Natural remedies are gaining popularity because the products are free from side effects. Traditional treatments with medicines might be effective, but they can be harmful due to the side effects, which might not be felt immediately but can show up later. Since medicines contain various chemicals, it is impossible to expect any medicine without side effects. Most of the side effects of traditional medicines negatively impact our health, as evident from the wide use of antibiotics that takes a heavy toll on our health. Therefore, it is only natural that people are turning to herbs and spices that provide natural remedies for various common ailments like sore throats. Herbal medicines complement traditional treatments and, in some cases, provide better alternatives, as proven by using turmeric for sore throat.
Nowadays, turmeric is a well-known home remedy for sore throats, and the Western world is showing special interest in the herb that cures various ailments.
Herbal medicines are now part of primary healthcare
The popularity of natural remedies like herbal medicinal products, supplements, and raw herbs and roots taken with food or otherwise has grown tremendously over the last three decades. Almost 80% of people worldwide rely on them as part of primary healthcare. Home remedies with herbs have been popular in many countries for many centuries because therapies involving herbs and products extracted from them have shown promising potential with efficacy, like drinking turmeric tea for sore throat can cure sore throats. Many other herbal products have other types of health benefits as most of these are rich in antioxidants and possess high anti-inflammatory properties. But most of these remain untested, and there is either no monitoring or very poor monitoring of their use. Inadequate knowledge about herbal products raises concern about their safety, except for products like turmeric used for centuries as a spice.
Therefore, there is no reason to doubt the safety of turmeric; instead, let us focus on the health benefits derived from it, especially by knowing how to cure throat infection by using turmeric.
Turmeric – the wonder herb
The typical yellow-colored root belonging to the ginger family is turmeric which the Asians have been using through the centuries to prepare their meals and other delicacies. In recent times, the West has taken a special interest in the herb because of the major health benefits that come with it. Its properties, widely used worldwide as herb and spice, make it smell poignant and heavy in flavor, which is a little salty, hot, and earthy in taste. It is eaten fresh in dried form, which is called spice, as well. There are a host of turmeric health benefits and its important ingredient, curcumin. Antioxidants in turmeric have the potential to prevent eye conditions, heart disease, and brain disorders like Alzheimer’s. People with arthritis can have anti-inflammatory properties that sustain them. Turmeric can also decrease the risk or spread of cancer.
Curcumin, a turmeric material, can help to decrease inflammation. Turmeric curcumin can protect against types of colitis, ulcers of the stomach, and high cholesterol. It can also help to relieve stomach pain, diabetes, anxiety, HIV, uveitis, and viral infections.
Up to 5% of the turmeric root contains essential oils. Turmeric root should be kept in a dark place and easily used up, as when exposed to light it loses its flavor as well as its yellow color.
Turmeric capsules are available as supplements for dietary use. Curcuminoids found in curcumin help sustain a healthy inflammatory response; they also encourage and maintain healthy joints.
Including calcium, fiber, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), iron, potassium niacin, zinc, and other nutrients, turmeric contains over 300 naturally occurring components. Yet curcumin is the chemical in turmeric related to its most famous health effects.
Arthritis, abdominal pain, heartburn, infection with the gallbladder, ulcerative colitis, joint pain, Crohn’s disease, haemorrhage, diarrhoea, jaundice, bloating, loss of appetite, irritable bowel syndrome, skin disorder or inflammation, and exhaustion are all health benefits of turmeric.
Health benefits of turmeric
That turmeric cures sore throat is an understatement because it does not reflect the herb’s wide-ranging health benefits, which belongs to the ginger family and is available as a root. Although this article focuses on the effectiveness of turmeric in curing sore throats, it will be an injustice to the magnificent herb that doubles us as a spice and can cure various diseases and medical conditions like depression, cancer, and many more. It’s the reason why people are now looking upon turmeric as a super-food.
Type-2 Diabetes – Curcumin is the main ingredient in turmeric that imparts rich medicinal value to the herb, which can cure various diseases, including type-2 diabetes. Although the anti-inflammatory property of curcumin is well-known, the ingredient helps a lot to keep blood sugar levels steady. Researchers believe that turmeric can help to prevent type-2 diabetes. A study conducted among 240 adults, all of whom had pre-diabetes conditions, found that taking turmeric or curcumin supplement for nine months at a stretch considerably lowered the chances of developing diabetes.
Depression – Depression has become a social malaise for many years, and the Covid19 pandemic has driven more people into depression because of their inability to lead a normal life. As curcumin is an effective anti-depressant, scientists are exploring ways to make the best use of turmeric’s potential to fight depression and help people enjoy a better life by keeping mental stress under control.
