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The pharynx, or back of the throat, frequently becomes inflamed when a person has a cold or an attack of influenza. This inflammation
may also involve the tonsils and adenoids if these have not already been removed.
This is due to many causes:
· Inflammation of the fauces, soft palate and uvula.
. Catarrh along with acute tonsillitis
. Gummatous ulcerations
. Tuberculosis
. Carcinoma
· Tonsils:
. Acute inflammation: diphtheritic, streptococcal, syphilitic, pneumococcal, or a complication of influenza, rheumatic
fever, measles and other eruptive fevers.
. Chronic hypertrophied tonsils-adenoids, syphilitic or tuberculous affections or new growth.
· Pharynx:
. Acute catarrh
. Septic or
. Chronic granular pharyngitis
. Post pharyngeal abscess
. Inflammation as a complication of eruptive fevers
. Carcinoma
· Larynx:
. Acute catarrhal or inhalation of irritants
The symptoms are those of a simple irritation or inflammation to those of granulation and ulceration. The subjective symptoms
are dryness, fullness, chilliness, frequent desire to swallow and occasionally a sense of suffocation; sharp, sticking, splinter
like pain in the ulcerative form. The objective symptoms are a red, dry surface at first and later granules, follicles, ulcers;
muco and mucopurulent secretions; hawked up after coughing and some fever. The skin is usually dry and the patient is constipated.
Lymph glands along the sides of the neck may become swollen and tender. Swallowing may be difficult, especially during the
acute stage. If the irritation has extended up into the nasal passages, there will also be a thick postnasal discharge.
HOME REMEDIES FOR SORE THROAT
· Garlic is the most important remedy for sore throat. Chew some garlic pieces.
· Add lemon juice (from one lemon) some honey, to a glass of hot water. Drink this. It will give immediate relief from
pain.
· Gargle with warm salt water. It is the best old age home remedy.
· Increase your liquid intake and make sure your house is humidified properly.
· Cut a lemon into 2 pieces. Take one piece and put some salt and black pepper on it, press with a knife so that salt-pepper
penetrates into the lime. Put the lemon on heat to make it warm. Slowly lick this lemon squeezing it until no juice remains.
Do it 2-3 times a day.
· Chives and scallions are helpful for a soar throat when simmered in water for 5 minutes. Drink as a tea.
· Figs, beets are also very effective in sore throat.
· Slippery Elm bark (Ulmus rubra) helps to soothe sore throats or cough. For sore throats, slippery elm bark can be taken
as a tea. Prepare a tea by adding 1 tablespoon of dried bark to a cup. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the cup. Steep it
covered for at least 10 minutes and then strain. Have up to 3 cups of slippery elm bark tea a day.
· Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is another good sore throat remedy, however people with high blood pressure, heart,
kidney or liver disease, pregnant or nursing women, or people who are taking diuretics, blood pressure drugs, should not use
it.
· Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), a herb found in Europe and North America, has been used for centuries as a sore throat
home remedy. To make marshmallow root tea, add 1 tablespoon of the dried root to a cup. Add a cup (8 ounces) of boiling water,
steep it covered for at least 10 minutes then strain. Drink up to 3 cups a day. Consult a doctor before taking marshmallow.
· Honeysuckle Flower, a sweet tasting and smelling herb, is one of the most commonly used sore throat remedies in traditional
Chinese medicine (TCM) as a remedy for sore throats. To prepare honeysuckle tea, bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Add 1 cup
of honeysuckle flowers (not the leaves). Steep for at least 10 minutes, covered, and then strain. Sweeten with honey or stevia
to taste if desired. Drink up to 4 cups a day.
· Add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a pinch of cayenne pepper, juice of 1/4 a lemon, and 1 teaspoon of honey to a
cup. Add 1 cup of hot water and stir. Drink up to 4 cups a day.
· Gargle with aloe Vera juice two times daily.
· Combine one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, one teaspoon of cayenne pepper and three tablespoons of clover honey in
a glass of warm water. Gargle as often as necessary.
· Betony is a useful astringent, which reduces inflammation. Make a tea and use as a gargle.
· Add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to 1 cup of boiling water; stir well and gargle while mixture is very warm. To this
mixture you can add 4 parts Echinacea, 1 part garlic bulb, and 2 parts peppermint leaves to 1 part cayenne.
· Another remedy is to add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to 1 cup of boiling water; stir well and sip slowly.
· Prepare a tea by adding 1 or 2 teaspoons of dried chamomile blossoms to a pint of boiling water; steep and drink a cup
every few hours.
· Add 30 drops of Echinacea/goldenseal combination to one cup of warm water; drink every two hours.
· Grapefruit seed extract is a powerful all-around antimicrobial product and is an excellent disinfectant and antiseptic.
Add five drops to a glass of water for a soothing gargle.
· Prepare a mixture by adding ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar and ¼ cup of honey. Take one tablespoon every four hours or
as needed for pain relief.
· Steep two teaspoons of dried hyssop in one cup of boiling water, covered for ten minutes; strain and drink cool for
an expectorant or hot to relieve coughs, congestion, and sore throat.
· Grind one tablespoon of mustard seed and add the juice of half a lemon, one tablespoon of salt, one tablespoon of clear
honey, and 1 1/4 cups of boiling water. Leave this mixture, covered, for 15 minutes and use as a gargle.
· Prepare a tea by adding 2 sprigs of coarsely chopped parsley, 3 whole spice cloves, 1 teaspoon of powdered myrrh, and
1/4 teaspoon powdered goldenseal to 1 pint of boiling water. Steep. Stir occasionally while cooling, then strain and use as
a gargle or mouthwash.
· Boil some pomegranate rinds and drink as a tea. The pomegranate contains astringents
· Prepare a tea by adding five fresh crushed or dried leaves; place in a cup and fill with water cooled to just below
boiling; cover and leave to infuse for five minutes; remove leaves and drink. May also be used as a gargle.
· For sore throat get a small dixie cup, pour cultured buttermilk in the cup. Slowly swish and gargle it in your mouth
slowly drink a small cup of it every hour for 1 day and sore throat will be gone next day.
· Take 4 cloves of garlic - minced fine, 1 tbsp. Honey,1/8 tsp. cayenne (approx.). Mix this together, take a spoonful
when needed and chew it up well before swallowing.
· Water boiled with basil leaves should be taken as a drink, and also used as a gargle to relieve a sore throat.
· Tamarind water should be used as a gargle. A powder of the dry leaves and an infusion of the bark can also be used for
preparation of a gargle for treating sore throat
· Two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds should be put in a litre of cold water and allowed to simmer for half an hour over
a low flame. This should then be allowed to cool to a bearable temperature, strained, and then used entirely as a gargle.
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