Sore throat is a condition used to refer to the inflammation of the pharynx or back of the throat. When a person has an attack of influenza or cold, sore throat occurs frequently. This inflammation may also involve the adenoids and tonsils if these have not been already removed.
An irritating condition of the throat may range from the harmless to potentially serious. The patient usually complains of dryness and burning in the throat followed by fever, chills and hoarseness in case of acute symptoms of sore throat. The back of the throat may become very red and even-colored with grayish white membrane.
The lymph glands may also become swollen and tender along the sides of the neck. During an acute stage, the patient may also experience difficulty in swallowing. If the irritation has spread to nasal passages there may also be post nasal discharge.
Sore throat is mainly caused by virus infection or bacteria. Different kinds of ailments are also responsible for giving rise to this problem. The most common of these ailments are influenza and common cold. Other diseases which cause sore throat are sinusitis, tonsillitis, measles, mumps and diphtheria. Leukemia may also cause sore throat on rare occasions. Other causes of this disease are excessive talking and smoking.
Home Remedies for Sore Throat: Certain home remedies have been found to be very effective in the treatment of sore throat. One such remedy is the use of the bark of mango. The fluid obtained from this bark can be applied locally with beneficial results. It can also be used as throat gargle. This gargle can be prepared by mixing 10 to 12ml of fluid extract with about 120ml of water. It proves to be very efficacious in sore throat as well as other throat related disorders.
Betel leaves are also very beneficial in the treatment of sore throat. This leaves should be locally applied for obtaining relief. The fruit of betel leaf mixed with honey can also be taken safely to relieve irritating cough in the throat.
Another valuable remedy is the use of herb Myroblan (Bahera). A mixture of honey, long pepper, salt and myroblan fruit can be administered in the treatment of this condition. The fried fruit roasted after covering it with wheat flour is also an effective remedy for sore throat.
Bishops weed (Ajwan) is also very beneficial in the treatment of sore throat. In acute conditions caused by colds, an infusion of the seeds mixed with common salt can be used effectively as a gargle.
Cinnamon (Dalchini) is another useful spice found useful in the treatment of sore throat resulting from cold. Coarsely powdered seeds of cinnamon boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of pepper powder and honey can be taken as a medicine for treating this condition. The oil of cinnamon mixed with honey also gives immense relief.
A gargle prepared from Fenugreek (Methi) seeds is also very beneficial for treating sore throat. This gargle can be prepared by adding two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds to one litre of water and allowed to simmer for half an hour on a low flame. Thereafter it should be allowed to cool to a bearable temperature and used as a gargle.
The leaves of the plant Holy Basil (Tulsi) have also been found effective in the treatment of this condition. Water boiled with basil leaves should be taken as a drink and also used as a gargle in sore throat. The throat can also be gargled several times throughout the day with warm water mixed with salt to obtain relief.
Rapid changes in temperature should be avoided by the patient such as hot sunshine to air conditioned rooms. The patient should also avoid cold and sour foods which may irritate the throat.
A normal person should avoid touching towels, tissues, handkerchiefs and utensils used by a person infected with sore throat to prevent the entry of germs and infection.
Wet pack should also be applied to the throat every two hours throughout the day and once at night. The procedure is to wring out material made from linen in cold water, wrap three to four times round the affected part and cover it with a soft cloth. A hot Epsom bath taken during this period is also very beneficial.
The patient should also avoid excessive oily, spicy, fried and greasy foods which may aggravate the condition further.
Thus it can be concluded that various home remedies have found to be very effective and beneficial in the treatment and cure of sore throat.
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Word Count Appx. : 759 | Article Views 836 Published 18-08-2009