Premenstrual syndrome – Women who suffer from various pre-menstrual syndromes, especially abdominal pain and cramps, benefit by taking turmeric with a high curcumin content. A study involving women who were monitored closely for three consecutive menstrual cycles revealed that consuming curcumin supplements helped in relieving pre-menstrual syndrome, especially menstrual cramps.
Cardiovascular diseases – Besides its high anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric curcumin is also rich in anti-oxidants. Being high in anti-oxidant content, turmeric is a powerful scavenger of oxygen-free radicals, which helps in preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Glaucoma, Cataracts, and macular degeneration –Antioxidants in turmeric play a critical role in reducing the risks of serious eye diseases like Glaucoma, Cataracts, and macular degeneration.
Alzheimer’s disease – Those who have Alzheimer’s disease can find enough relief from inflammation by using turmeric, which possesses natural anti-inflammatory properties. Although the herb cannot fight the disease, it certainly relieves the suffering.
Arthritis – Turmeric can help control and reduce stiffness, joint pains, and inflammation. Eating turmeric and black pepper effectively manages arthritis as the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin reduce inflammation that causes pain and stiffness.
Researchers have found that turmeric impacts brain development too.
Is turmeric good for sore throat?
Normally, sore throat results from some viral infection that subsides on its own after a few days. However, it will be wrong to assume that the body can use its self-curing abilities to cure sore throat. When the infection persists for some time, it is necessary to start some treatment, and the best way is to try out some home remedies by knowing how to cure strep throat at home.
A sore throat will make you feel uncomfortable because of the pain, scratchiness, and irritation, making swallowing difficult and worsening the problem. The viral infection known as pharyngitis is similar to flu and the common cold. A sore throat can also happen due to streptococcal infection, a bacterial infection that causes strep throat. Since it is hard to distinguish between strep throat and sore throat, doctors usually treat it with antibiotics hoping that the medicine will cure both conditions.
But a safe and effective alternative is to use turmeric for strep throat treatment; that can cure sore throat too.
Use of Antioxidants in Turmeric for Sore Throat
Especially in the winters, sore throats are very common. This condition can lead to throat pain, irritation, or scratchiness that often gets worse when you swallow. A viral infection, similar to the common cold or the flu, is the main cause of such throat conditions or pharyngitis.
Some common symptoms of throat discomfort are:
- Pain in the neck
- Difficulty attempting to chew food
- Itching in the neck
- Scratchiness of the throat
- Tonsils in Red
- Coarseness and soreness invoice
Curcumin in turmeric for inflammation has rich anti-inflammatory benefits that can decrease any kind of inflammation and swelling. It may also assist in obtaining relief from medical infections involving inflammation. It is very effective at calming inflamed throats and tonsils due to its anti-viral and anti-allergic properties. This is also another successful tonsillitis cure.
Inflammation, initiated by oxidative stress from environmental factors such as chemicals present in food or the air, functions as a chain reaction in the body. Inflammation can also come from inside the body, from cytokines, messenger molecules sent out by our cells to stimulate an inflammatory reaction to items such as pathogens. Anti-inflammatory molecules in their pathways interrupt these processes, avoiding downstream damage to our cells.
A supplementary type of curcumin rather than the whole food has been used in most studies on the anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric. And it is observed that curcumin supplementation of up to 1 gram per day has been shown to reduce many inflammatory cytokines, lessen oxidative stress, and decrease other inflammatory markers such as MDA and CRP in populations that appear to have higher levels of inflammation, such as people with metabolic syndrome, obesity, and/or diabetes.
Ways to use antioxidant properties of turmeric for throat pain
1. Gurgle with Curcuma:
A layer of turmeric occurs in the throat of the turmeric after gargling with a mixture of salt and turmeric. This causes the bacteria or other infectious agents responsible for the discomfort in the throat to be washed away. Ultimately, gargling with turmeric over time helps to clear the throat and pain relief. To gargle first thing in the morning, you can use the mixture. Stop drinking or eating something for 30 minutes after gargling for better results.
The turmeric gargle is perhaps the most effective and popular among all types of gargles for sore throats. Since the bacteria that cause sore throat sticks to the walls of the throat, gargling with turmeric solution helps to wipe away the bacteria and cure the condition while providing relief. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric are derived from the ingredient curcumin, which is present in plenty in turmeric to subside swollen throats and drive away the pain.
