If you’ve been fighting a viral infection and need something to calm your sore throat, tea can be the best choice. Not all types of teas offer the relief that an inflamed throat desires, but certain varieties, like ginger tea, liquorice root tea, chamomile, and turmeric tea, are best suited to ease pain and promote healing. Read on to find out the best tea for a sore throat. We’ll review their benefits and offer tips to make the perfect cup.
Why Tea for Soothing a Sore Throat?
A warm cup of tea helps alleviate the pain and scratchy feeling associated with a sore throat. It keeps the area moist and reduces irritation. Teas like ginger and liquorice root tea have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Thus, their warmth not only relaxes throat muscles and increases blood flow but also encourages healing. When you add honey to your tea, it enhances the soothing and antibacterial effects.
Hydration from the liquid makes swallowing easier. It clears mucus, which causes a cough and irritation. You can consider tea as a great alternative to cold medications.
Best Teas for Sore Throat Relief
Many types of teas provide relief and much-needed comfort from a sore throat. They have plant compounds that soothe an irritated throat. You can also make many of them easily at home.
| Tea Type | Main Benefits |
| Liquorice Root Tea | Strong anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. |
| Chamomile Tea | Calming and anti-inflammatory. It helps with sleep |
| Ginger Tea | Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. It addresses pain and congestion. |
| Peppermint Tea | It has cooling and anti-inflammatory effects, and eases irritation. |
| Turmeric Tea | It is an anti-inflammatory tea that strengthens your immune system. |
| Slippery Elm Tea | The tea has mucilage, which coats and soothes your throat |
| Lemon & Honey Tea | It provides moisture to the throat and is a good source of vitamin C. |
| Sage, Thyme, Lemongrass | Herbal, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial tea. |
| Elderberry Tea | It has immune-boosting and antiviral properties. |
Read Also: Uncovering Twisted Tea Nutrition Facts
How to Prepare Homemade Tea for Sore Throat and Cough
To prepare homemade tea for a sore throat, you just need to boil some water and steep your preferred tea option. Here are the basic steps to follow:
- Boil water in a pan for around five minutes.
- Now, add the teabag.
- Steep the teabag. The boiling water will acquire the colour of the tea.
- After three or four minutes, remove the teabag and serve yourself.
The process above is for the tea you have brought from the store. If you want to manually make a soothing concoction and don’t have store-bought teas, make honey and lemon tea for a sore throat.
- Juice a lemon and slice half of its rind.
- Put the lemon and rind into a teapot.
- Add a teaspoon of runny honey. You can increase the quantity of honey according to the level of sweetness you desire.
- Put a teaspoon of ginger and three sprigs of thyme (if you have one).
- Put boiling water over these ingredients.
- Let the tea brew for five minutes.
- After five minutes, pour it into a cup and enjoy.
Is Milk Tea Good for a Sore Throat?
If you are not sensitive or allergic to dairy items, you can drink milk tea. Adding milk makes the tea creamier. So, if you find drinking hot water-based teas discomforting, add some milk. Also, some people experience increased mucus production when milk and saliva mix and coat the throat. If you are one of them, it is best to steer away from milk tea when having a sore throat. If you still want to make the tea creamy, consider adding thin, non-dairy milk.
Here’s a simple and effective milk tea recipe for a sore throat that will offer much-needed relief:
- Take two tablespoons of loose tea or teabags and add them to a cup of boiling water.
- Let the teabags steep for around eight minutes.
- Boil some water in a separate cup. Just before it scalds, add a cup of your preferred dairy or non-dairy milk.
- Stir the mixture well. You can whisk or froth until the mix gets the desired consistency.
- Next, mix the milk and tea.
- Your milk tea for a sore throat is ready. Sip it and feel the relief.
- You can top off the tea with some extra cinnamon.
Golden Milk Remedy for Sore Throat
Turmeric milk, also called golden milk, is known for its ability to provide relief from throat infections that lead to swelling. Making it is extremely simple.
- Warm a cup of milk in a pot. You can use dairy milk, soy, or coconut milk.
- Stir in a teaspoon of turmeric.
- Add a sweetener of choice, such as honey.
- Boil the milk for two minutes, and then let it sit for a few minutes.
- Pour the warm golden milk into a cup to drink.
Read Also: Jasmine Tea Health Benefits
Teas to Avoid for a Sore Throat
The condition of an irritated throat worsens when you drink teas with caffeine. Caffeine in tea functions as a diuretic. It also dehydrates the body and throat area, which makes the condition worse.
Black tea, green tea, oolong tea, yerba tea, and yellow tea contain caffeine. The compound raises your blood sugar level and, hence, removes the hydration from your body. A sore throat already lacks moisture. When you drink such teas, it reduces the remaining moisture, due to which the discomfort you experience increases.
Try decaffeinated teas or herbal teas to get the needed comfort from an inflamed throat. If you like green tea, try its decaf version. It has polyphenols, which reduce swelling and pain that accompany a sore throat.
Concluding Words
A sore throat is discomforting, but even more problematic is when you cannot find something to alleviate it. Try the above teas to reduce your pain and irritation. You can either purchase a specific tea or prepare a homemade concoction with lemon, honey, and turmeric.
