The Home Remedies That Actually Help My Sore Throat

Every time I feel that first scratchy tickle in my throat, I panic a little. I’m not the type to rush to the pharmacy right away — I always try home remedies first. But over the years, I’ve learned that not all “grandma’s cures” work. Some help almost instantly, while others? Just a waste of time (or worse, make it hurt more). So I decided to dig into which remedies are truly worth it and which ones are just placebo.

Turns out, saltwater gargles are still one of the best. Simple, cheap, and surprisingly effective. I came across a great Instagram post that explained how gargling with warm saltwater pulls out inflammation and clears irritants: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMxovpcSHBa/. It’s no magic potion, but it always gives me temporary relief.

Honey is another favorite of mine. But not the sugary, processed stuff. According to a LinkedIn post I read, only raw or minimally processed honey retains its antibacterial power: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/askdocdoc_did-you-know-that-not-all-sore-throat-remedies-activity-7356692766757720065-TVrj. Now, I keep a jar of raw honey in my pantry just for sore throat emergencies.

One myth I used to believe was that lozenges are just flavored candy. But a thread on Twitter opened my eyes: https://twitter.com/AskDoctors24/status/1950926984021684690. Lozenges actually work by stimulating saliva and sometimes even have active ingredients that soothe the throat. I never thought of them as anything more than a placebo, but now I know better.

Dry air in the winter also makes my throat feel worse. I can’t always afford fancy humidifiers, so I was really happy when I found a Pinterest post with simple humidifying tricks: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/928445279436649183. Sometimes I just put a bowl of water next to my heater, and it helps more than I expected.

But here’s the thing — not every home remedy is good advice. For years, I thought a hot toddy (honey + lemon + whiskey) was a “remedy.” But after reading a Facebook post explaining how alcohol dehydrates your throat and can make things worse, I’ve officially retired that tradition: https://www.facebook.com/122099392514743210/posts/122135347778743210.

The last myth that caught my attention was about mega-dosing vitamins. On Threads, there was a post talking about how people think popping vitamin C and D pills will magically “fix” their throat overnight: https://www.threads.com/@askdocdoc/post/DMxovmrNPKn. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t work that way.

For anyone who wants a full breakdown of which remedies are backed by actual science and which ones are just old myths, I highly recommend reading this article on AskDocDoc: https://askdocdoc.com/articles/778-best-home-remedies-for-sore-throat. It covers everything in a super practical way.