs is very good. Add honey to taste if needed, best neat.
March 20th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Gargle and even drink some Listerine. Works everytime.
March 20th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
I had read about the wonders of cayenne pepper and begain to take it in water daily. It wasn’t long before I bean o feel nauseus wheneve I tried to drink it. I kept cutting back on the amount I put in the water but it did not help. I gave up on it. I have read that it can be helpful but I am not able to work with it.
March 20th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
(in response to NI’s comment): All doctors will do for most viral infections (especially a cold) is treat the symptoms. You usually can’t treat the actual virus. Inhibiting inflammation isn’t a bad idea- although inflammation is the way your body defends itself, sometimes your body is ’stupid’ and inflammation can cause it’s own problems (i.e. pain, and brain damage in the case of meningitis). Getting a lot of sleep is also a good idea.
# NI Says:
March 19th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
This is not a good idea, because it will treat the symptoms rather than the disease. Capsaicin (the active ingredient in cayenne peppers, jalapenos, habaneros, and so on, that give the peppers their spice) acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. In particular, it shuts down the cyclooxygenase pathway in a manner similar to aspirin, ibuprofen, and other COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex and Vioxx. Thus, if you gargle with cayenne pepper powder it will stop the swelling and reduce inflammation. Yet these are exactly the defense mechanisms your body uses to protect you against the disease. Shutting down these symptoms will only allow the strep or whatever it is to grow faster and further infect your system. You are much better off just getting a lot of sleep.
–N
March 20th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
[…] title pretty much says it all. I found this info via a post on My Financial Journey illustrating a “frugal” way to get rid of a sore […]
March 20th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
That makes sense. I did the ‘master cleanse’ fast and began it when I had a bad cold. My cold symptoms(including sore throat) went away immediately after the first day.
March 20th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
[…] [via MyFinancialJourney] […]
March 20th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
To the party that feels it is only treating the symptons. Regretably that is what Ibuprofin, Aspirin, and most cold remedies do. They do not heal you, they only cause enough relief, including assisting with pain, and inflammation that brings you some relief so you can rest and heal. I think this remedy sounds fantastic. With my daughter, over the years I have tried many things for sore throat relief and none of it, not even antibiotics, I feel has been a remedy. This may be helpful for mononuclesis sore throat whereby you can not use anti biotics and it mimics strep throat.
March 20th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
I’ve been using a tincture of cayenne and ginger for sore throats for years. works like a charm. the ginger helps soothe the throat while the cayenne does what cayenne does. You can find it at health food stores.
March 20th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Thanks a lot I’m gonna try this next time I get a sore throat ..
March 20th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Excellent tip! Just for the curious, this works because you are attacking the bacteria PH: by changing the bacteria PH, you kill them fast. Also works if you gargle lime juice, and several minutes later baking soda. By changing from acid to base, the bacteria dies.
I’m no docotor, this was tought long time ago by muy chemist mother. Also works with “tomatillo” juice (green mexican tomato”
Regards
Javo
March 20th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Please do not waste your time, read “NI”’s comments he makes a number of very good points, and if you are truly in pain then you should consult your doctor. In fact you then should ask him/her if it is a good idea to gargle pepper to cure a sore throat, I promise you they will say NOT to do it. Why? because if this was a true and working method then every doctor would tell their patients to chomp down a couple of peppers and you will be cured, NOT TRUE. Trust me I am an avid fan of spicy food and when I get sick I want nothing more than a bowl of Thai coconut soup spicy number 10, but my doctor tells me absolutely not because it may cause the inflammation to decrease but will not cure the sickness and will in fact dormant the disease allowing it to mutate and return as a much worse illness, here is my advise let your body fix itself and if your sickness is slightly bad get regular cold medicine from the store or if your are in substantial pain SEE A DOCTOR .. for gods sake.
March 20th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I do this with Chicken Soup.. but put in 1 teaspoon of cayenne powder. It’s something here in South Texas is common.
March 20th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
This also works to some extent.
A cup of boiled water, not too hot cuz you’ll gargle with salt. Put 2 tea spoons of salt…stir it completely. Gargle for a few minutes.
March 20th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Great article - I just had a cold and took me a couple of weeks to get completely better. Next time I’ll try Cayenne pepper.
PS: Cayenne pepper is also said to stop nosebleeds.
http://www.bibleprophesy.org/nosebleed.htm
March 20th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Well, what do I say to this.
This is one of the earliest grandma recepies for common illnesses back home in India.
Though this kind of home medicinal techniques are now disappearing from major Indian cities, I hope they survive in digital age. There are some more to take care of sore throat..
1) Gargle with luke warm water and salt mixture
2) Ginger-Honey mixture is very good. Chop some ginger into fine pieces; mix with honey and eat 2-3 spoonfulls.
3) For common cold, heat some water and soak your feet in it
4) Again, for common cold, heat some water, and just put your face over the vessal to allow steam to come right in your face. Inhale it. Cover with towel to prevent heat from escaping instantly. Of course, do not heat water so much that heat burns your face and do not give enough exposure at one go to prevent damage. This, btw, is also good for cleaning your face. Works better than any face pack as that steam really cleans out skin pores.