Prepare a mixture of turmeric and salt in warm water. Add a quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder and half a teaspoon of salt to half a cup of warm water, and you are ready with the medicine to treat sore throat. Gargle once a day in the morning as soon as you get out of bed, and for the most effective results, do not consume any drink or food for the next 30 minutes. When you gargle, the turmeric and salt mixture remains in close contact with the pharynx, the portion of the throat that is visible when you open your mouth fully for some time. The compounds in turmeric weaken the bacteria adhering to that portion of the throat and washes it away when you spit out the water.
2. Drink milk with turmeric antioxidants:
This is a commonly used treatment to relieve not only pain in the throat but also cough and cold. Milk and turmeric are also rich in different medicinal benefits. Turmeric milk cures inflammation in the throat and relieves pain in the throat due to the anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric. To reap the benefits, make sure to have turmeric milk two times a day, in the morning and evening.
Recipe-1:
- Take a stick of inch-long turmeric. Note that turmeric powder is never as effective as crushed turmeric sticks, since during the heat-generating grinding process, the chances of contamination in the powder are high, and its effectiveness is also bound to decrease. So, take a turmeric stick (the kind used in cooking; a viral manual in Thamizh) and use a mortar and pestle to grind it coarsely.
- Also, crush a few peppercorns. Better is the white variety.
- Mix a cup of milk with a cup of water, add the crushed turmeric and pepper and bring it to a boil.
- For 20 minutes, boil. The milk will be reduced to a cup by this time. This is why I recommend that you start with a mixture of milk and water; otherwise, you’re going to get a very thick, condensed milk-like drink that isn’t going to be as relaxing.
- Remove, filter, add a spoonful of honey or palm sugar from the stove, and enjoy the warm drink.
- Apply a little turmeric to the tea: A hot cup of tea with honey and lemon juice is a perfect treatment for treating throat discomforts. Its potency is improved by adding turmeric to the mixture. Strain the tea and apply lemon juice and honey to the mixture. To get almost instantaneous relief, drink it when it is still warm.
Recipe-2:
- On the stove, boil 3 to 4 cups of water.
- Attach and stir in 2 teaspoons of turmeric.
- For around 5 to 10 minutes, boil.
- In another bottle, strain the tea.
- To taste, add sugar, freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice, and milk.
- Pair the soup with a pinch of turmeric: When making soup, you generally use different ingredients that are rich in anti-bacterial, anti-allergic, and anti-inflammatory benefits, such as basil leaves, ginger, pepper, garlic, and honey. Therefore, to make the soup more effective, add a pinch of turmeric. Brew and strain both of these ingredients in water for 20 minutes. Drink it hot to relieve your throat, sore throat, and stop potential infections.
Recipe-3:
- Take a big stockpot and heat it with about a tablespoon of olive oil.
- To the bath, add the diced onions and sauté them well. Add the garlic, turmeric, and ginger after around two minutes, and sauté the ingredients well for another two minutes.
- Next, add to the pot the vegetable stock and let it simmer for 20 minutes or so.
- Serve the piping soup sweet.
3. Drink Turmeric tea:
How about enjoying a beverage while curing your sore throat? Yes, you can enjoy a cup of turmeric tea specially prepared with turmeric powder for curing turmeric strep throat or sore throat. Add some honey and lemon juice to warm water and drink the mixture after adding turmeric to the decoction enhance its efficacy in curing sore throat. To prepare the home remedy, add one tablespoon of turmeric powder to 4 cups of water and boil it for a few minutes. If you do not want the turmeric grains stick to your tongue then you can strain the liquid to make it free form any solids and then add a few drops of lemon juice and a teaspoon of honey. Your turmeric tea is now ready for drinking. As you drink the tea while it is still warm you will feel very comfortable as the liquid passes down your throat. After completing the drink, you will feel much relieved as the pain and irritation would be much less.
Drink the tea 2-3 times a day depending on the progress of the treatment and you should be back to normal within a day or two. The results are so convincing that does not leave any room to question – does turmeric help sore throat cure?
4. Have a bowl of turmeric soup
Turmeric is the main ingredient when preparing turmeric soup that also contains others herbs like pepper, ginger, garlic, and basil leaves. Use some honey as a sweetener. The herbal mixture has been in use for centuries as cure for sore throat. Mix the ingredients in water and boil it for 20 minutes or until the water becomes half of the original volume. Strain the mixture and drink the liquid to relieve congested lungs and sore throats. Drink the soup 2-3 times a day and you should get enough relief from sore throat and cough.
