Trunks, teas, throat compresses and co.

Note: A sore throat is not the same as tonsillitis.

Since time immemorial, there have been tried and tested home remedies that have been used to cure minor aches and pains. This makes sense for various ailments if you want to avoid taking medication immediately, which can also have side effects.


If you want to cure a sore throat, there are various methods to do so. Some are better known than others, here we want to introduce the best known and hopefully most effective.

Firstly, however, we would like to point out that tonsillitis is the more serious version of a sore throat and usually requires medical treatment.  

You should therefore take a look in the throat to find out whether the sore throat is in the throat itself or whether the tonsils are more likely to be affected. If the tonsils are thick and swollen and/or have white spots, tonsillitis is more likely. Although there are home remedies for this, it is still advisable to see a doctor, because if the tonsils are affected, treatment with antibiotics may be necessary and there is a risk of infection.

So finally back to the common sore throat. Hot milk with honey is probably the best-known and most tried-and-tested remedy to combat them. Honey has an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effect. Although there is an opinion that the enzymes it contains are destroyed if the temperature is too high, milk is not heated so much as to cause this, but usually remains well below the critical limit, as nobody likes to remove over-boiled milk from the cooker or microwave.

This is different with tea, the water has to boil so that the substances and flavours it contains can come into their own. Tea is therefore always brewed with boiling water. Sage tea, which can be drunk hot or cold or used to gargle, helps to relieve a sore throat. If you want to add honey, you should wait until it is well below boiling point to avoid the above-mentioned problem with the enzymes, or you can use sugar straight away.

Another version of this remedy is as follows. Boil the sage with very little water and honey, then add milk and drink hot. This is supposed to promote perspiration, so the best thing to do afterwards is to lie down in bed. This applies to the majority of treatments anyway, as bed rest gives the body a chance to rest to aid healing.

Hot lemon with honey is also very popular. Squeeze a lemon, pour hot water over it and sweeten with honey. This also provides vitamin C, which supports the body's defences.

Onions with rock candy are another trump card against a sore throat. To do this, cut a large onion into small pieces, put it on the cooker with a little water to boil and add several rock candy sugars. The whole thing has to boil down for at least an hour and is then consumed warm. It should taste good, but may not be to everyone's taste.

Gargling with warm salt water also helps to relieve the annoying sore throat. The salt also has a germ-killing, sterilising function.

The following remedies can be found in the throat compresses for sore throats section.

One version is hot potato wraps. The potatoes are boiled in their skins and when they are soft, they are pressed onto a cloth with a fork, wrapped in it and tied around the neck. Wrap another cloth over them to keep the heat in for longer.

Another version consists of wraps with white cabbage leaves. These are blanched briefly in hot water and wrapped around the neck in cloths similar to potato wraps.

Cold compresses can also be applied by soaking a sheet in either cold milk or ice-cold water, placing it around the neck and wrapping a dry cloth or thick scarf around it. The reason for the cold is that the sore throat is an inflammation, which is cooled down and thus relieved.

Which remedy should ultimately be used depends on the preferences of each individual, but ultimately the only thing that helps is to try it out and wait and see what actually brings relief. Get well soon!