What is Sore Throat or Pharyngitis?
Sore Throat is also known as Pharyngitis (Scientific), Gale mein kharash (Hindi/Urdu), Ghasa khavakhavane (Marathi), Tontai vali (Tamil), Gontu manta (Telugu), Teantavedana (Malayalam), Houlong tong (Chinese), Dolor de garganta (Spanish), Dor de garganta (Portuguese), Gala byatha (Bengali), Bol’noye gorlo (Russian), sakit Tenggorokan (Indonesian). Sore throat (or pharyngitis) refers to the inflammation of the pharynx – the area of the throat between the back of the nose and the beginning of the trachea and vocal cords.
Sore Throat Root Causes and Common Symptoms
A sore throat often goes hand in hand with a cold or the flu. It occurs frequently when a person has a cold or an attack of influenza. A raw throat is the first sign of the common cold or other respiratory infection. A sore throat is caused by irritation and inflammation of the throat. This inflammation may also involve the tonsils and adenoids if these have not already been removed. An irritating condition of the throat may range from the harmless to the potentially serious. Burning and dryness in the throat followed by chills, fever and some hoarseness or laryngitis are the common symptoms of acute sore throat. The feeling is unmistakable a painful, raw scratchiness that intensifies when you swallow. The lymph glands along the sides of the neck may become swollen and tender. The back of the throat may become very red and even covered with a grayish white membrane. The patient may find difficulty in swallowing, especially during the acute stage. There may also be postnasal discharge if the irritation has spread to the nasal passages. Sore throat, caused by ‘ Streptoccal’ germs can lead into high fever and sharp pain with swelling. Sore throat is mainly caused by bacteria or a viral infection. Many different kind of ailments can give rise to this condition. The most common of these ailments are common cold and influenza. Other diseases which can cause sore throat are tonsillitis, mumps, sinusitis, measles, and diphtheria. Even leukemia on rare occasions may lead to sore throat. Other causes of this disease are excessive smoking, abuse of gargles or mouthwashes, general vitamin deficiency, food allergy and talking, frequent use of voice as in certain professions like singing, acting and teaching. Streptococcal sore throat, or strep throat, is an inflammation of the throat and tonsils caused by bacteria and is the most common type of strep infection. Onset is usually sudden and is accompanied by pain, redness, and swelling in throat tissues, pus on the tonsils, fever, headache, and malaise. If left untreated, strep throat can lead to rheumatic fever. Another viral illness that starts with a sore throat is mononucleosis, a condition that typically strikes teens and young adults. In addition to severe sore throat, signs and symptoms include extreme fatigue, malaise, decreased appetite, chills, fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, enlarged spleen, and sensitivity to light. The Epstein-Barr virus is the cause. It spreads from close contact with infected saliva or respiratory mucus – hence the illness’s nickname “the kissing disease.”
Home Remedies to Soothe Sore Throat
Sore throats usually resolve on their own in a few days. But there’s no need to suffer while you wait. Sore throat is generally quite easy to remedy using Ayurvedic methods. Try the following remedies to ease throat discomfort but if your sore throat persists for more than a few days even though you are trying these remedies, see a medical professional.
24 Effective Natural Ways to Heal Sore Throat. Sore Throat Pain Natural Treatment. Heal Pharyngitis with Indian Home Cure.
- Simple Kitchen Remedy: A simple and effective kitchen remedy for colds, sore throats, and coughs can be readily made by mixing a crushed clove of garlic with freshly squeezed lemon juice (Citrus lemon), 1–2 teaspoons of honey, and a pinch of dried ginger (Zingiber officinalis) powder or, preferably, a small piece of chopped fresh ginger root. Place in a mug, add hot water, and stir. Drink up to three cups a day.
- Ginger and Honey Cure: Crush a piece of root ginger to extract the juice, and add to a tablespoon of honey and 3 tablespoons of lime. Sip four times a day.
- Turmeric: Drinking 1 cup of hot milk boiled with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric is also helpful for sore throat.
- Slipper Elm: Slipper Elm capsules will do the trick for a raging sore throat. Just remember that it is probably a portent of a cold, flue or strep to come.
- Treat Pain and Irritation: Thyme tea, made by steeping a handful of fresh thyme leaves in a cup of just-boiling water for 10 minutes, is also a time-tested sore throat remedy. Sip hot thyme tea to soothe a sore throat, or transform it into an effective gargle by adding a teaspoon of salt to a cup of cooled tea. Stir until the salt is dissolved and gargle with small mouthfuls. Spit; don’t swallow.
- Gargle for Strep Throat: A sore throat is often soothed by gargling. Some effective gargles to be found in the pantry are: Sage tea, chamomile tea and blueberry tea. Sage tea is also used to ease the discomfort of tonsillitis/strep throat.
- Effective Home Treatment: A bark of mango (aam) is very efficacious in sore throat and other throat disorders. Its fluid can be applied locally with beneficial results. It can also be used as a throat gargle. This gargle is treated by mixing 10 ml. of the fluid extract with 125 ml. of water.
