Cayenne Pepper Sore Throat Cure

My standard treatment to relieve a sore throat used to be a gargle with water and apple cider vinegar. It tasted icky but took most of the soreness out. Usually.

But I have found something WAY better and 100 percent effective. I think it tastes good too.  It's called Tomato Tea,  or Cayenne Pepper Tea.  This concoction uses a HUGE amount of cayenne pepper to, essentially, "nuke" and numb out the inflamed tissues of your throat.  It absolutely works, and FAST. 

Does the cayenne pepper burn your mouth? Well, kind of. Your lips will buzz for awhile, and as you drink it you will think to yourself, "Am I drinking a soup of very angry bees that are stinging my mouth?"  I won't lie to you, it does feel that way, but I kid you not, the buzzing lips go away and so does the sore throat pain. Sweet relief!  I think the tea (which is really more of a soup) has other curative powers and speeds recovery from the illness by killing off the virus. 

I am one of those who actually enjoys the taste of this beverage. I find it quite soothing. It includes a healthy dose of garlic which is also known to have anti-viral effects.  Oh and anti-vampire as well. 

Here's the recipe:

CAYENNE PEPPER TOMATO TEA SORE THROAT CURE RECIPE

one can tomato sauce*  (or tomato juice, or soup, or whatever)
one can water or thin to preferred consistency
two large cloves garlic, minced fine
one teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 
optional: a splash of lemon juice (fresh)

DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and heat through to hot soup drinkable temperature.

SIP the concoction, inhaling the fragrance of the garlic.  Enjoy the  feeling of the pepper as it "burns away" the pain, numbing it out and killing the virus! 

This will likely clear you sinuses too.

ALTERNATE GARGLE METHOD:
If you only have  cayenne pepper on hand, you can make a simple gargle of a cup of water and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or as much as you can stand). Stir the water to keep the pepper afloat while you gargle with it a few times.  Not nearly as pleasnat or tasty, but effective in removing the pain.

The first time I used this cure was last spring, when I had the worst sore throat I had experienced in years. The Vinegar and water gargle didn't touch it.  In desperation I searched the net and ran across this recipe. I tried it and it worked so well,  it is now my treatment of choice.  The cayenne pepper soup may cure it in one dose,  possibly another one a few hours later if the sore throat is severe,  but in my experience this is a miracle cure and even tasty once you get used to it.      

Comments

[eric lewis]

I didn't make the soup, but the gargling worked. Instant relief, aside from the burning. Its great. :)

[Andrea]

Eric, thank you for your feedback! I'm glad it worked for you. I think it truly is amazing how the cayenne pepper anesthetizes the throat and takes away the pain.

I hope you are feeling much better.

[Mosaic Queen]

I Love your tips. Because of you, I no longer use the fake sugar in the blue packets. Went to the health store and bought the Stivia (sp?) Thank you for that!
Please come pay me a visit at my new blog.
Michelle

[Erin]

I am going to try this treatment if I need to. My youngest was sick and absolutely refused...

Happy Thanksgiving Andrea!

[Anna]

Hi Andrea!

I've had a sore throat for two days. A tea called "Throat Coat" made with slippery elm is kind of soothing, but your remedy sounds more effective. If this doesn't go away tomorrow, I'll give it a try.....though I must admit, it's pretty scary sounding. I can't even tolerate "medium" hot sauce.

[Hanne]

This IS pretty scary-sounding, but isn't it amazing how many things there are in nature that work to make us feel better? Thanks for posting this tip.

[Kevin]

I tied the gargling way because I dont have any tomatoe sauce. So far it seems to work but only for a few hours and it comes back, usually overnight. Hard time sleeping with a sore throat and a terrible cough.

[Marc]

After visiting my local after hours clinic and being prescribed a green coloured solution which is said to numb the throat (but does not), I am now gargling the cayenne pepper/hot water mixture. My question is how many mouthfuls must I gargle at a time?

I surely hope this works as the pain is nearly unbearable; what a "lovely" way to spend my Christmas Eve!

[Wendy]

How long before this takes effect? I did it twice and have had little relief for the sacrifice I made to get it down!
Thanks

[Andrea]

Hi Wendy
When I had a terrible sore throat, I gargled every half hour for two or three times. Each time I gargled several mouthfuls of the cayenne water. It took the soreness out. Then in the middle of that night I had to get u and do it one more time. After that no more sore throat.