5) For boils inside the mouth, chew a clove (not completely), your saliva now mixes with clove juice, gently rub it on boil and place the left over clove over/near boil and go about your work. Repeat with another clove after some 2-3 hours. Its safe to swallow last clove. Guaranteed relief within a day. (two days tops).
6) And that is good for immediate relief from tooth ache as well. For tooth ache, you should really see a dentist, but we know how hard is the appointment to come by; so use above in interim.
… lot others. and best part is, there remedies are totally harmless since they use ingriedients which you normally consume several times a day in any case. Its just that if you know which one to take when and in what combination they work wonders.
March 20th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Capsaicin is a well known analgesic and irritant. It would probably have a slight numbing effect in the throat, but this hardly classifies it as a cure.
Safety Info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17365137&itool=iconabstr&query_hl=4&itool=pubmed_docsum
March 20th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
That makes sense. I did the ‘master cleanse’ fast and began it when I had a bad cold. My cold symptoms(including sore throat) went away immediately after the first day.
March 20th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
White pepper in hot tea works for me. You drink it, not gargle with it. I also gargle with salt water. I call this my salt & pepper technique.
Fisherman’s Friend lozenges are great too. They contain capsaicin from red peppers and menthol. So I’m sure the cayenne pepper thing will work, too.
An Indian acquaintance said his cure for the common cold was ginger and honey.
March 20th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
A special attachment to a WaterPik works well too. Close one nostril, and insert the tip in the other nostril. Then allow it to drain and switch sides. Best done with a warm salt water solution. Opera singers have been using this method for centuries in one form or another, and I grew up with my mother pouring salt water up my nose with a spoon. Clears up sinuses, sore throats, and can relieve pressure on ear drums from sinus infections.
March 20th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Espon Salt, warm water with lots of sugar or salt, honey, wasabi also clears lots of stuff up
March 20th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
I wonder if cayenne pepper hot sauce would do the same thing. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about flakes falling to the bottom of the glass.
March 20th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
@Josiah -
I bet it would work, but I’m guessing the sauce would taste a lot worst and burn more. The powder while it does sink, doesn’t really have much taste to it when it is in water and also does not burn that much. That said anything with capsaicin in it should work.
March 20th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
Have you even though that it removed symptoms but not the actual disease?
March 20th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
I do this and it works well. I also like to put a dash of cayenne in a mug of hot chocolate and drink it periodically throughout the day when I have a sore throat. The chocolate tastes good with a dash of ‘hot’ in the sweet, and the warmth and cayenne help my throat. It works better than just drinking hot tea or hot chocolate without the cayenne.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Bacteria die when they are submerged in a “water” environment. If the bacteria is in a 3:1 ratio environment it will try to absorb as much “water” as it can since it doesn’t have a membrane that will stop it from absorbing “water” then explode and die on its own… This is why you must drink lots of fluids while you’re sick with a bacteria infection.
“Water” = Water, Juice, Tea (which is made of water, dur) etc…
March 20th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
this works!
March 20th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Gargling with salt water is an old home remedy for sore throat. It won’t ‘cure’ anything, but it sure does make your throat feel a lot better. I’m not sure the cayenne is doing much for you, except maybe distracting you from the taste of the saltwater.
March 20th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Hmm…
Well I have gone to an actual doctor, and one time when I had the worse sore throat of my life, he recommended I mix sodium bicarbonate (baking powder) with lukewarm water and gargle..
It was instant relief.
Also sometimes before going to bed or when i wake up, i like soup with lots of tabasco and 2 or 3 lemons squeezed in there. awesome.
March 20th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
im of Asian Indian descent and I can tell you as a child my grandmother would just pop a half cut cayenne in my mouth to help drain my nose and clear my throat… it really is a great cure all…
March 20th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
This worked rather well for me when I tried it today… however, I went a step too far I believe.
My sinuses have been clogged for weeks, and this was helping- a little. So I figured, hey, lets give the sinuses more direct exposure to cayenne, that will surely work. Long story short, dripping cayenne laced water into your nostrils while your head is hanging upside down, and letting it flow into the back of your mouth… well, it works. But you won’t like it. My roommates think I’m completely insane now though, so hey, benefits to this idea.
March 20th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Capsaicin is the active ingredient, and has nothing to do with blocking inflamation or any of the COX enzymes involved in it(like all the anti-inflamatories do).
What it does, it releases substance P from the nerve endings involved with pain transmission, so that’s why initially may hurt, but later, it gets depleted from there, and one of the pain mediators is gone(unfortunately there are many more). That’s how it works, it’s just symptomatic relief, same mechanismin for the OTC creams that contain it, and you rub on the skin, for postherpetic neuralgia(shingles).
So it makes sense when you swish with water for the tongue/lips burning to avoid the throat area, so it can stay there.
March 20th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
To actually know if it was the cayenne pepper helping you did you try just gargling with warm water before hand?
I’m thinking more of the placebo effect here, but to each his own.
March 20th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I’ve always just drank orange juice the morning I notice the sore throat. I love to try this especially when the sore throat is caused by the night-time nasal drip of an oncoming sinus infection, and it works well enough for me.
