This strep throat remedy sounds crazy, but the author actually used it to cure (diagnosed!) strep throat while pregnant and wanting to avoid antibiotics. It worked incredibly well!!
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I got strep throat.
It was awful. If you’ve ever had strep, you know the horrid knives-in-your-throat feeling I’m referring to. Ugh. I shudder just to think about it again.
I do my best to avoid antibiotics quite stringently. Being pregnant, that desire was especially strong. However, strep is a bacterial infection. Many people believe that bacterial infections will only respond to pharmaceutical antibiotics. From personal experience, I’m gonna have to disagree. Here’s how it went down…
It was a holiday weekend. In Tiny Town. The doctor saw me late Friday afternoon and took a swab to send to the lab for testing. He gave me a prescription just in case, though, because I wouldn’t be able to get the results until Tuesday, when they opened again.
I went home without filling the prescription. I told myself I would get it if I was feeling desperate, but I’d try googling for ideas first. I found tons of sore throat remedy ideas online. Most involved things like lemon and honey, etc.
One of the suggestions involved a crazy ingredient: cayenne pepper. I decided to make my own concoction, and give it a whirl. I developed this recipe that day, and have tweaked and perfected it in the couple of sore throats I’ve had since that time.
So, does it work?
Well, I gargled every 15 minutes for about 2 hours that evening. There was noticeable improvement after the first couple of times. I could swallow without tears coming to my eyes. Then, I felt about 75% healed by the next morning, and I felt no more pain at all 24 hours later. By the end of the weekend, I was back to normal, and just taking it a bit easy to allow my body to catch up.
The throat swab came back from the lab on Tuesday. It was a confirmed case of strep throat. And I healed it using the craziest cayenne pepper concoction ever! Natural remedies for the win!
(By the way, if you have a more minor sore throat – i.e. not strep – I’d advise trying gargling with good ol’ salt and water. Sometimes that does the trick just fine!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Strongly brewed lemon herbal tea Other types of herbal teas may work too
- 1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar I use Bragg's raw apple cider
- 1 tablespoon Raw honey
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper Add more if you can - as much as you can stand
Instructions
- Brew tea, then mix everything else in. Stir well.
- Gargle with small sips of the tea. Get it as far back in your throat as you can and keep gargling as long as you can stand it. Spit it out, and repeat every 15-30 minutes for several hours. You should feel the burn of the cayenne (within reason!).
Nutrition
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional, and this post should not be taken as medical advice. Please do your own research. Material on this blog is provided for informational purposes only. It is general information that may not apply to you as an individual, and is not a substitute for your own doctor’s medical care or advice.
williams madison
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Ami
I was told by my doctor (DO) that they no longer treat strep with antibiotics because
1. Strep will go away on it’s own 99.99 percent of the time
2. The risk of a bad reaction to the antibiotics is 1000 times more likely than strep turning into something more serious.
Linda
Have you not heard of PANDAS? Strep is extremely dangerous and can be catastrophic if not treated properly! Especially in our youth who are going unrecognized and being labeled as mentally ill.
Cora
Hi Amy,
If you have children who end up getting strep, it is very very important to treat them with the proper medications, as this can turn into scarlet fever in young children. It happened to me when I was around 6. I almost died. :/
Autumn Hamblin
In my case, i get strep throat every time i get sick without fail. I have gone along time without going to the doctor and it never healed itself. In fact, ive waited so long that i couldnt walk literally. The swelling was that bad. Strep is serious. It has to be treated. One way or the other.
Roxie
I’m curious as to if you still have your tonsils? I understand from others that you are more susceptible with tonsils.
Laura
*A little cayenne I mean. Lol.
Laura
You can also just put a little in cup of warm broth and sip on it throughout the day. It’s yummy and broth is good for you, especially since I don’t like eating when I’m ill. A couple of cups and I’m usually better by the next day.