I think that it will work if you repeatedly gargle until the pain is gone, but not just one or two mouthfuls-- it does take a few sessions to really "nuke": it. The stuff needs a chance to work and numb out the pain. Good luck and I hope you feel better already!
Andrea

[Jimmy Pereira]

I am now drinking the tomato, cayenne, and garlic concoction. My lips and mouth are on fire, so I hope this will cure my sore throat soon. Cheers!

P.S.- What are the colon consequences for such a drink?

[Andrea]

Jimmy, I did not experience any ill effects in terms of, "colon consequences" as you so delicately phrased it. :) But then I rarely have such troubles. I suppose it would depend on your individual constitution.
I sincerely hope you and other readers found relief from this remedy. Thanks for writing.

[makeda sylvester]

i tried the water with cayenne it was great i was suffering with sore throat for dyas until the day day i had a b-ball game, i needed quick results and it actually helped me

[Andrea]

Makeda, I am so glad you had good results! Thanks for leaving your comment. I hope your health has returned to full strength.

[riahc3]

Tried this. Mouth burns and lips do too but hey Ill have to widthstand. My questions:
1: How long before results?
2: How long will it take for the burning to go away?
3: Can, after doing this, I have a drink such as water, fruit punch, gatorade, etc to smoothe the burning?
Thanks! Ill be trying next the milk/honey method.

[Nathan]

In India typically we drink pepper water which is boiling pepper in water. I am just having a bad case of sore throat with severe pain in the night and have tried an NSAID with a bacterial enzyme. It didn't work.

I just drank some pepper water but with a difference. Since the peppers become soft, I would recommend you bite a few of them slowly between your molars and let the juice flow down your throat. If you do this right then your eyes will start watering ;), and you may want to let out scream. I am talking of whole peppers and not the ground ones. Lie down and hold the juice in the back of your palate for 5 minutes ( I know this is asking for too much). I just did it a couple of times and I'll tell you results in a bit.
Your tongue will be numb, and feel like you've been hit by a hammer in the head. But better still, this drives the knife right into the heart of the viruses. They sure run for cover. In about 5 minutes, I'm up with 90% of my throat ache gone. I'm searching for it. You may repeat the regimen every half hour. Boil a few dozen whole peppers in water and keep them aside. Then see how these pests head for cover. Dunno why they don't take someone their own size !!! ;)

Happy pepper munching. BTW, peppers are strong aphrodisiacs too, second or probably on par with garlic. Enjoy !

[Nathan]

We actually use Black Pepper. Not Cayenne.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper

[Andrea]

Nathan, that is very interesting about the way you are using the fresh peppers. It was also interesting to see your link to the page on black pepper being used medicinally, however sore throat was not mentioned. When I looked at the cayenne pepper entry, it specifically mentioned it being used medicinally for sore throat. The link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayenne_pepper#Medicinal_Purpose
I think it is easier to just make some cayenne pepper "tea" and gargle it! Thanks for writing.
--Andrea

[digitalprimate]

Yup, it definately soothes my throat! I have an acute case of tonsillitis (white spots, protruding tonsils, the works) and of course difficulties in swallowing. Don't know if it's bacterial or viral yet, but I'd rather hold off on the antibiotics.

I didn't have ground cayenne pepper, but I used quite a lot Harissa from a tube I picked up at the local Turkish grocer. It's a paste of peppers, garlic and coriander.

I made the tea/soup with a jar of tomato sauce and added 1 jar of water, a teaspoon of honey and a few splashes of lemon juice.
It warms my stomach, heats my lips and soothes the throat. Plus, it rehydrates my body too, which is good if you're sick.

So, over the whole line a good solution to at least help me and my body get through!

So thanks. digitalprimate - Brussels, Belgium.

[Bob Wire]

I sing in a local honky tonk band, and our big CD release party is tonight. Terrible timing for a bad throat. I played a solo show Thursday, and I probably exacerbated a sore throat by singing for three hours straight.
I ran across this cayenne-gargling treatment this morning, and I gave it a try. I've only done one session thus far (a teaspoon of cayenne powder in about a cup of water, 7-8 gargles). The pain is starting to subside, but what I'm more concerned with is whether my throat will rebound enough to sing tonight. I'll definitely NOT be drinking my usual onstage libations of beer and tequila. Tonight it's water and more water.
Any singers had any experience with the cayenne treatment?