Since we’re on the subject of unusual home remedies for common illnesses, I’ll share another one of my secret approaches I love to try: when your nose is super stuffed, take end of your vacuum-cleaner hose to it. It’s more comfortable if you cup your hand over the end of the hose to seal the airflow, keep the dust away from your nose, and quickly control when to remove it. I’ve tried it only 3 or 4 times in my life as a last-resort without any complications and it’s usually worked. The only time it didn’t was when the nose was more runny than stuffy and even though it would clear the way for breathing, the stuffiness would return after 30 minutes or so.
Another home remedy for sinus infections: (Basic Pack) DayQuil, NyQuil, a bag of your favorite hard candies and (Extreme Pack) Chloroseptic spray, 7up or your favorite super-fizzy soda, Vicks rub applied to your chest and possibly upper lip.
Taking the DayQuil/NyQuil back-to-back every day for 4-5 days always dries out my sinuses and the infection clears up on its own every time. Previously this was what my doctor recommended Amoxicillin for, but now that seems like overkill in comparison.
I can’t help wondering if the testimonial was fake in order to drive traffic, but it was a great post anyway!
March 20th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
Here’s another use of cayenne that may surprise you: years ago my grandfather sprinkled cayenne powder in his eyes to kill the cataracts that were forming on them. He still sees just fine (well, he wears glasses, but he did then, too). However, I would consult a doctor about this, as it may have an individual basis to it.
March 21st, 2007 at 3:19 am
[…] Frugal cure for a sore throat via Digg […]
March 21st, 2007 at 4:40 am
OK. Here it is. THE CURE FOR THE SORE THROAT.
Do whatever you normally would do, Gargle with Salt water, take a shot of whiskey, whatever. This kills much of the bacteria causeing the sore throat… pretty standard. But then either eat yogurt with active culture, or break an ACIDOPHILUS bacteria capsule and eat it. This then grows in your throat, taking up the ‘territory’ that the harmful bacteria would normally simply regrow in. TAA DAA!
And… (if you can deal with the sneezing)if you want to kill a common cold, snort it, and breath it in. sounds nasty, and it may induce coughing or sneezing, but it bloody works mate.
March 21st, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Typical… a thousand advices/opions on how to fix a cold!
I had an old employee who made me a drink ,why not post it?
Ready to gag? (but I remember it working)
6-8 oz warm milk (pretty close to hot, but drinkable)
2-3 T (yes, Tablespoons) of RAW CHOPPED GARLIC
2 T HONEY….
MIX WELL, CHUG…
YES, YOU’LL ALMOST GAG (anyway, I did..)
But as we all know, garlic is great for you, and I think it kind of blasts it into your system.
Also, regarding cayenne, anyone comment on the cleansing routine of drinking hot water, cayenne, lemons, and maple syrup for several weeks? A friend of ours did it, and lost about 25 lbs pretty rapidly.
Thanks for reading, Chef Tony
March 21st, 2007 at 2:21 pm
dont know if anyone mentioned it, but another great use for cayenne pepper….burns. Next time you burn yourself, dont bother with all those stupid burns creams, instead wet the area with the burn and cover with ground cayenne pepper. leave it like that for at least 15-20 min. ive burned myself many times and this has helped tremendously. This trick really is a life saver.
March 21st, 2007 at 6:22 pm
[…] Frugal cure for a sore throat (tags: Health throat interesting tips) […]
March 21st, 2007 at 7:42 pm
to the dude who said dairy increases mucus production, well it doesn’t. the thing you’re feeling is just the dairy coating the throat, causing a sensation of increased mucus. when studies were done to compare milk to other liquids of similar viscosity, there was no difference in mucus quantities. i myself, have never had any problems drinking dairy when i was sick, and couldn’t even feel it.
and this sounds very promising, spicy foods always clear up my sinuses. i might try this the next time i have a sore throat.
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:07 pm
I always drink a Newcastle Ale when I get a sore throat. It kills the pain and goes down nicely!
March 22nd, 2007 at 5:29 pm
I have tried many remedies for colds and flu, none more than Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract. The liquid version has more uses but it can be bought in tablets. DONT BE CONFUSED BY OTHER FORMS OF GARLIC. Kyolic AGE is unique. If you have Sinus problems or blocked nose and flu like symptoms, you can sniff up a few drops of the Kyolic Liquid (use the liquid only here as the tablets may get stuck, LOL)and repeat until symptoms go away. I guess around 2 days max, and you will find the pressure will ease and you will feel much better.
Please visit
http://www.squidoo.com/naturalremediesforhighbloodpressure/
I will however give your pepper remedy a good try when I get my next sore throat. Nice ONE MATE!
March 22nd, 2007 at 10:45 pm
gargling and spitting with Listerine has always helped me.
gargling and swallowing two shots of Jameson works well too.
The downside is that whenever I get the sore out of my throat, I end up with a chest cold. Maybe I should stop smoking.
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:08 am
[…] exciting week for me and I’ve probably be the odds on a couple of things. First my article on How to cure a sore throat almost instantly was picked up by Digg and Reddit early this week and ended up as the #1 story on both sites for a […]
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:08 am
thats a really cool idea. I also have another one for ya. When i was in college i had the nasty habit of eating late or right before i went to bed. as a result i had a lot of heart burn. i tried everything and nothing worked. I forget when i found this out but if you take about and ounce of white vinegar and dilute the taste with a couple ounces of water or soda or whatever it will cure you heartburn almost instantly. just take a shot glass full of the stuff and you will feel better in no time.