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Kristin
I use essential oils for everything, never take over the counter stuff and try to avoid prescriptions whenever possible. I came down with a sore throat that kept getting worse and was treating it with oils. It was so swollen and painful after 3 days that I looked for more remedies and found this one. I did it the first night every 15-30min for 2-3 hours and went to bed. It did surprisingly feel good after doing and provide some short lasting (about 15 min) relief. The next day I brewed another cup and did it in the morning for about 3 hours and the swelling was getting worse and more painful throughout the day. That night I ended up going to the doctor and because of the bullfrog swelling, inability to open my mouth, talk, or eat, they gave me prednisone which almost immediately started to reduce the swelling and I feel SO much better. Of course since prednisone lowers you’re immune response (i.e. swelling), I’ll also have to take the dreaded antibiotic with it. I hate to take them but when you need it you need it and I couldn’t face another day like the previous 5. 9 times out of 10 you’re immune system will pull you through with the right support but just use you’re judgment and go to the doctor if you need to. I just ended a 2 1/2 year stretch of no prescription/no over the counter meds. I probably waited 2 days longer than I should’ve because I knew I could beat this on my own. And maybe I could’ve. But it wasn’t worth it to me or my family to be a drooling zombie anymore. Once I’m finished with the medication I’ll do a gentle cleanse to hopefully get my gut health back in balance. Best to you all! Strep throat is the worst! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us, I think it’s definitely worth a shot again, maybe before it becomes too advanced?
Beth
I think it definitely works best when you catch it early! 🙂
Jessica
Hey. I get strep throat realy BAD religously every year. I came across your page and thought I would try it. I already had antibiotics but my symptoms are ALWAYS severe and last several days to a week even while on antibiotics. So, the first day on antibiotics I also did your cayenne and acv remedy. I felt soooo much better within hours!!! Truly amazing. Thank you so much for this. Hopefully next time I have strep, I can forgo the antibiotics completely. I have NEVER,EVER, EVER recovered that fast from strep! Seriously a few hours and I felt halfway normal!!!
Beth
That is amazing! So glad you felt better so quickly. That awful feeling of “knives in your throat” is the WORST.
Emily
This is a great remedy for sore throat. I must caution people about treating strep with it instead of taking antibiotics, though (especially children-teens). Untreated strep can lead to scarlet fever (heart and kidney damage + more). I don’t love antibiotics either. Just tossing that out there.
Andrea
There’s definitely a time and a place for antibiotics! Thanks for your input! 🙂 – Andrea, R&H Assistant
Jessie
I can second the antibiotics in these cases, having personal experience. I had a not so bad sore throat in ’11. I get strep at the very least once a year. I ignored it because it wasn’t that bad. A few weeks later I developed a rash. It was awful! I had a high fever, my skin, head to toe, was covered in what felt like itchy sandpaper, and I was very sick. I was given a treatment of zpac and it didn’t work. I went on to develop Rheumatic fever! Thankfully, I didn’t suffer any long term damage. Which, that’s miraculous being I already have a serious kidney disease. Just because symptoms subside with time or natural remedies doesn’t mean the strep is gone! It does go dormant and morphs. I, personally, would highly recommend the home remedies to alleviate the symptoms in conjunction with a course of meds.
Linda
And PANDAS!
Donna
I know this is not a new post, but has some pretty recent responses. I have to say, Beth, that as a mother I can’t believe you’ve never heard the dangers of honey with infants. That has even been a topic of made-for-tv movies. I learned it in nursing school also, and was told that by pediatricians when raising my own over 30 yrs ago. An internet search on just the words, honey+infants brings up pages of warnings. This one is the initial one I found:
Don’t give your baby any honey before she’s a year old, even if it’s to treat a cough. This is because honey can, very occasionally, contain a spore of a bacterium called clostridium botulinum. This can cause a rare form of food poisoning (botulism) in babies.
Is it safe to give my baby honey? – BabyCentre
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/x555838/is-it-safe-to-give-my-baby-honey
Beth
Hi Donna! If you’re talking about my reply to a reader a few comments below, you are mistaken. You mis-read what I wrote. The comment was about an alleged link between honey and SIDS. To quote myself: “I’ve heard of honey not being recommended before age 1 due to a slight risk of botulism, but I’ve never heard of an alleged link to SIDS. If you have any documentation or links, I’d love to read them.”
Amanda
Shoot! I so wanted this to work. I’ve done this about ten times today. My throat feels like razor blades are in it. Unfortunately this isn’t working. Booooo! Glad it worked for you. This feeling is awful!
Brisbane Data Recovery
Very Good post. Thanks for sharing.
Nicole
I have a question. When you gargle every 15 minutes, are u suppose to gargle the entire cup of tea or just like 5 gargles per every 15 minutes?
Sandy
Beth, I really enjoyed your site and find that you have many interesting and useful stories. I myself and family do not use antibiotics much at all, we use alternate healing for the most part. As a nurse I do believe there is a time for modern medicine also, that being said….A few yrs ago the Dr I worked for and I went to a class for practices caring to pregnant mothers, infants and toddlers. They spoke on the dangers of honey in any form during pregnancy and up to the first three years of life. There seems to be some coalition between homey and homey products and sudden infant death syndrome( even when consumed by mother while caring her unborn child. Otherwise your remedy is pretty dead on to what we use at our house but we add tumeric and anise also to our hot tea. I just wanted to share this info with you as it is hard to see a sids baby brought into my ER.
