There are many causes of sore throat. In most of the cases, it is due to viral infections. Viral infections do not respond well to anti-biotic. Thus rather than starting anti-biotic, it would be better to take up some natural remedies for sore throat. Many people who have tried natural remedies for sore throat have received wonderful results.

Best Natural Remedies for Sore Throat:

Honey:

You can add honey to plain water, take it just like that or even add it to tea. This would really give you freedom from sore throat. However, you will have to take honey twice a day and this should be continued for around 5–6 days. Honey also has the tendency to fight cough and thus it can perform dual tasks.

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Salt water gargles:

Using salt water in sore throat would give good results. It can break down the bacteria and also it helps cleaning the throat. This is an age old remedy and it works even today.

Have lots of fluids:

In order to avoid further irritation in your throat you should start taking healthy fluids like green tea, soups etc. Warm fluids would help to soothe the throat and reduce irritation.

Peppermint tea:

You can get peppermint tea bags from the market. Buy them and prepare peppermint tea at home and consume it twice a day. You will surely get relief form sore throat. When this tea cools down, you can use it for gargling also.

Basil leaves:

Chewing basil leaves can boost the body’s defense mechanism. This herbal remedy is age old and is followed even today. It really works well on many infections including cold, cough, sore throat and so on.

Are antibiotics necessary for sore throat?

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Most of the people have this question in mind. Most of the time sore throat may be the result of vital infection. Antibiotics do no good to viral infections. The body’s natural system has the power to sort off this issue. But the doctor would be the main person to judge whether the infection that you have is bacterial or viral.

The very first thing you need to do is find out whether this is a bacterial infection or viral infection. If it is a bacterial infection then it would not be sore throat, but it would be strep throat. For strep throat, the treatments are different. Sore throat is manageable at home. You can try the above remedies and seek relief.

But if sore-throat doesn’t come under control in spite of trying many natural remedies, then you should talk to the doctor. If there are symptoms like severe throat pain, swelling and redness in throat, fever, bleeding from throat, difficulty to swallow liquids and solids then you should not ignore them. You should immediately seek medical attention. If you have taken medication from the doctor then it would be better to complete the entire course as prescribed by the doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions: