Herbal Sore Throat Healing Tea and Natural Sore Throat Remedies

When a sore throat starts what we all are looking for is immediate relief. So what heals a sore throat quickly and takes the pain out? My Nearly Magical Herbal Sore Throat Healing Tea can! And the great thing about this is that it is also natural, organic, and generally safe for everyone to take***.

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This Sore Throat Healing Tea Can Work Fast

When I first created this blend, my mother was at my house for a family gathering and said she had woken up that day with a painful sore throat. She was concerned that it could even be strep throat because it hurt so bad. So I got into my herb cabinet and concocted this tea from herbs that are known for healing sore throats. Let me tell you that when I remembered to ask my mom how her throat was–about three hours after her first cup of tea–her sore throat was completely gone! She took the second cup home with her to reheat and drink later, but she never got sick.

A few days later, I started getting a sore throat (thanks, Mom) and I made the tea for myself and the sore throat went away.  A couple of days ago my husband came home from work late in the evening. He said he had woken with a sore throat and suffered with it all day. He took an “Emergency C”, he said, but his throat still felt bad. I made him the tea and by bedtime, he felt great. He drank another cup the next morning for good measure, but he didn’t get sick. The soreness in his throat was gone.

How to Make Nearly Magical Natural Sore Throat Healing Tea

One wonderful thing about herbal teas is that you don’t have to measure anything. Not really. Some folks like to measure their herbs with scientific precision, but it isn’t necessary here. Also note that if you don’t have one of these items, you can leave it out. If you only have one–still make the tea. All of these ingredients are powerful healers in their own rite. I just have found that this blend is sort of magical.

If you would like this recipe and article in printable form, download my free ebook that contains this article here.  

When making medicinal teas, I like to use a French Press for this and it makes up to four cups of tea, but you can put the herbs in a mason jar or teapot and use a regular mesh strainer to catch the herbs when pouring into a cup. A small spoon-sized tea strainer is probably too small to hold enough of the herbs. This set of strainers is ideal for straining herbs into jars and cups for herbal medicines. 

When I’m making herbal teas to give to others or to carry with me, I like to use disposable (or compostable) teabags. They’re just super handy and I find that people are more likely to make the tea if they don’t have the work of measuring and straining. I recommend a medium-size teabag to accommodate larger leaves of medicinal tea. 

When measuring herbs for tea, especially herbs I have gathered and kept whole, I generally measure in pinches. In old recipes that call for a pinch, they are generally talking about the two-fingered pinch (thumb and index finger). For the larger whole herbs, I will call a large pinch the three- or four-fingered pinch. (I keep my herbs as whole as possible until ready to use as this keeps them fresher. Then I crush them up some when I’m about to use them.) The exact amounts really don’t matter. If your herbs are crushed already, you may want to do about a teaspoon or two of the first three herbs.

Ingredients for Nearly Magical Herbal Sore Throat Tea

• 1 large pinch Yarrow** (See my warning about yarrow if you are allergic to Ragweed. Can substitute Thyme, Oregano or Bee Balm.)
• 1 large pinch Self-heal
• 1 large pinch Sage
• 1 pinch Mint (I use spearmint or peppermint and this is mostly for flavor. It doesn’t take that much mint to flavor your tea.)
• 1 teaspoon or more Honey (I used a violet flower-infused honey for one and stevia for my husband who is diabetic. Honey has healing properties, too, so if you have honey–especially raw honey–I recommend that.)

Where to Find the Herbs for Sore Throat Healing Tea

The Self-Heal and Yarrow were both in my yard. The Sage I grew in a container, because at the time I didn’t have space for a garden. I have grown, foraged and purchased spearmint/peppermint. All can be purchased or grown from seed, though, if you don’ t want the joy–or bother–of foraging for your herbs. I have bought both good and bad seeds locally, at online stores and individual sellers on EBay. I look at the reviews and hope for the best. Amazon, just check the reviews. 

For help identifying Self-Heal and Yarrow, see my article Weeds You Should Let Grow in Your Yard.

Why These Herbs Work to Heal a Sore Throat

These amazing herbs have MANY more benefits that what I’ve listed here, but these are a few ways they help ease and heal a sore throat. Please look them up, learn them and use them as they can be lifelong herbal allies.

Yarrow** is a great antiseptic and a wound healer as well as eases pain, among other amazing qualities.

Self-Heal is an antiviral herb that draws out infection. It is also an immune system balancer and strengthener.

Sage, like Yarrow and Self-Heal, can heal mouth sores. It also brings relief to swollen tissue as an anti-inflammatory and has antimicrobial properties.

Honey also has antibacterial and antiseptic properties and coats the throat and eases pain and swelling. For diabetics, you can omit the honey or substitute with Stevia if you want a sweet tea.

