Honey is a long-known natural product that is used to treat a large number of diseases. And the pathologies of the throat are almost in the first place here, since when using such a product, medicinal substances are delivered directly to the site of exposure - to the mucous membrane.
The composition of honey contains more than 150 compounds that have biological activity. It contains natural antioxidants, a rich vitamin complex, some amino acids, trace elements, a large amount of easily digestible carbohydrates, etc. In addition, the product has a fairly strong antibacterial effect.
This property is especially valuable for throat diseases, since their treatment is based on the destruction of the main cause of the pathology - a bacterial infection. Honey, like other beekeeping products, is a strong allergen.
Therefore, before starting treatment, make sure that the patient does not suffer from individual intolerance to these substances. In addition to its antimicrobial effect, honey has the ability to reduce inflammation. But a sore throat is most often caused by inflammatory processes of the mucous membrane. Finally, this product is itself a mild anesthetic that can reduce pain.
Honey recipes
The easiest way to get rid of a sore throat is with honey, simply dissolving it throughout the day.
Place half a teaspoon of solid honey under your tongue and let the product dissolve on its own. The active substances will gradually drain into the esophagus, settling on the mucous membrane along the way.
Another simple option is to rinse the pharynx using a honey solution. To get it, you need to take half a liter of heated water and put a tablespoon of honey there. Stir the liquid, making sure the honey is completely dissolved, and gargle every hour for the duration of the illness.
Honey for sore throat is also used in the form of inhalation. In 1 liter of boiling water, you need to dissolve 100 g of the product, cover with a towel, bend over the container with the solution and inhale the rising vapors. This procedure will be especially effective if one of the symptoms of throat pathology is difficulty in breathing.
Finally, a honey compress is applied to the throat. To make, mix dark honey and medicinal aloe leaves crushed into gruel. Saturate a cloth with this mass, attach it to your throat, cover with plastic wrap, create a cotton wool “pillow” on top to keep warm and secure with an ever larger scarf or handkerchief. It must be remembered that at a temperature of 38 ° C or more, or in the presence of pus on the tonsils, compresses are not used.
Honey mixes
Dissolve honey in warm, but not hot, liquid. Its active ingredients are not able to exist in an unchanged state at temperatures above 50 ° C.
- A simple recipe that includes honey for the throat is 1 tablespoon of the product dissolved in a glass of heated water. Add a small spoonful of 6% apple cider vinegar before use.
- Add a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice to 200 g of warmed water. Then dissolve a large spoonful of light honey in the same place. The resulting solution is intended for oral administration four times a day.
- Take equal amounts of honey and fresh butter. Place this mixture in a boiling water bath and make sure the ingredients are completely dissolved. Next, put in baking soda at the rate of: 1 pinch for every 20 g of product. Continue stirring and heating the resulting mass until foam starts to stand out. Remove mixture from heat and let cool. Take the medicine by mouth 4 times a day, 1 small spoon.
- A solution of honey in an infusion of the medicinal herb melilot helps to relieve sore throat. Brew 1 tablespoon of dry herbal medicine in a glass of water, let the liquid cool and filter through cheesecloth. Dissolve a tablespoon of honey in the infusion and drink the medicine before going to bed.
Important! In children under 3 years of age, it is not recommended to use any recipes that include beekeeping products.
Given the physiological immaturity of the immune system at this age, there is a high risk of allergic reactions when using honey.
Honey with milk
This remedy is extremely effective in treating sore throat due to the enveloping and soothing effect of milk. And the high content of protein fractions in milk helps to stimulate the immune system, for which protein serves as a building material. Treatment with these folk remedies is carried out using the following recipes:
- Dissolve a large spoonful of light honey in half a liter of warmed milk. Before use, add 5-7 drops of lemon juice to 1 glass of liquid. Consume the solution immediately afterwards, as citric acid denatures the proteins in milk.
- Dissolve one large spoonful of honey in 0.5 liter milk heated to the temperature of a human body. Add 30 g of fresh butter there. Place all ingredients carefully until a uniform liquid consistency is achieved. Drink a glass of the solution just before bedtime and refrain from talking, eating or drinking until morning.
- Chop a medium onion, peeling it off, and pulping 2 large cloves of garlic. Put half a liter of milk on a low heat and put onions and garlic there. Wait for the mixture to boil and cook for 5-6 minutes. Then drain the liquid with gauze and add 4 tablespoons of honey. Stir until completely dissolved and consume 100 g orally after each meal. Garlic and onions will worsen the taste of the medicine, so it is recommended to add 2-3 mint leaves there.
- For half a liter of warmed milk, use a small spoonful of baking soda and a large spoonful of honey. Stir the ingredients and drink a glass of liquid in one gulp. Repeat after 2-3 hours if necessary. This recipe is especially effective if the sore throat is caused by a dry, tearing cough. Milk will soften the mucous membrane, and soda will suppress the cough reflex.
Honey mixtures, including soda, are recommended to be consumed only after meals. This will keep the acid-base balance in the stomach.
The severity of the sore throat, which is provoked by pharyngitis and / or tonsillitis, occurring with an intense cough, can be reduced by two more recipes:
- Dissolve half a large spoonful of honey in a glass of milk, add a quarter of a small spoonful of baking soda and a couple of small tablespoons of aniseed. Take the mixture orally, 1 large spoon 10 times a day.
- Pour half a glass of oat grains into half a liter of milk and cook until the seeds swell. Strain the liquid, add 1 large spoon each of honey and butter, and then dissolve. Use the medicine as described above.
Honey with radish
Speaking about whether it is possible to mix honey with a sore throat with vegetable juices, we must especially dwell on black radish. Radish contains natural antimicrobial compounds, essential oils and a large amount of trace elements. The action of this combination is based on the fact that the immunostimulating, anti-inflammatory and expectorant effects of the radish are added to the beneficial properties of honey.
Accordingly, treatment with this combination of substances is most effective if the pain is caused by a dry, incessant cough.
Radish, especially black, has a very high biological activity. On the one hand, this enhances the medicinal properties of the product, and on the other, it imposes a number of restrictions on its use.
Radish and its juice are contraindicated for:
- acute inflammation of the stomach;
- duodenal and / or gastric ulcer;
- past heart attack;
- pathologies of the thyroid gland;
- acute inflammation of the pancreas;
- pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Important! When using recipes that include radishes, be sure to follow the dosage carefully. Too much of it leads to liver damage.
Recipes that include honey and radish:
- Peel the root vegetable and cut into small cubes. Put them in a jar and add enough honey to cover the whole radish. Pull a gauze bandage over the neck of the can so that air can pass inward. Insist the medicine for 2 days, and then consume 1 teaspoon three times a day.
- You will need a large radish, from which you need to cut off the top and remove the inside of the root crop. Place a large spoonful of honey in the resulting "bowl". Then cover the hole with the cut part and put it in a dark and warm place for half a day. A kind of syrup of honey and juice is formed in the radish. It should be taken orally three times a day before meals, 1 small spoon.
- Grind a large root vegetable on a grater or blender and squeeze the juice through a gauze filter. Add 2 teaspoons of honey to 1 glass of liquid. Drink 1 small spoonful of the solution before each meal.