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:05 pm
got any other frugal remedies? i got one:
if you have a wart, put duct tape over it. After a week the duct tape will suffocate the wart and it will fall off.
March 24th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
[…] http://www.myfinancialjourney.com/archive/frugal-cure-for-a-sore-throat […]
March 25th, 2007 at 4:39 am
Hey, N, you are insane. Give a rest.
The inflammation that drives people crazy is excessive inflammation, not normal inflammation.
The excessive inflammatory response associated with a severe cold cause tissue damage. This tissue damage further promotes the development of the disease as well as secondary infections.
March 25th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
I currently have mononucleosis and this quickly relieved the pain in my throat and tonsils.
THANK YOU
March 28th, 2007 at 5:02 am
COMBO THERAPY!
Wow! Okay here’s what I did..
First of all, it’s 2AM and I COULDN’T SLEEP. I googled “sore throat remedies” and found this and another site who kept talking about “cayenne” the amazing remedy. Great but what if it’s 2AM and no 24 hour grocery stores nearby? (scratch, scratch)
Here’s the solution; go to 711, buy Tabasco sause, a lemon and alka seltzer. (First I just read a bit more to make sure I wasn’t just being too spontanious, a time or two Tabasco was mentioned; I also read about the guys mom who’s a Chemist; she mentioned gargling with lime juice, then baking soda to quickly change the PH and kill the bacteria).
So I first driped the sause down the back of my throat.. kinda weird but the “burn” felt tingly and kind of good. Wasn’t really doing much, so with hot water I squeezed half the lemon, and put in a lot of Tabasco. I then gargled with that a few times and felt satisfied. Then a few minites later, I squeezed the other 1/2 of the lemon in a cup by itself, and gargled that (it was actually pretty tasty). THEN a few minutes later, I used just a little wather, dropped in the Alka Seltzer (made with baking soda and aspirin) and gargled with that a few times.
Almost INSTANTLY my throat was totally relieved. Now, I pray sleep will come and I can carry on with my day tomorrow without being grumpy. Thanks for reading, Hope you feel better soon!
March 30th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Thanks. Just tried it and it works. Three gargles and my sore throat is gone! I’d recommend putting chap stick on your lips beforehand. It will keep the cayenne from burning your lips.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:46 am
In response to previous statements, dont do ANYTHING that might relieve symptoms. No cough drops, etc…
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:09 am
[…] As a reminder, get that annual flu shot. Now if you’re already sick with a sore throat, try an elixir made out of cayenne pepper powder. And floss daily to avoid painful and costly dental problems […]
April 4th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
I’m sorry but gargling with salt water does not work (at least for me)….believe me I wish it did.
Long time strep child….only thing that works is good old antibiotic.
Sitting here not able to swallow and when I do it becomes a white knuckle experience….sore throats suck.
April 5th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Gargle Hot Water & Salt
I’m currently eating Dried Peas covered in Wasabi which seems to be working a treat
If all that fails, I’ve got two packs of Dequacaine at the ready for clinical grade anaesthesis
April 9th, 2007 at 2:41 am
I’ve got mono and an EXTREMELY sore throat and someone mentioned I should try cayenne. I found this page and I just tried it about 4 minutes ago. I haven’t really had any results yet, but i think it will take a bit. But I just wanted to add my two cents about the burning:
People have mentioned in the above comments that the burn is on the lips and tip of the tongue. I was inspired by an episode of the simpsons where Homer coated his mouth with candle wax before judging a chili contest. I didn’t use wax however, I used vasoline. I put a heavy coat on my lips, and i dried the tip of my tongue off the best I could on a towel and applied some on my tongue as well. When I spit the gargle, there was no pain!
April 11th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
I have been using this an alternate of this method for years.
when I am coming down with a cold I will order chinese food extra spicey. and eat those little chili’s .
mouth on fire but it works great on my sinuses and my throat and makes me sweat which also helps get rid of toxins.
April 12th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Anyone who says hot salty water will end a sore throat has never had a sore throat. I hope I don’t get a sore throat again but if I do - Ihave the cayenne ready. Thanks
April 15th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Another cure is hot mint tea, honey, and lemon juice. You drink it. And it tastes good too even without sugar. Use lots of lemon juice - a table spoon or two. Honey is a natural anti-biotic - notice no preservatives are needed in the bottle. Lemon juice is acidic, and kills viruses. The mint is for - not sure but it tastes good. I think peppermint oil is also anti-microbial. Your sore throat may come back after a few hours though - it’s not permanent. I do have cayenne power - I will try this next time.