[kelly]

Just tried a modified version of the soup. Made it with milk, rather than water, and used a 1/2 teaspoon vs. the recommended full. Still seemed to do the trick, but no burning mouth or watery eyes. Just a spicy soup, and a much better throat.

[JeanW]

This was originally my recipe as posted on earthclinic.com. I'm thrilled to death to see it sweeping across the internet as I know full well how good it works. :) This has cured colds, flu, bronchitis, strep throat, sore throat, nasal congestion, sinus and ear infections. God doesn't make mistakes. :)

I have one comment though... cayenne is very very concentrated. If a person can handle that, all the better, and I use it sometimes too. But for most people, any type of hot sauce works great and is a little easier to handle. The active ingredient is capsaisin which is a painkiller, natural antibiotic and is actually GOOD for your stomach. :)

[JeanW]

Oh, one more comment. I notice a lot of people going for the "gargle" instead of the tea. The gargle I'm sure works good on the sore throat, but if you don't want it to return you need to do more than just gargle. Drink the tea and let it kill the bacteria/germs or whatever. Your throat is attached to your sinuses, your mouth, and your ears... all of which are attached to your stomach, intestines, and lungs. How far is that gargle in your throat going to go? Take in the ingredients, and let them do what they're designed to do. :)

[Julie]

I started getting a sore throat this afternoone, I shrugged it off and said "I'll drink enough water, it'll probably go away." It didn't. It;s now 2:00 a.m. and It was really bad. I looked online for remedies..and found this one. It took me awhile to try it, I was scared, but said "what the heck". My throat is 50% better..and that is only after one gargle! I am going to gargle throughout the night, and see how it turns out. But I believe my sore throat will be gone soon! (I can't wait to try the soup remedie the next time...not hoping for a sore throat again or anything..)

[Alexuma]

I love hot foods, and this is working fantastically! The trick for the lips is to coat them with Vaseline before you start drinking it so they don't get too numb.
Mmmmm, it's great, thanks!
Alex

[Rae Rae]

I made the soup tonight because I have a very sore throat after quitting smoking on Saturday. I read online that often times smokers will experience flu like symptoms after quitting and my throat feels as though I have strep! The soup taste pretty good, I actually added some other herbs like parsley and basil, I just wish I could taste it a little bit more! The cayenne burns so much I'm losing the ability to taste! hehe Aside from the lips of fire, my throat is feeling much better and I am hoping to wake up to a pain free throat in the a.m.!! Thanks for the great recipe!

[Missy]

Here is my concoction for when I feel like I'm coming down with a cold: In a small pot of water, I boil some fresh sprigs of rosemary and parsley. I then add about about 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. I turn down the heat and add in two tea bags, usually lemon and green tea. After steeping for about 8 minutes, I remove from heat and add some lemon juice and honey. It doesn't taste great but it soothes the throat and if all works well the cold will not last as long. If I have them on hand, I'll add one crushed zinc acetate lozenge and some crushed vitamin C to the boiling water. While I'm at it, I also wash down some garlic supplement and more vitamin C with plenty of fluids. Good luck!

[Sam]

I gargle with it i drank it and still nothing

[Brian]

Thank you for this recipe... I started a new job this week and each day my throat is getting increasingly worse. I tried the gargle and though it still hurts, it is about 20% better. I'm going to try the soup now and hope to get some sleep. I know this is an old thread, but it's helpful to those of us who can't get over a sore throat...

[VCN]

Do you think there would be a negative effect if I added milk instead of water?

[VCN]

I actually answered my own question. I put it in my preferred tomato soup recipe, which is as follows:

1 can crushed peeled tomatoes
1 can milk
1/8 tsp baking soda

It still works very well. I actually sort of enjoy the buzzy feeling on my lips/gums. And since it's a creamy soup it doesn't have the harsh tomato taste that some people have such difficulty with.

[Mike]

This is the truth, I had read about the cayenne pepper gargle as well and had created this exact recipe, except I used chicken broth instead of tomato sauce. It literally cured me, and I was shocked. I can not believe that this works SO well, and yet we all waste so much money on medicine for sore throats. I have a sore throat today, which is what led me to google this again and led me to this blog. I'm going to try your recipe right now.