Home Remedies for Sore Throat | Cures | Treatment | Causes | Tonsils

By | May 24, 2010

Home Remedies for Sore Throat

Suffering from a sore throat is a rather common occurrence and can be caused by a variety of reasons. The most common types of viruses abundant in today’s world can cause a sore throat and also produce a number of painful blisters in the mouth. While a sore throat is considered to be a very common affliction, not many people know that sore throats are usually classified differently depending on their severity and root causes. On the basis of their severity, sore throats can be classified into two types. An acute sore throat is one that develops rather suddenly and is usually caused by a virus or bacterium. The condition will be accompanied by a burning sensation or dryness in the throat which may be followed by chills, fever, and hoarseness of he throat as well as laryngitis. The condition will last for a few weeks and may even subside after this timeframe with little or no medical treatment. A chronic sore throat, on the other hand, will last for a considerable period of time and will usually only subside after some medical treatment has been administered. The condition may be the result of repeated attacks of an acute sore throat or as a result of the continued irritation from excessive smoking, consumption of rather hot drinks or spicy food. A sore throat may also be categorized depending on the causing factor where the condition, when caused by a bacterium, is referred to as a bacterial sore throat that, when left untreated, could spiral into a rheumatic fever – thereby damaging the valves of the heart. When the condition is caused by a virus, it will spread rather rapidly. Almost always accompanied by a stuffy nose and sneezing, this type of sore throat accounts for about 90% of all cases of sore throats worldwide.

Since sore throats are such a common occurrence, there are a number of rather effective natural treatment options that may prove rather useful. For example, you could try boiling some holy basil leaves in a cup of water and allow it to cool before straining it thoroughly. You could also try drinking the concoction or gargling with it to equal effect. Crush a few cloves and add this to a glass of water. Boil the water and drink it while it is still hot. You can also add a pinch of peppered powder and 2 teaspoons of honey to increase the effectiveness of this tonic. Drink the concoction once a day, preferably early in the morning in order to prevent the development of a sore throat.