April 16th, 2007 at 10:49 am
[…] for me, there is a cure. While browsing the front page of digg a few days ago, I came across this miracle cure for all of my woes. If you can handle it, this spicy remedy will heal you throat in, […]
April 27th, 2007 at 7:40 am
As a Homeopathic physician, I must point out that using the cayeene pepper mixture is great for uses when it is only involving an irritated throat, such as irritation due to allergies(post nasal drips, etc). BUT, when you are dealing with a viral infection, it is best to not at all use this as a form of “curing” your illness. I know that it’s painful, and irritating, but when you have a virus, let your body do it’s job and fight it. By not allowing your throat to fight the virus, you are potentially causing it to get worse, which could foce you into taking antibiotics. It sounds as if the illness you had was seasonal allergy related, which is why you felt better almost instantly. For anyone with allergy problems, I completely recommend the cayenne pepper wash, it really does alleviate the nagging symptoms.
Thanks.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
As a child, I remember my grandmother swabbing my mouth with Sloan’s Linament when I had a bad sore throat. Well six days ago I had the worse sore throat that I ever had in my life! I could not even swallow my own spit. It started from the left side of my mouth, my eyes were watery,nasal congestion, fever, aches and pains. My daughter said it looked as if I had STREP THROAT. I lost eight pounds(which is good,less the pain)sipping warm tea and lemon only when I take Motrin. I would have to crush the pill, and put it in those vegetable capsules, which was STILL hard for me to swallow. After five days in pain, I decided to go on line to see if there was somebody out there who could help me. This website came up. I am thankful to ALL OF YOU GUYS AND GIRLS OUT THERE! Especially the one who recommended CAPSAISIN!!! I did have that in my medicine chest. I swabbed my mouth with that stuff…It burned, but the burn was better than the pain I had for the last five days, you might say I WELCOMED IT. fifteen minutes later, I felt NO PAIN in my mouth, went to bed,long awaited sleep came. In the middle of the night, I felt something coming up from my throat… there was this yellow mucous that I had to spit out. After that I am fine!! I threw away my old tooth brush. and bought a new one. That CAPSAISIN REALLY WORKS! THANK YOU!
May 11th, 2007 at 7:48 am
The results that I had are truely fantastic and
I would recomend this to anyone who had strep throat and they felt like they just didn’t want to go on because eating was so difficult and everything that the doctor give them wasn’t helping at all.
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:43 am
My variation of this is something I swear by.
It really works.
No lie.
It takes a little bit of toughness to get down, but it is no big deal.
Hot water (as hot as you can stand), squeeze the juice of one whole lemon, and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Drink it down, or sip—it doesn’t matter, as long you finish the entire thing.
This works not just for mysterious sore throats, but also for colds and flu. I have seen it wipe out a cold in the first twenty four hours, and relieve symptoms and shorten the duration of a flu.
Do it.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:54 pm
I woke up this morning and had the worst sore throat, which led me to look for a remedey; hence, I found this site. I tried the cayenne method and it worked great; however, the pain came back after lunch. HMHMHM Obviuosly, the food removed the pepper and it’s after effects. So I tried it again…Presto…Pain Gone!!!! Before today: I’ve always done the warm water, lemon, and honey mixed with salt…and although this method works…it’s slow and you have to pop asprin to releive the pain. Yep…Glad I found this site and this new method!!! I don’t care if it’s not a long term solution to curing the problem…I’m only worried about a short-term solution to relieve the pain. I’ll take anti-biotics if I need to…but hey…if you don’t have them around…this is a great method of quickly curing the sore throat.
June 7th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
I was skeptical, very skeptical. But I also have not slept well for 2 nights due to a sore throat.
I just tried this with chili powder. Is that the same as cayene pepper powder? Same concept anyway.
I did not completely cure my pain, but it did reduce it. I am impressed.
June 13th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Wow - there are some tough cookies out there! Doesn’t hurt?? I tried it with cayenne and I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or throw up! It hurt like hell Lets hope it works now - don’t mind the pain if ther’s some gain at the end of it. If not its off to the docs for me tomorrow. Do you think having a National Health Service has made us Brits less hardy?
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:07 am
There’s nothing wrong with symptom-relievers. Most, anyway. Mild cough drops, gargles, painkillers in moderation…if they were truly bad for you, why would a doctor prescribe them? My doctor prescribes me Vicodin for my back pains. It doesn’t CURE my back pain, just helps relieve the symptoms. An epidural relieves (some of) the pain during childbirth but doesn’t cause the child to come out any faster.
Also, relieving the symptom doesn’t make the disease/issue worse, necessarily. Someone pointed out that the reason we have inflammation is because our body is curing itself, so we shouldn’t take anti-inflammatories. Well, I appreciate that my body’s putting forth all this effort but if I have a doctor to fix my issue faster and less painfully, I’m going to do that instead and I don’t need my body’s natural pain-filled, exhausting, time-consuming natural cure.
Another thing is, symptoms don’t always have diseases behind them. I wake up every morning with a fairly sore throat, especially in summer when I have my fan on at night. I have cartilage blocking my nasal passages, so I have no choice but to breath through my mouth. This dries out my throat VERY quickly - not to mention the amounts of dust and whatnot I inhale thanks to my four dogs - and it’s often sore. Treating the symptom would do NO harm, since it can’t possibly make the issue worse, since the issue can only possibly be changed in any way, shape, or form, with surgery.
