14 Sore Throat Remedies That Can Provide Quick Relief (2025)

A sore throat is usually not cause for concern, and the discomfort typically improves within a week. Fortunately, many natural home remedies, such as salt water, honey, steam, and more, can help soothe sore throat symptoms.

However, a sore throat caused by a bacterial infection such as strep throat, or one that doesn't improve with home care, may require medical treatment.

1. Gargle With Salt Water

Gargling with salt water helps clear away mucus and reduce inflammation while lubricating your throat. You can gargle as often as every hour using half a teaspoon of salt to about 8 ounces (1 cup) of warm water. Gargle for a few seconds before spitting out the solution. Repeat several times.

Research suggests that salt water can also inhibit the growth of oral bacteria and reduce the amount of bacteria in the mouth.

2. Gargle With a Baking Soda–Saltwater Mixture

Baking soda can also help ease a sore throat. Mix one-fourth teaspoon of baking soda and one-eighth teaspoon of salt with a cup of warm water. After gargling, rinse your mouth out with plain water. You can do this three or four times a day.

3. Drink Lots of Liquids

When it hurts to swallow, you may be tempted to avoid drinking. But that can lead to dehydration and throat pain in the long run. That's why it's important to keep drinking water and other fluids throughout the day. Sucking on ice chips or Popsicles (ice pops) can increase your fluid intake while also numbing your throat a bit.

4. Drink Tea

Many people find that a cup of hot tea soothes the throat. Tea can also thin out mucus in the sinuses to help clear stuffy nasal passages. Many teas also have anti-inflammatory properties. Some teas you may want to try are:

• Black tea
• Chamomile
• Fenugreek
• Licorice root
• Marshmallow root
• Peppermint
• Slippery Elm
  

A study on people with sore throats due to intubation (inserting a tube into the windpipe to keep the airway open, such as during surgery) found that gargling with green tea can effectively ease throat pain.

5. Use Honey

You can feel the silky smoothness of honey as it coats your throat. Honey also has anti-inflammatory properties and may help alleviate throat pain and calm a mildcough. One study shows that honey eased throat pain after tonsillectomy, possibly lowering the need for stronger pain medication in the days following surgery. Enjoy a teaspoon of honey straight or mixed into a cup of tea.

6. Suck on Hard Candies

Sucking on lozenges or hard candies can stimulate saliva production, which helps moisten and soothe the throat. Even better is sucking on candy containing real peppermint or honey.

7. Eat Cold Foods

Cold foods tend to go down the throat easily and can provide a certain degree of numbness. Cold foods that might help include:

• Ice cream, sherbet, sorbet, Popsicles
• Yogurt, cold or frozen
• Fruit smoothies
• Jell-O

8. Apply a Warm Compress

A warm compress may help relieve pain and discomfort if you have swollen glands in your throat. Soak a washcloth in warm water, then wring it out. Ensure it's not hot enough to burn your skin, then hold it gently on your swollen glands.

9. Run a Humidifier or Inhale Steam

Moistening the air with mist can provide quick relief from a scratchy throat and help you breathe more easily. Both cool-mist and warm-mist humidifiers can do the trick. Be sure to follow usage and cleaning instructions carefully. Not cleaning your humidifier properly can lead to bacteria growth in the device.

Steam inhalation is another common home remedy for adults, but use extreme caution when inhaling steam. The water is hot enough to cause scalding and significant injury. Alternatively, you can run a hot shower to steam up the bathroom. Sit and breathe in the moist air several times a day.

10. Use Peppermint

Peppermint can effectively soothe a sore throat, thin mucus, loosen phlegm, and calm coughs. This may be due, in part, to menthol, its main active ingredient. Forms of peppermint include teas, capsules, tinctures, and lozenges or candies.

11. Add Fresh Garlic to Your Diet

Garlic is known to have antimicrobial properties that attack viruses and bacteria. Some research suggests that people who eat garlic might have fewer colds.

12. Eat Broth or Soup

There's something to be said about a bowl of chicken soup when you're not feeling well. Try eating hot soup or broth to help thin mucus, drain the sinuses, and soothe throat irritation.

13. Get Plenty of Rest

Getting plenty of rest is always a good idea when under the weather. Your body needs quality sleep to recover. If you have a sore throat, it's also wise to rest your voice. Limit talking and avoid raising or straining your voice or pushing through hoarseness.

14. Try Cayenne Pepper

Eating spicy pepper seems counterintuitive when your throat is sore. However, cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which fights inflammation and blocks pain. Just mix a pinch of cayenne pepper into warm water and gargle. Do not use it if it irritates your throat.

What to Avoid

Things to avoid when nursing a sore throat include:

• Very spicy, acidic, or citrus foods and drinks that can irritate the throat
• Hard foods that scratch your throat when you swallow
• Smoking, secondhand smoke, and inhaling smoke from burning wood
• Anything that tickles the throat and triggers a cough
• Raising your voice, talking a lot

When to Contact a Healthcare Provider

Most of the time, a sore throat is not cause for concern. But signs that you should contact a healthcare provider include:

• Severe sore throat lasting longer than 10 days, recurring sore throat
• Trouble swallowing, breathing, or opening your mouth
• Swelling in your face or neck, lump in neck
• Hoarseness for more than two weeks
• Joint pain, earache
• Rash
• Fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit
• Blood in saliva or phlegm (thick, sticky mucus)

A healthcare professional may want to order a throat culture to determine the cause before prescribing treatment.

Summary

Sore throats are common. They can occur due to allergies and irritants like smoke or a viral or bacterial infection. A sore throat usually starts to feel better within a week and doesn't require medical treatment. Natural remedies such as honey, tea, and gargling with salt water can help ease symptoms. It's also important to stay hydrated and get plenty of rest.

See a healthcare provider if you have other symptoms or if your sore throat does not resolve within 10 days.