I always gargled warm salt water when I was a kid, but never new the logic behind it. I just thought my mother liked to torture me, and I would in turn pass that along to my wife. I began searching around for a little more definition of why gargling salt water supposedly helps sore throats and discovered that gargling saltwater:

“will increase the blood supply to the area by washing away mucus and dilating capillaries, thereby enabling better circulation of infection-fighting antibodies.”

In the process I found a few twists on this perennial homeopathic remedy, including the addition of a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Others suggested the addition of some lemon, presumably to reduce mucous at the site.

I figured I’d subject my wife to the same torture that I endured as a child and ended up going with a combination of the salt, pepper and lemon in a warm, 10 oz glass of water. She cursed me between gargles because it tasted so bad, but over the course of the morning began to realize an improvement in her scratchy throat.

It’s not an instantaneous fix and should be continued for a couple of days, but so far the results seem better than incidental. Looks like this may be one of the parenting tools I borrow from my parents arsenal to use for my child.

Post from: Blisstree

Sore throat remedies for pregnant women