Also, someone said something about eating honey toast when you have a sore throat, saying it scrapes the throat which helps the pain. Has anyone actually tried this? It seems tempting but it sounds almost too painful to be worth it.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:11 am
An additional note, you can reduce throat swelling by applying a warm compress (not hot, and not too tight) to your the area. I have those 8-hour disposable heating pads, I wrap one around my neck about as snuggly as a turtleneck, and within about fifteen minutes the swelling goes down (although I usually leave it on a lot longer if I’m just at home with no one around, just for good measure). The pain is still somewhat there but it’s reduced since there’s not as much pressure in your throat.
And try to breathe through your nose as much as possible. Mouth-breathing dries out the throat which causes it to get sore and possibly swollen. Drinking lots of fluids is a good preventative measure.
August 9th, 2007 at 2:32 am
Hi, I’ve been having sore throat for almost 9 mos now. its like come and go. I’ve been to 6 different types of antibiotic and yet nothing seem to work and it keeps on coming back. I don’t really know what to do. I’m already planing to have my tonsils be removed its just that I don’t trust the doctors/surgeons around. By the way im in Saudi Arabia and there’s only few good surgeons available. anyway, Ill try to use your formula.
September 9th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Thanks Thanks Thanks and god bless this works like a charm …does burn a little but hey if it heals my soar throats!!! Then i will keep doing this methond.!!!
September 17th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Hmm.. I eat buffalo chicken a few times a week. Haven’t had a sore throat in a few years. Coincidence??
Robert H. Goretsky of Hoboken, NJ
September 18th, 2007 at 4:38 am
I have very severe sore throats from time to time. The last sore throat i had was probably one of my worst. I’m assuming i had tonsillitis or possibly strep throat. Anyways, i tried this, and it was instant remedy… for about 20 mins. After that, i had the same pain again. I tried other things listed in the comments section, same result. I even made a crock shot of all the ingredients listed in the comments. So anyways, i figure that ill wait it out with the inflammation; its probably the only correct way to cure it.
October 6th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
just tried the cayenne tincture - without any change, good thing I didn’t gargle the entire glass! I quit while I was ahead..
After reading other posts, I decided to make a hypertonic rock salt/H20 solution and with only 4 gargles…my throat is about 50% better!
I, myself, am an alternative medicine practitioner, and agree with NI’s comments about blocking the inflammation cycle with cayenne. Makes much more sense to use rock salt to kill off the bug rather than numb it
October 8th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
I came down with a nasty sore throat yesterday morning. I’m more swollen and in more pain than I’ve ever been in due to a sore throat. Usually they are the kind that result from my sinuses draining/allergies, but now my throat is mostly closed up and my lymph nodes are noticeably swollen, too.
I tried the cayenne pepper, but it seems to work less and less. If anything it is making the pain worse at this point. I just tried the salt/water solution and it feels better and cleaner.
I’m about to make some mint tea with honey and lemon juice. We’ll see how that goes. But so far I’d say the salt + water has worked better than the cayenne. Just wish my throat didn’t hurt so bad that I can hardly swallow. Then I’d get more fluids in me.
Also, I read that pineapple juice is good for the swelling. I’ve had a couple little cans - on either side of a good nap - and my lymph swelling seems to have gone down some.
October 16th, 2007 at 8:18 am
This stuff worked almost instantly for me. Saved me a trip to the doctors!
October 20th, 2007 at 3:21 am
After trying to sleep with a raging sore throat, I finally got up at 3am and found your tip through a desperate internet search. I tried the Cayenne gargle, with Chili Powder, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, and a little honey mixed in hot water. The burning felt better than the excrutiating sore throat, but only felt better for a few minutes. Now I’m trying the sucking on a clove of garlic and next I’ll try the baking powder and then the salt water. This is misery. But thanks to everyone for the tips, at least it’s taking my mind of not being able to sleep.
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:19 am
Does anyone know if this works when your throat is sore for a different reason. Like, it is sore due to allergies instead of a disease?
October 24th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Hi Guys,
4:20am here in Edinburgh, and boy, do I have a sore throat. Every time I swallow, feels like a tonne of Broken Glass and Hot Oil is gowing down the hatch, most painful thing I have ever, ever experienced.
Around 3.45am, I gargled the Cayanne Pepper with a little salt (yuk!). Then I gargled more Cayanne Pepper with Turmeric and gargled (still yuk). Then I mixed a Teaspoon of Honey with a teaspoon of Cayanne Pepper and a Teaspoon of Turmeric (Better, but still ming)….I am now on a cup of Earl Gray with a teaspoon of Cayanne Powder and a Teaspoon of Turmeric. Absolutely disgusting.
Throat feels a little better, but not hugely. Also, at 3am, I took 400mg of paracetamol and 400mg of Ibuprofen, so it could be the tabs releiving my pain.
One thing is for sure, if this doesnt fix my sore throat, I’m going to be twice as ill - sore belly and sore throat.
I will post back in a few hours (or minutes?!) if this starts to work. If you don’t hear back, then it’s not done the trick for me.
Gary. In pain. In Edinburgh…
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:53 am
[…] cure for your sore throat Hi Steve, I got a cure for your sore throat. I read it some time ago and when i got a sore throat myself i gave it a try. Well its nothing short of a miracle. I had a sore throat for over 5 days and it was very painful and was loosing allot of sleep because of it. When i tried this it was mostly gone in 15 minutes and completely gone after half an hour. It never came back after that. I had a great night sleep that evening. Try this My Financial Journey » Frugal cure for a sore throat […]
November 15th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
I have a sore throat right now. I am going to try this and will post how it works.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
24hrs. later and sore throat has mostly passed but it did it over night. I only rinsed with the pepper once (8oz. water 1/4 tsp. pepper) this seemed to do nothing. 8 hrs. after gargling witht the pepper my sore throat went away after taking 10 mg. hydrocodone and I went right to sleep.
November 24th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Being a child in a doctor/nurse home,I and my brother became aware of natural cures,because
we were sick so much. since the solution in
modern med is “give pills” and “antibiotics”
our immune systems were horrible by age 11.
I tend to get the same flu,hot,dry,fever
sore mouth,or lungs,mucous in the last stages.
I noticed INSTANT relief,and shorter time
with herbal remedy and- 1. gargle Apple cider vinager/cayanne/salt 2.flush sinus with salt,hot water,HOT SALT detox baths
and wrapping the body( not if your temp is high)using s HUMIDIFIER if in dry climate( like mine) made HUGE difference to not infecting my chest with mucous.
I can say “moving,walking,fasting,with fruit,soups,good bowel movement is the KEY.
STRESS, basic sadness can bring on sickness too.
December 29th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
I enjoyed reading your article. I’ve been studying herbal and holistic medicine for many years. I haven’t been to a doctor in forever. Have a slight ear infection right now, and my pharmacy is my kitchen is all I need to treat it.
December 29th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
This worked great!! Not only did my throat feel better, but within minutes my appetite came back also! Thank you for this post!!!
January 14th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Hey everyone. I never really get sick so this sore throat is probably the first one i’ve ever had, and it feels like someone is stabbing me from the inside everytime I swallow (even if it’s just saliva). I’m going to try this and I pray it’ll work.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I have a passionate hate for sore throats, which led me to this article almost a year ago now. I had it bookmarked, and today I finally woke up with a sore throat. The time has come. This had better work…
January 15th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Well it worked, mostly. I have a corner of my throat which is still a little sore, but definitely an improvement. i gargled on and off for about 25 minutes.
January 26th, 2008 at 11:12 am
I was a little skeptical at first but liking cayenne i tried it but i mixed up a little advice from a few and found it to have almost instant results. Try this, a cup of water as hot as you can stand, squeeze a whole lemon in it, put a 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. My throat was so painful I could barely swallow I gargled and even swallowed a little bit of this mixture and felt instant relief!
January 27th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Tabasco sauce! One teaspoon every half an hour for a sore throat. Doesn’t just alleviate symptoms, kills everything in its path! From can’t-talk-can’t-swallow-thinking-about-drooling-rather-than-endure-agony-of-swallowing sore throat to “I might just live” in one hour.
February 6th, 2008 at 6:22 am
I was about to do this.. and my mum said i was crazy =P .. i have a cough and a sore throat, so when i cough it really hurts my throat.. i read this and sum1 said to drink alot of fluids.. so, im gonna have 2 tea spoons of cough medicine.. wait 20 mins.. then drink as much water as i can within 3 hours, then keep doing until its better.. i’ll get back to you if it works
February 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I’ve been popping in cough drops like crazy. It helps for about 10 minutes, and in goes another. I keep insisting my mom to take me to the doctors, but she refuses she knows that they will just be telling me the same thing she has been telling me; rest and drink lots of fluids.
Antibiotics are not good because they are not only killing the bacteria, but they are also killing the good cells. So it is better to let your own good ol’ white blood cells to cure the body.
But I guess some of these remedies do work and help relieve the pain of sore throats. I just usually gargle salt with warm water.
I should try this recipe and hope that it’ll work. Thanks!
February 13th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
wow! i just started gargling it and it works like a charm! it might be the best thing i have ever used to releive a sore throat! i have a school dance tomorrow and i am hopeing this will work so i can really have fun! thank you so much for this! but a quick question… is your throat still suppose to hurt after you have used this solution?
February 19th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I heard about gargling with Cayenne pepper and I tried it as I was coming down with a nasty cold. I thought it was insane and that I’d kill myself by burning my throat.
I publicized the event by telling my entire family that if I didn’t emerge from the bathroom within a few minutes, come get me because I’ll probably be choking.
I didn’t have that bad of a sore throat, but everyone in my family was sick and their throats were getting worse. I gargled about 1/2 a teaspoon with a cup of water. Man, did it work. My sinuses were cleared and my sore throat was completely gone.
I’m still recovering from this nasty cold that I have. It’s crazy, I have a nasty cough but my throat is perfectly fine. Pretty crazy, but it works.
It does not burn your throat. At all. The only part that burns is your tongue when you spit, but it’s not that bad at all. Feels like Listerine or some type of mouthwash.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I’m just a health observer and ever heard about this case. Sore throat causes the throat painful, especially being used to swallow food, hoarse voice, and closed-up breath. Although it is not often, sore throat is sometimes very dangerous and causing the death. Some people get this problem.This pain is caused by infection or other over treatment. For instance, smoking too much, over speaking, breathing hot air, eat too hot food or drink too hot beverage and others as the case of oral ulceration. Over coughing can also affect sore throat. The hard jolt happens repeatedly, throat can become painful and inflamed. So far as I know that pennasianormalization (dot com)is helpful enough for this case.For prevention, you could do these ways;
Polluted hot air really needs avoiding
Avoid too hot food, wait until being rather cold
Smoking needs reducing or leaving
If coughing, it’s immediately relieved
February 25th, 2008 at 12:48 am
I have tried this quack (err, quick) remedy rigorously, following the scientific method and all that. The result: it does not work as claimed.
Below is the detailed account of my experiment.
Condition before the cayenne pepper gargle:
- have had the flu for one day
- sore throat; subjective rating of throat pain: 70%
- could speak for an average of 12 seconds before starting to cough
I mixed the ingredients as directed:
+ heated up about 250mL of water for 99 seconds in a 1100-W microwave
+ added 1 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper (bought from Safeway for about $5)
+ added some salt
+ stirred the liquid well so that the pepper particles would be in suspension
After 4 gargles:
+ congested nose cleaned up almost completely, for 8 minutes (in subsequent experiments, the duration of the decongestion stayed below 10 minutes)
+ I could speak for 30 seconds before coughing; after 30 minutes, I could only speak for ~20 seconds
+ the hotness of the water+pepper now overwhelmed the pain caused by the sore throat. Couldn’t assess subjective sore throat pain
Conclusion:
All that cayenne pepper gargles do significantly is clear up your congested nostrils for about 10 minutes.
February 29th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
To the poster #68 - it’s baking SODA not baking powder. I haven’t tried it yet but I just had some chicken broth with a lot of dashes of cayenne pepper sauce in it - think the edge is off a little and am going to have more before bed.
March 1st, 2008 at 4:36 pm
This is all pretty good advice for your regular sore throat associated with colds/flus/allergies. I have mono with extremely inflammed and infected tonsils…and it hurts like hell to swallow. Should I try the cayenne pepper on raw tonsils ? I feel like it may be a bad idea.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:46 am
i tried it and it did not help at all. my throat still hurt just as much. the only difference was that my lips were burning.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I’m not sure if it’s a “cure”, but your method helped me for now, or perhaps it’s the “take the mind off the part that really hurts by creating another pain over here” my lips are burning, but its a nice relief… =)
March 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 am
The apple cider vinegar/hot sauce/lemon juice tonic has been working for me. It’s basically 50-50 ACV/water mix, a few teaspoons of cayenne pepper sauce and half a lemon. I gargle with it a few times. Rinse out my mouth with water after…the most sustained relief of any of the other ones I’ve tried (salt water gargle, hot tea, cough drops).
March 27th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I did the cayenne pepper gargle. My throat felt better for a while (couple hours) but I still wnt to the doctor because my throat felt like I had knives in it. The doctor said NO cayenne pepper and NO salt water gargles - I guess maybe that would work if you have strep and need to dissolve the layer of strep but for a standard sore throat it merely inflames the pharnyx - she said gargle with alka seltzer which was the most amazing sore throat remedy I’ve ever come across - forget the oregeno and the cayenne pepper - just gargle with the alka seltzer and the soreness will alleviate and the yuck will go away.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
this actually calms the pain of the throat. i didnt think it would work but i was desperate because i hate being sick. i tried the cayenne pepper with warm water and a little bit of salt at 6:00 then again at 7:30. it is now 7:50 and the pain is not as bad as it was before and i can actually swallow. it didnt burn either for those wondering how could someone put cayenne pepper in there mouth like this. i suggest this to anyone that has a sore throat because it does work!!! Try it!!!
April 6th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
wow this is amazing. i just got a glass of warm water, put some cayenne pepper in and gargled and sipped it. im sick, i dont know what i have though lol but my sore throat is gone. i still have other symptoms though like fatigue, and sneezing. im just glad my sore throat is gone
April 15th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
My mother was an RN in the 40s and 50s and she always made me gargle with a glass of warm water, salt (as mentioned),a table spoon of baking soda and some plain white vinager. Works like a charm as well.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
the cayenne thing works great, but it makes your mouth burn like hell
April 19th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I just tried this at it worked great. Your mouth feels like you just ate some really spicy food but this does work if you can handle it.
April 25th, 2008 at 2:22 am
careful when dealing with strep… you may think you got it licked then it can do nasty things like it did to me. I started noticing blood in my urine… lots of it. Feaver around 104 - 105. Went to the emergency room and learned that the strep bacteria had made its way into my bladder and kidneys and was doing a real number on them. They pumped me full of fluids and antibiotics through an IV and gave me a prescription for strong antibiotics. That was last year. Then the strep got me again and got my kidneys again this year. I didn’t fool around and went straight to the doc for some antibiotics. This was 5 days ago. I’m doing better now but still not 100%. My doc told me when he was 24 the strep got to his heart and he had a heart attack! At 24 a fricken heart attack! Take it from me… Strep is nothing to fool with! If you think you have it, get some antibiotics!
May 4th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
this hurt like HELL.. or should i burnt.. i don’t recomend this to ANYONE