General recommendations when rinsing
If it happens that your home medicine cabinet does not contain all the herbs that are part of a particular recipe, then you should not be upset. An infusion even based on a single plant can be used for gargling purposes. You just need to remember that the flowers of elderberry, linden, St. John's wort, chamomile and calendula are most often used to make a decoction and infusion for rinsing.
The most common gargles are water infusions based on several or one plant. An infusion differs from decoctions in that the flowers or herbs are poured with boiling water and are not boiled over a fire. In most cases, to prepare the infusion, take a couple of teaspoons of dry herbs, as well as one glass of boiling water.
Decoctions are best made from the denser parts of dry plants. For example, rhizomes or bark are ideal. But if instead of an infusion you make a decoction for rinsing, then this will not be critical.
The throat should be gargled only with warm mixtures. It is advisable that the temperature of the liquid be a couple of degrees higher than body temperature. Thus, the optimal temperature of the infusion or decoction for rinsing should be within 38 degrees.
If the drink is too cold or hot, it will do more harm than good.
The frequency of rinsing will depend on your overall health, as well as how quickly painful symptoms can disappear. There is no need to overdo it with the use of decoctions and infusions. You also need to be careful not to harm your already damaged throat. When gargling with a sore throat, there is no need to make sounds or gurgles. The more severely the throat is affected, the more carefully it is necessary to rinse it in terms of mechanical impact.
However, in this case it will be necessary to increase the frequency of rinsing. During a sore throat, you should gargle every 2 hours for 2 minutes. For less acute illnesses, 3 rinses per day will be enough. However, their duration must be at least 5 minutes. In addition, you should pay attention to the fact that under no circumstances should you eat immediately after such a procedure.
If we consider herbs for gargling, children can use chamomile flowers, oak bark, sage flowers, St. John's wort, calendula, linden, elderberry. However, before starting treatment for your child, it is best to consult a specialist to avoid possible side effects.
For tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is a disease in which the tonsils become inflamed.
The acute form of tonsillitis is often called tonsillitis. Symptoms of this disease include severe pain when swallowing, dryness and soreness. To overcome these unpleasant symptoms, herbs can be used in conjunction with the general course of therapy. To do this, you need to prepare a warm infusion of herbs to gargle with a sore throat. Sore throat is an acute inflammation of the pharynx and tonsils, accompanied by acute pain in the throat and a general fever. Tonsillitis is nothing more than a sore throat that has lingered in our body.
That is, the internal conditions of our body turned out to be such that this disease could become chronic.
Therefore, having decided to fight tonsillitis, you should think about improving your lifestyle in general, strengthening your immune system, and revising your nutritional principles.
We are not talking about radical immediate changes, but it is worth paying attention to the amount of sleep, spending time in the fresh air, and sports (at least as a regular restorative exercise). Food must contain essential minerals and vitamins and be easily digestible.
In practice, most people usually postpone such recommendations until later, and when they become ill, they consult a doctor. The doctor, in addition to oral medications, prescribes rinses, which should be done several times a day, then recovery occurs much faster.
There are many recipes for quickly healing a throat; decoctions, herbal preparations, and medicines are used. There are also well-proven folk recipes. You can individually choose the most suitable ones for yourself.
Healing herbs
The use of medicinal herbs will significantly improve the general condition of the throat, and quite quickly.
At the first symptoms of a sore throat, immediately, without waiting for the condition to worsen, you need to prepare sage leaves with sea salt. Sage leaves are poured with a hot solution of sea salt and infused in a thermos, or kept in a water bath. Used for rinsing 4-5 times a day.
An excellent remedy is chamomile, which has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect. You can not only gargle, but also use it internally. The box indicates the dosage and methods of using chamomile.
Brew dry yarrow in a glass of boiling water (2 tablespoons), leave for an hour, it is very effective for sore throat and tonsillitis during an exacerbation. Rinse 4-6 times a day.
Herbal medicines such as plantain, which activates the regenerative functions of tissues, and oak bark, which has an astringent and anti-inflammatory effect (as well as a very bitter taste), are also quite suitable for treating a sore throat.
To improve the general painful condition of the body and cleanse and heal the throat, you can try using a solution of tincture from the roots of Rhodiola rosea (“golden root”). To do this, dissolve 1 tsp. tinctures in 100 ml of water. Rinse, as with other solutions, 5-6 times a day.
You can also prepare the tincture yourself. Dry rhodiola roots are poured with vodka and infused for 7 days in a dark place. The finished tincture, tightly closed, should also be in a dark place. This is a wonderful remedy, even miraculous, but people suffering from hypertension should use it with caution, and it is better to consult a doctor.
Herbal infusions
A healing mixture is prepared from linden, oak bark, and chamomile in a ratio of 1:2:3. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, then pour boiling water over one tablespoon and boil for 5 minutes. Then leave for an hour, filter, gargle with the resulting decoction 3 times a day. Just before rinsing, you can add 1 spoon of honey. Optimal for chronic tonsillitis.
It is also good to prepare a collection of medicinal herbs. Approximately 20 g each of chamomile, calendula, sage and St. John's wort. Place the collection in a container with a lid and pour 200 g of boiling water. You can use a thermos. Gargle with the decoction 5-6 times a day.