Substitutions for Herbs in the Sore Throat Healing Tea

I will tell you that I made this tea blend because I had read about Yarrow, Self-heal, and Sage all being wonderful alone for things like sore throats. I had them all on hand because I had foraged the yarrow and self-heal from my hard and grown the sage in my garden. I dried them and stored them in glass canning jars for later use. You, also, can use what you have instead of or in addition to the herbs I use in my tea blend. It may or may not be as effective as the ones I used.

Other herbs you could add to the blend or substitute could be herbs from your kitchen. (One problem with kitchen herbs is that we often have them for years. They are already crushed and so their potency may be much less than freshly dried herbs. If they still have a good strong aroma, then they should still have medicinal properties as well.)

• Oregano
• Thyme
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Bee Balm

Natural Sore Throat Remedies

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar or Juice of Fermented Vegetables

Gargle with the vinegar and then just go ahead and drink it down. I have done the same with my home fermented Kim Chi Juice or Sauerkraut juice. It often takes the sore throat away. I will do this if someone else in the house gets sick and I often fight of the sickness without even getting sick at all. This is the same idea behind Fire Cider.

You can find natural Kim Chi and Sauerkraut–even Sauerkraut juice–at health food stores and natural food grocers. You can also look up recipes to make your own Sauerkraut or Fire Cider online. They’re super easy to make and I like to have these on hand.

Salt Water

This old-fashioned trick still works and is sometimes the only thing we can do if we are at work or away from home. In fact, I often still rinse with salt water in between drinking the sore throat healing tea. The healing properties of the salt and the flushing of the water will begin the healing process. Repeat every half hour.

Fresh Ginger Root Sore Throat Tea Recipe

• A few slices of raw Ginger
• 1 T Honey       
• A squeeze of fresh Lemon juice or fresh  Lemon zest
• Dash of Cinnamon (optional)

Put the raw ginger and lemon zest right into your teacup. Or you can make a whole French Press or quart canning jar full. Pour boiling or almost boiling water over it and let it steep for 10 minutes. Add the honey, lemon juice, and cinnamon before serving. You can drink this tea throughout the day to soothe your throat.

 

Essential Oils to Heal Sore Throats Naturally

I don’t use essential oils very much because I prefer the simplicity and sustainability of growing or foraging for most of my herbs. But according to Dr. Josh Axe, Lemon Oil, Oregano Oil and Peppermint Oil are the top three to use for a sore throat. I have used Oregano Oil in pill form many times to kick many sicknesses to the curb, so I know it is powerful for fighting infection. I like to get my organic essential oils from Starwest Botanicals. 

Herbal Sore Throat Numbing Spray

Another marvelous way to take the pain out of a sore throat and to promote healing is with a herbal spray that numbs your throat. I make mine out of Sage, Self-heal, and Spilanthes tinctures along with Raw Honey. Echinacea tincture or glycerin could be used in place of the Spilanthes as it also has a mild numbing effect, but Spilanthes is more numbing.

I recommend purchasing your liquid herbal extracts from Starwest Botanicals or Amazon.

You can also purchase some really good Herbal Throat spray from Amazon.

Bone Broth Magic to Help Heal Sore Throats

Have you started making your own bone broth yet? I hope so. It is full of minerals for feeding your body and strengthening your immune system. Want to make it a magical infection-fighting broth?! Just add herbs and spices to your broth! Whether you have bone broth or regular chicken broth, try this homemade goodness.

(You can also buy bone broth in the grocery store now if you don’t want to make it. Just be sure that you buy a good quality one if possible. You get what you pay for. If you don’t have bone broth, regular chicken or turkey broth with the following herbs would also be healing for our sore throat–or any sickness.)

Heat your broth on the stove or in the Crockpot and add to it any or all of the following:

• Oregano
• Thyme
• Sage
• Garlic
• Onion
• Turmeric
• Ginger
• Cayenne

You can keep it warm and sip on it through the day.   It is so satisfying and nourishing–great for when you don’t feel like eating a lot or if it’s painful to swallow.

When it comes to herbal and natural remedies, we all usually want that same thing–something that works right now. We want a “magic bullet” that will fix us and make us feel better. Herbs are more closely related to healing through nutrition. It often takes time. But there are some herbal remedies that often work very fast.  My herbal sore throat healing tea is one of them.

Take Charge of Your Own Health

I write my articles and books to let you know that you CAN be in charge of your health for very little cost. It cost me nothing to forage Yarrow and Self-Heal and cost me very little to grow sage. Honey can be pricey, but nothing like prescriptions and doctor’s visits. You can also purchase many dried herbs, herbal tinctures and essential oils from