Beth
Sandy, thanks for your comment. I’ve never heard this anywhere before, and a quick google search didn’t bring up any medical studies on the topic. I’ve heard of honey not being recommended before age 1 due to a slight risk of botulism, but I’ve never heard of an alleged link to SIDS. If you have any documentation or links, I’d love to read them.
Ron
I was skeptical, but this works amazingly. If you are a doctor reading this and shaking your head thinking this is nonsense like my wife’s doctor did today, you either:
1. Have never tried this
2. Are brainwashed by your medical school.
3. Have an ego larger than your brain.
4. All of the above
Cheers
Ron
OliverB
Can I drink this?
Nikki Davis
I have a similar recipe where i just use honey, hot sauce, and minced garlic. It is a thick mixture and I hold it in my mouth as long as i can. Then (and I know this is going to sound weird) I let it slide down my throat so that the mixture can touch the back of my throat as long as possible. So I would say that yes you can drink this but gargle with it before hand.
Happy Healing!
Carly Howard
This is a miracle. It really works – I use sage tea for mine and it really only takes 24 hours for the throat pain to disappear gargling quite often. I have had strep so many times and I never ask for antibiotics anymore because of this concoction.
Aalizay
What’s the recipe? I can’t find it.
Natalie Hill
Same. Where did the recipe go? I don’t understand why it is missing. 🙁 Did someone remove it?
Holly
I just got diagnosed with strep yesterday and started with this remedy today. I feel so much better already. The feeling of razor blades in my throat has diminished greatly. Usually I use whiskey to kill whatever has me down but I’m out. I HATE taking antibiotics. So thankful I found this site!
Holly
I forgot to say that I added ginger, coconut oil and turmeric to mine. Then blended it all in my nutribullet. It’s fantastic!
Natalie Hill
What was the original recipe? It is no longer available and I would love to have it! In need as we speak! 🙁
Melissa
I realize this article is old. But here I am again with strep throat. I have suffered from strep my entire life- multiple times a year I get it. And multiple times a year I get put on an antibiotic- sure the strep goes away, but usually 4 months later it comes back for me. Plus antibiotics weaken our immune systems. Almost every time I am on antibiotic- I get a yeast infection- no fun! Anyway, I just had a terrier case of strep not even a month ago, I was in so much pain and so terribly sick w a fever (I’ve had a lot of strep, this time seemed worse then all of them). I have 2 small children to take care of, so wanting to feel better- I ran to the doc and got on an antibiotic. The strep went away of course, however not even 3 weeks later, here I am sick again with strep. This time it’s mild. If antibiotics work then why would I be sick already again? So here I am trying this recipe because I want to be done with the strep saga in my life. Right now I have no herbal tea or cayenne so for now I’m just gargling with ACV and noticing a difference! Can’t wait to try the full recipe.
christal
Good evening , was browsing for natural way to get rid of strep, as i am now dealing with it myself. My son had it twice last month. His doctor told me that some people who get strep are “carriers” of the bacteria, while some people get it and are not carriers. there is a test your doctor can do to find out if you are a carrier. If anything I would say look in to more permanent treatment like tonsillectomy to remove the “breeding ground” for the bacteria. Also, was told to replace my families tooth brushes EVERY time someone gets strep because it can lay dormant on the tooth brush. Hope this helps! God Bless
Linda
What is the test to see if you are a carrier?
Sarah
I’m going to try this tonight. I’m hopeful; I’ve used similar gargles before with good success. My throat begs, and so I will try.
Kris
What kind of tea is needed for the recipe? Any tea with lemon?
Suzanna
Ginger, lemon, citrus of all kinds, even tumeric tea, boost immunity and antibiotic effects your body probably needs if you are getting sore throats. Yes as said above coconut oil!
Ann Marie
The sore throat caused by Strep will go away on its without any treatment. The reason antibiotics are used to treat strep is to prevent strep-related complications with the heart (endocarditis) or kidneys (glomerulonephritis) so although I can see this treatment making you feel better, the question is if it actually kills the bacteria and prevents those complications. That would be an interesting study to do.
Justin
U forgot a key ingredient to your post. strep is HIGHLY contagious, and you can pass it on for several weeks even after the major symptoms have passed. I don’t like taking anti-biotics either, but they help lower the chance of spreading the bacteria. There are pros and cons to everything…