Brews for Your Burden: The Best Tea for Sore Throat Relief

August 5, 2022

Sore throats can cause an immense amount of discomfort.

This is true of regardless of whether they are a solitary symptom or the result of an illness.

Most over-the-counter medications treat the pain associated with sore throats rather than the actual problem.

Not to mention, it isn’t ideal to keep taking these drugs over an extended period of time.

Well, this is where the best tea for sore throats come in. There are many brews that can tackle both the discomfort as well as the cause.

Learn more about this magical potions below…

What Causes a Sore Throat?

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Before moving onto the remedies, let’s first take a look at what causes sore throats.

This will offer you greater insight as to how the right teas can help.

Sore throats, also known as pharyngitis, is a painful inflammation of the back part of your throat.

Pharyngitis can be caused by either viruses or bacteria – however, around 90 percent of the cases are caused by viral agents.

When bacteria is responsible for a sore throat, it is quite often a result of group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus.

This is commonly referred to as strep throat.

Both the viral and bacterial form of sore throats are infectious and can easily pass from one person to another.

How Can Hot Teas for Sore Throats Help?

Now, you may be wondering how teas can actually help in this particular instance.

Well, a great many herbal and true teas contain antioxidants and healing agents – as you will see below.

Furthermore, some of them can even be consider antibacterial and antiviral, fighting off the disease that is causing your sore throat.

Of course, not all teas have such features. Thus, you do need to pick them carefully.

hot cup of tea

Effective vs. Soothing Teas for Sore Throats

If you were to drink almost any hot tea – or warm beverage, for that matter – you would find that your sore throat was temporarily soothed.

This is largely due to the impact of the heat diminishing the pain in your throat tissues.

The effective teas, however, go one step further. These are able to tackle the root cause of the problem.

Thus, you may find relief more quickly and for an extended period of time.

It may be possible that certain teas could even reduce the period or intensity of the illness.

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Best Herbal Teas for Sore Throat

Here are the best teas for a cold and sore throat:

Ginger Tea

If you had to pick just one tea to help beat your sore throat, it should be ginger tea.

This brew packs quite a punch and can help to ease your discomfort in numerous ways.

Ginger is an incredibly versatile ingredient, boasting anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

Best of all, ginger can help to treat a wide number of bacterial infections. Thus, it can be suitable for different kinds of sore throats.

Ginger tea can be brewed using fresh ginger or powder.

Chamomile Tea

Most people know chamomile tea as the brew that makes it easier for you to go to sleep.

And, if your sore throat is keeping you up, then this tea can definitely have a calming impact.

However, this tea is capable of so much more.To begin with, chamomile is used to reduce inflammation in mucous membranes, making it ideal for dealing with sore throats.

To add to this, it is known to improve lubrication in the throat. This works to dispel some of the discomfort that you are dealing with.

You can brew chamomile tea using tea bags or dried chamomile flowers.  

Turmeric Tea

Turmeric has been gaining popularity in recent years and with good reason.

This bright yellow powder has many health benefits.

Among these, is anti-inflammatory properties.

One of the main advantages of turmeric is that it is capable of treating chronic inflammation as well. Thus, you should be able to get some relief sooner.

When you brew turmeric tea, you also get the benefit of its antibacterial capabilities too.

This ensures that the tea targets whatever is causing your sore throat.

It is simple enough to brew this tea, all you have to do is stir turmeric powder in hot water.

Tumeric tea

Licorice Root Tea

Licorice root tea is another brew that can help with a sore throat on multiple fronts.

For one thing, it has both antimicrobial and antiviral properties. As such, this should ease your discomfort regardless of what the cause is.

There is also some evidence to show that licorice root has anti-inflammatory properties as well. 

Nevertheless, you should be careful when drinking licorice tea as it can have several side effects associated with it.

As such, you should drink licorice root tea in moderate amounts and shouldn’t continue with it for an extended period of time.

It is also best to drink licorice root tea prepared in sachets as you can monitor the dose this way.

You should avoid licorice root tea altogether in the following instances:

  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • Heart disease
  • About to undergo surgery
  • Hormone-sensitive illnesses
  • High blood pressure
  • Hypertonia
  • Low potassium levels
  • Kidney disease
  • Male sexual problems

Marshmallow Root Tea

What’s great about marshmallow root tea is that it has a specific impact on respiratory diseases.

It appears to be especially suitable for mucosal irritations and may help to reduce the severity and duration of your sore throat.

In addition to reducing inflammation, marshmallow root, can also relieve the pain associated with sore throats.

You can make a tea using the actual root or use herbal tea bags to make your brew.

Peppermint Tea

Interestingly enough, peppermint does have antibacterial capabilities.

In fact, it appears to be quite active against a large number of strains.

At the same time, peppermint can be rather soothing as well. This means that you can experience some relief from the irritation as well.

The best way to make peppermint tea is by using the juice of crushed peppermint leaves. This has been shown to have a more potent effect.

herbal Peppermint Tea

Slippery Elm Tea

It appears that slippery elm is aptly named.

One of the benefits of this ingredient is that it is high in mucilage. As such, it creates a gel that coats your throat, soothing it.

Another advantage is that slippery elm can also relieve pain. Thus, it takes care of two problems at once.

The best way to brew this tea is with tea bags.

Holy Basil (Tulsi) Tea

Referred to either holy basil or tulsi, this another component that has multiple uses.

It is known for its antibacterial elements, working to fight off bacterial infections that are causing the sore throat.

There is also some evidence to show that the leaves have analgesic or pain relieving properties.  

You can use the fresh leaves or the dried tea powder to brew this tea.

Rose Hips Tea

Rose hips has anti-inflammatory properties that can minimize the severity and the duration of your sore throat.

At the same time, it has antioxidant capabilities as well. This can help to boost your health in general.

The easiest way to brew this tea is with pre-packaged teas.

Can True Teas Help with Sore Throat?

As you can see, a large number of herbal teas can help with sore throats. Can the same be said for true teas as well?

Is Green Tea Good for Sore Throats?

Green tea is chock-full of benefits, so let’s just add another one to the list – anti-inflammatory properties.

Thus, a few cups of green tea should help to relieve the discomfort.

Just as importantly, green tea has numerous antioxidants which can keep you healthier.  

For the best results, opt for a high-quality green tea.

Is Black Tea Good for Sore Throats?

The theaflavins in black tea play an important role in remedying sore throats.

This component is able to bring down inflammation and make you feel better much more quickly.

As with green tea, quality of the leaves matter with black tea. Thus, you should make an effort to get the best ones possible.

You should also bear in mind that both green tea and black tea contain caffeine. Thus, you should limit your daily intake to just a few cups of tea.

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A Note About Teas to Sooth Sore Throats

All of these teas here are derived from natural ingredients. As such, they shouldn’t pose any major health concerns.

Nevertheless, you should be cautious when drinking any of these teas. It is possible to have an allergic reaction.

If you notice any adverse symptoms, cease drinking the tea and seek medical assistance.

If you have any health concerns, medical conditions, are pregnant, or breastfeeding, get medical advice before drinking this tea.

This way, you can be certain that the teas will not negatively interact with your health or any of the medications that you are taking.

These are all your answers regarding the best teas for sore throat. Now you will be able to comfortably tend to yourself at home.

If you enjoyed this post, head over to our Pinterest page. We have lots more content on the health benefits of herbal and true teas.

About the Author
Dr. Dheena Sadik
Dr. Dheena Sadik is a consultant Nutritionist and Dietician. She has over a decade of experience in the health and fitness industry.
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