Why does saltwater help sore throat

After your first salt water gargle, you should expect to start feeling better within 24 hours, Dr. Depending on how much your throat hurts, he suggests gargling between two to four times each day. If you have high blood pressure, skip the salt water gargle. He also likes that the soup has added nutrients that can fight infection. Swallowing a spoonful of honey, using a humidifier , drinking lots of water and other liquids, and staying away from cigarette smoke are also sure to soothe your sore throat, he says.

Looks like there is some validity to those grandma-approved remedies! Weight Loss. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Taraji P. Accessible Beauty Products For All. Call your pharmacy or contact them online before going in person. You can get medicines delivered or ask someone to collect them. You do not normally need antibiotics for a sore throat because they will not usually relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery.

They'll only be prescribed if a GP thinks you could have a bacterial infection. A severe or long-lasting sore throat could be something like strep throat a bacterial throat infection. The symptoms are similar for children, but children can also get a temperature and appear less active. Sore throats are usually caused by viruses like cold or flu or from smoking. Very occasionally they can be caused by bacteria. While salt water may not provide you with immediate relief, it is still an effective remedy for killing bacteria while loosening mucus and easing pain.

Simply mix half a teaspoon of salt into 8 ounces of warm water and gargle away. Mix two tablespoons of honey in with a warm glass of water or tea and stir it well. Drink several times a day as needed. However, Dr. Similar to salt water and honey, lemons are great for sore throats because they can help break up mucus and provide pain relief.

Mix one teaspoon of lemon juice into a glass of warm water and drink for quick relief. It may sound strange to use hot sauce to relieve a fiery throat, but this condiment has actually been proven to provide relief for sore throats. Hot sauce is made from peppers that are high in capsaicin, which can be used to fight inflammation and provide pain relief. So, while it may burn at first, dropping a few drops of hot sauce into a warm glass of water to gargle may just be the right remedy to cure your sore throat.

There are many different kinds of herbal teas you can try for quick sore throat relief.