If the back of your throat has beginning to give you scratchy feeling then you are likely to get pharyngitis.Inflammation or infection in the back of your throat (pharynx) is called pharyngitis. The condition is painful and gives constant scratching sensation in the throat.
Pharyngitis is generally caused by viral infections but bacterial and fungal infections can also be responsible for it. Other causes are mechanical and thermal irritation caused by activities such as smoking and dry air.
Since it is caused by the same virus that causes the common cold, all symptoms of cold such as coughing, sneezing, scratchy throat, fever, headache, joint pain, fatigue and sore throat will be faced in varying degrees of discomfort depending on the severity of pharyngitis.
It gets cured on its own within 3-10 days and during this period some home remedies for pharyngitis will help you to feel more comfortable from its symptoms.
3 Natural Remedies to Soothe Symptoms of Pharyngitis
Since the viral condition affecting throat generally get cured on its own, the focus remain on the reduction of the severity of the symptoms. That is when home remedies come in handy. If you can reduce scratchiness feeling and other discomfort than you are better off while pharyngitis takes its own healing time.
1. Cayenne Pepper
Capsaicin in cayenne pepper is the active ingredient that has strong anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. It helps reduce inflammation and swelling as a result pain is reduced. You can use cayenne pepper in many different ways to sooth your throat. Some of them are stated below.
- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper powder in a teaspoon of honey.
- Mix it well
- Keep the mix in your mouth and let it melt to go down by gravity through the pharynx
Another way is
- take a glass of warm water
- add half a teaspoon of salt and cayenne pepper powder each in the water and mix it well
- gargle with the warm mix
You can also make a tea and sip it.
- add one gram of cayenne pepper powder ( 1/4 teaspoon) to warm water
- add honey and lemon to taste
- sip the tea slowly
You can try the above methods 2-3 times a day.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar balance pH value in the body and improves immunity. It also has anti-viral, antiseptic and antifungal capabilities which make it a very good remedy for pharyngitis. There are many other nutrients and vitamins that makes apple cider vinegar a star health product.
To get soothing effect from the discomforts of pharyngitis, use apple cider vinegar in the following ways.
- add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a cup of warm water
- add a teaspoon of salt and stir it well
- gargle with this solution
Gargling with apple cider vinegar and salt in warm water is one of the most effective home remedies for getting relief from pharyngitis.
You can also use the following
- Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a cup of warm water
- add honey to taste
Sip this tea slowly.
You can also add 1 teaspoon of honey to one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and keep it in the mouth and squish it many times before gulping it down through the throat to the intestine.
3. Ginger, Lemon and Honey
All three ingredients lemon, honey and ginger have antiseptic and antiviral capabilities. Making a nice tea with these ingredients will not only sooth your throat and get rid of the irritation of pharyngitis but will also relish the taste.
- boil one teaspoon of crushed ginger root in two cups of water until the water level comes down to 50%
- strain and add 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice to the liquid
- add one tablespoon of honey and stir it well
Drink this tea by taking enjoyable sips. You can drink it 3-4 times a day to get fast results.
Many other sore throat home remedies covered in another article can also be used to soothe the pain of pharyngitis.
If the condition does not improve with these remedies then visit a doctor for proper examination and treatment.