Honey, this magical natural panacea, is often used for throat problems. 2 teaspoons of honey dissolve in a glass of warm water, rinse 4-5 times throughout the day. Inflammation disappears very quickly and abscesses resolve.
Recovery will be faster if you add a tablespoon of beet juice. If we continue the topic of medicines from the apiary, then a solution of propolis tincture (2 spoons per 100 ml of water) will also quickly relieve pain and inflammation. Both of these products, tasty and aromatic, are suitable for rinsing a sick child.
Composition for prophylactic gargling for chronic tonsillitis, which causes spontaneous passage of plugs. To prepare the composition, add 1 teaspoon of calendula flowers and half a teaspoon of salt to 500 ml of boiling water. Before use, keep in a thermos for 30 minutes.
And one more folk (tested!) recipe that will amuse even a person with a sore throat. Every hour you gargle with slightly warmed champagne. After 12 hours of this treatment, the disease subsides.
One of the most accessible, cheap and effective methods of tidying up a sore throat is gargling with regular tea soda. For a glass of water, 1 teaspoon of soda is enough, rinse 3-4 times a day.
This will be quite enough to neutralize the acidic environment in the source of inflammation, relief of the condition occurs very quickly.
However, you should know that most pathogenic bacteria cannot continue their life activity in an alkaline environment, so this simple remedy is worth adopting.
Rinsing with salt water (both sea and regular salt) not only helps with acute conditions, but is also an excellent preventive measure. For a glass of water – 1 spoon of salt.
And if you combine salt, soda and add 4 drops of iodine per glass of water, you will get a widely known and effective anti-inflammatory solution, but you should not get carried away with it, especially with severe inflammation.
Do not over-dry your sore throat.
You need to know that during pregnancy you should not use any iodine solutions.
The unconventional, but very effective use of hydrogen peroxide as a gargle not only quickly relieves suffering, but also serves as an excellent means of preventing the disease in the future.
The antiseptic properties of hydrogen peroxide help to quickly get rid of residual effects of the disease and reduce the likelihood of recurrent ailments.
Add 8 drops of iodine to a light pink solution of manganese (0.5 liters), mix, gargle every three hours, for tonsillitis during an exacerbation and for sore throat.
A completely safe, often prescribed rinse, Furacilin, known for its powerful antiseptic and restorative properties.
It quickly heals even purulent wounds, and in the form of a solution (1 tablet per 100 ml of water) it stops the inflammatory process and helps the throat recover. Rinse every hour, or more often.
This neutral-tasting solution can be used to gargle for a child.
The pharmacy sells "Chlorophyllipt", a product made from the chlorophylls of eucalyptus leaves. Available in the form of an alcohol solution, an oil extract and a spray. All three forms of release can be used for sore throat. The oil extract is gradually dripped into the nose, flowing into the nasopharynx and spreading down the throat, having a healing effect. An allergic reaction is possible.
The antiseptic "Chlorhexidine" is also quite effective and convenient even for purulent sore throat. The duration of action of this drug is 12 hours, so you should gargle no more than 2-3 times a day, it is advisable not to eat anything for 30 minutes after gargling.
Also a very effective antiseptic “Miramistin”, used in dentistry and surgery, not too cheap, but with a neutral taste and quick action. Also available in spray form.
We suggest you read: How to choose a grass trimmer
Lugol's solution has proven itself well; it is also produced in the form of a spray.
In addition, rinsing with probiotics has recently gained popularity, in which the activity of pathogenic bacteria is suppressed and the microflora of the throat mucosa is naturally normalized. You can try gargling with “Normoflorin”, “Trilact”, which contain bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.
You should not allow pus and bacteria to accumulate in a sore throat, so it is important not just to gargle, but to gargle correctly.
The head is thrown back, the tongue protrudes as much as possible to allow the solution to pass deeper into the throat. Rinses should be at least 30 seconds each; when rinsing, you should make the “Y” sound.
Rinse solutions should be warm. You should try not to swallow rinses and rinse more often, the better (especially with sore throat and acute tonsillitis).
How to gargle a sore throat
You can also use natural remedies in gargling procedures for a sore throat, which have long been popular due to their healing properties.
- Propolis . It has excellent antimicrobial properties and also provides anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. To prepare the mixture, you need to add 5 drops of propolis tincture to 100 ml. warm water.
- Chamomile . Gargling with chamomile will help relieve inflammation, and this herb also has good bactericidal properties. The chamomile tincture is prepared as follows: brew two tablespoons of the herb with a glass of boiling water, and then leave to infuse for about half an hour. Also in pharmacies you can purchase an alcohol tincture and prepare a mixture for the procedure by mixing a teaspoon of tincture with 100 ml. warm water.
- Honey _ gargle when you have a cold by preparing a solution of natural honey, which will soften the mucous membrane. To prepare the mixture, you need to stir a teaspoon of honey in 200 ml. water. But you should be careful with this solution, since honey can provoke a severe allergy attack.
- Tea tree essential oil . A solution with these essential oils will get rid of both bacteria and viruses. To prepare the mixture for rinsing, you need to take one teaspoon of soda or table salt and add 5 drops of essential oil there, and then mix in 200 ml. warm water. This mixture, in addition to clearing the throat of viruses, will also soften and anesthetize it. Find out: is it possible to soar your feet at temperature.