- Soothing Tea: Try a few teaspoons of crushed Euclyptus leaves per cup of boiling water for a soothing tea.
- Reduce Swelling: The herb belleric myrobian (bahera) is also valuable remedy for sore throat. A mixture of the pulp of the fruit, salt, long pepper (pipli) and honey should be administered in the treatment of this condition. The fried fruit, roasted after covering it with a wheat flour, is also a popular remedy for sore throat.
- Natural Sore Throat Remedy: Gargling with salt water is a simple and effective sore throat remedy. Stir a teaspoon of salt into a cup of warm water until the salt is completely dissolved. Take a mouthful, gargle, and spit. Repeat hourly. OR Gargle with the hot water mixed with 1/4 teaspoonful of turmeric powder and a pinch of salt.
- Heal Discomfort: Betel leaves have proved beneficial in the treatment of this disease. The leaves should be applied locally for obtaining relief. The fruit of the betel tree, mixed with honey, can also be taken beneficially to relieve irritating throat cough.
- Folk Remedy: Another old remedy calls for mixing equal amounts of honey and apple cider vinegar (try 2 teaspoons of each) in a cup of hot water. Take frequent small sips of this mixture to ease sore throat pain.
- Simple Homemade Medication: Try lemon honey ginger tea. Ginger is antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and warming. Lemon inhibits some bacteria, is antioxidant, and provides bioflavonoids and vitamin C. Honey moistens irritated mucous membranes, soothes inflammation, and discourages bacterial growth. (Manuka honey, which comes from bees that extract nectar from the manuka flower in New Zealand, is active against strep bacteria.) Cayenne is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic (despite the burn), and active against some bacteria.
- Thyme + Oregano + Sage Tea: Boil the water in the bottom of a double boiler. Place 1 tablespoon (2 g) fresh thyme leaves, 1 tablespoon (4 g) fresh oregano leaves, 1 tablespoon (3 g) fresh sage leaves, and honey in the top of the double boiler. Gently heat the honey mixture for 30 to 60 minutes. Strain through a tea strainer. You’ll get about 1/4 cup [60 ml] or less and is just enough to coat the throat. Drink right away while still warm.
- For Acute Condition by Colds: An infusion of bishop’s weed seeds mixed with common salt can be used beneficially as a gargle in acute condition caused by colds.
- Tested True Formula: The spice cinnamon (dalchini) is also regarded as an effective remedy for sore throat, resulting from cold. Coarsely powdered and boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of pepper powder and honey, it can be taken as a medicine in the treatment of this condition. The oil of cinnamon, mixed with honey, also gives immense relief.
- Shorten the Common Cold: Zinc lozenges can soothe a sore throat as well as help shorten the duration of a cold.
- Mucous Membranes: Warm fennel tea makes an effective gargle, soothing mucous membranes and relieving cough.
- Traditional Indian Suggestion: Try a gargle prepared from fenugreek seeds. To prepare this gargle, two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds should be put in a liter of cold water and allowed to simmer for half an hour over a low flame. It should be allowed to cool to a bearable temperature. It should then be strained and entire quantity used as a gargle.
- Loosen Up Cramped Throat: Drinking linden flower tea will encourage perspiration and loosen up a cramped throat.
- Ease Painful Coughs: The water boiled with basil leaves should be taken as a drink and also used as a gargle in sore throat.
- Healing with Licorice Root: Try soothing herbal tea that is ginger-cinnamon-licorice tea. Take ginger 2 parts, cinnamon 2 parts and licorice 3 parts. Mix all the powders. Steep 1 teaspoon of the herbal mixture in water for 5 to 10 minutes, and drink up to 3 times a day.
- Shrink Swollen Tissue: You can also practice bhramari (Humming Breath) and yoga posture known as the Lion pose is traditionally recommended for sore throats. The Yoga Mudra is also effective.
- Herbal Tea Formula: Take two teaspoons of dry raspberry leaves and brew with one cup of water. Allow the tea to brew for at least 10 minutes and then strain. Use as a gargle and spit out.
Tips to Prevent Sore Throat
- Avoid rapid changes in temperature like hot sun-shine to air conditioned rooms.
- Eat fresh garlic whenever possible, to absorb its antibacterial and antiviral properties.
- Avoid cold and sore foods which may irritate throat – dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Also avoid fermented foods.
- Stay away from chilled dairy products, which are mucus forming and will exacerbate your sore throat.
- Cranberry juice is a great gargle and an even better drink. it contains salicylic acid (the backbone chemical of aspirin), which eases inflammation and pain in the throat.
- To prevent the disease, avoid touching tissues, handkerchief, towels or utensils used by the patients suffering from sore throat.
- Stay warm and rest when you first come down with a cold. You’ll help your body’s immune system battle the infection.
- It is helpful to place a humidifier or vaporizer in your room to moisten the air. Using a cool or warm mist of air can relieve your throat by moistening and soothing air passages that are inflamed.