Let’s talk about the five best ways to cure a sore throat without turning to toxic chemicals or knocking yourself out.

1) Echinacea: This wonderful herb comes in tea and supplement form and has been proven to work with the same efficiency and quickness as the over the counter alternatives. You can buy it just about anywhere, and you can read more about it over here.

2) Sea Salt Water: Many of us have heard the old wives tale of gargling salt water to improve a sore throat. I don’t know about you, but I always discredited it until recently when I read a study that confirms it – Gargling salt water can soothe your throat.

3) Turmeric Tea: Turmeric is a natural healer for a lot of ailments, but one thing it does well is cure a sore throat. Why? It’s packed full of vitamins that help boost your immune system and cleanse your body. Want to learn to make it into a tea? Check out a recipe here.

4) Apple Cider Vinegar: What’s great is that if you add this to a tea with a little bit of honey, you’ve got a soothing warm drink that is sure to knock out your sore throat in a pinch.

5) Steaming: This remedy is debatable and the studies on it are limited, but from personal experience, it helps. Either take a warm shower, sit in the bathroom with the steam in full effect, or do a “steam tent” over a bowl of hot water to feel the relief.

When you’re trying to cure a sore throat, remember to get lots of rest and water; as a side note – please don’t give any remedies involving honey to children under two years old as infants can have adverse reactions to honey.