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Sore Throat/Tonsillitis
Sore throats are one of the most common health complaints, probably due to the tonsils filtering out toxins, viruses and bacteria. They manifest as raw, burning, itchy, or just soreness at the back of the throat. Most sore throats are caused by viral or bacterial infections but other factors could be irritants and allergies.
When treating any illness in the body I always follow the cold and flu care remedies and then add to it specifics for the condition being treated. If dealing with a viral or bacterial infection you could incorporate herbs from Lesson 5 Immune System.
Raw honey - take a spoonful every hour and do not drink for 30 minutes to allow the healing properties to take place.
Decongestant salve - massage along the throat and lymph glands and down into the chest.
Warm teas and drinks sweetened with raw honey. Ginger Lemon Tea, Hot and Honey Lemon, Autumn Spice, Immune Booster are all great options.
Four Thieves - gargle
Wrap and alternate warm and cold towels around the neck; 3 minutes hot/30 seconds cold, alternate 3 or 4 times.
Lymphatic massage before bed using Garlic oil, Glandular Oil, Decongestant Salve or an essential oil listed below. In a gentle circular motion, start behind the ear, down the neck and towards the chest and heart.
Cayenne Tincture and Lobelia Tincture, massaged gently down the throat and along lymph glands (caution: cayenne tincture is hot use with a carrier oil if irritation occurs).
Strep Throat
Signs of strep throat include fever, swollen, tender lymph nodes on the side of neck, white patches on tonsils and back of throat. Other symptoms could include; sore throat, headache, painful swallowing and less often nausea and vomiting. When treating strep throat you want to add an antibiotic along with the sore throat remedies. Garlic is a powerful herbal antibiotic and 4 cloves is the equivalent of 1 dose of antibiotics. Here are some ways I have included garlic as part of my strep throat treatment and these will also work for a throat abscess (which I have also had):
Add 4 cloves of minced garlic to the Throat Coat above. This is very potent and effective and I have healed a case of strep throat in one day with it, but I had to gag it down because the texture was too much for me.
Take 4 cloves of pickled garlic a day. You could mince it and add it to fresh dishes (don't cook) or just eat them whole.
Use garlic oil as the massage for your neck and lymph, apply to the bottoms of the feet and to the wrists.
In his book Herbal Antibiotics, Stephen Buhner lists the following herbs as specific for streptococcus: berbine plants, cryptoloepis, juniper, usnea, lomatium, honey, echinacea, licorice, ginger and red root.
*If you do not see any signs of improvement within 24 hours, you may want to see your doctor.
These are best made into a tea and then gargle before swallowing for best results. Making an herbal honey with them is also very effective and of course you can use a tincture or syrup.
Calendula
Cayenne
Chamomile
Cinnamon (and other spices)
Echinacea
Elder
Fenugreek
Garlic
Ginger
Goldenseal
Marshmallow
Mint
Mullein
Nettle
Oregano
Slippery elm
Red raspoberry leaf
Rose
Sage
Thyme
