It’s almost winter, and you know what that means! Well, besides snowmen and days off, winter unfortunately also means the height of the cold and flu season. Earlier this week, I shared with you natural ways to prevent and treat the common cold, and today I want to share a wonderful recipe I came across for a natural sore throat and cough remedy – probably my two least favorite cold symptoms.
Though, thankfully, we don’t get sick too often in our house, there’s always that one time that everyone is sick and it feels like the worst bug has gotten your entire family! But this bug was different. It wasn’t just the runny nose, the congestion, or the sinus pressure getting us down. It was the sore, scratchy throat, and the dry, hacking cough that came along with it! You know the one that makes it impossible to speak three words in a row without breaking out into a coughing frenzy?
Yeah, that one… Anyways, while my in-laws were sipping on the commercial cough syrups and meds, and hubby was just toughing it out on his own, I quickly went online to search for a homemade alternative to cough syrup.
I found this recipe from Good Food Matters – I loved that it was such an easy recipe and that I already had everything on hand to make it right away!
Natural Sore Throat and Cough Remedy
I used almost the exact same recipe, except that I also added some cinnamon and garlic to the mixture, used fresh ginger instead of ground, and cut down the water (or you could even cut out the water completely, if you want).
Natural Sore Throat & Cough Remedy
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger ( (grated; or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger))
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 clove garlic ( (grated; or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder))
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- small glass jar with lid
Instructions
- If raw honey is hard, melt it using the double-boiler method, by putting it in a small glass bowl and placing it in a larger container filled with hot water. Do NOT melt it in microwave or on stovetop!
- In small glass jar, add apple cider vinegar and water.
- Add cayenne, ginger, cinnamon, and garlic. Cover jar and shake vigorously to combine.
- Add melted honey, and shake again to combine well.
- Shake well before use. Take 1-2 tablespoons as needed. No need to refrigerate unless making larger batches that will last longer than 2-3 days.
Notes
More About The Ingredients
Each ingredient has its own wonderfully beneficial qualities:
- Cayenne – reduces the sensation of pain, thins mucus, increases blood flow, and clears congestion.
- Ginger – anti-inflammatory, relieves and suppresses coughing, and warms and energizes the body.
- Cinnamon – anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and warms the body.
- Garlic – antiviral, antibacterial, and helps support the immune system.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, and promotes healing.
- Raw Honey – anti-viral, anti-bacterial, coats the throat, and contains beneficial enzymes to protect against infection.
The Results
I took two spoonfuls right after I made it, and within about 15-20 minutes, I was feeling a whole lot better! My throat still felt a bit scratchy, but it didn’t feel nearly as dry, and my cough had subsided quite a bit! I took another spoonful before going to bed, which helped pull me through the night.
And for the next few days, I took 1-2 spoonfuls 2-3 times a day, and was feeling much better by the end of the week. It’s definitely a bit spicy (although I like spicy), but the warming sensation on my irritated throat felt really soothing!
Some Helpful Tips
- The cayenne and ginger in this recipe make it a pretty spicy syrup, so it’s not for the faint of heart (or for young children). You can either reduce (or eliminate) these ingredients, or try diluting the syrup with a little more water.
- As with all products that contain honey, this should not be given to infants under 1 year because of the risk of botulism.
- Using fresh ginger and garlic are best since the juice and oils contain most of the health benefits, but ground or powdered would work as well.
- Make sure both your honey and cider vinegar are raw so that they have all the good, healing vitamins and enzymes.
- If you’re making a single batch, you can store it at room temperature and use it up in 2-3 days. If you’re going to double or triple the recipe, and won’t finish it within 2-3 days, then it should be stored in the fridge. Although, it’s best to make up a new batch every few days to keep the ingredients nice and potent.
Have you ever tried a homemade cough remedy before? What’s your go-to treatment when the cold/flu season hits?
Glad I found this hope I don’t have to use it but if I do feel it began I will make this and try it believe it will be a lot better than over the counter drugs
I hope you don’t have to use it too, Stephanie!
Great remedy, works for cough, better than $12.00 cough medicine.
Glad you loved it, Mina!
Read re cough/ Cold remedy.cayenne/
Garlic/apple cider vinegar can’t use
Sensitive stomach. I drink regular tea + ginger root + it helps.ginger root great 4 inflammation. Can follow recipe 2 a certain point but have 2 think how you’ll feel if u use ingredients u never use/take certain meds/over counter
meds. I would call my pharmacist 2 c if
Can use mixture w any meds I take. I
can’t take Robitussin cause of a med I take. Chronic cough cause of certain
Disease I have not cold! Good luck if u decide 2 try this recipe
Thank you for the natural Remedy. I truly believe Natural medication. I going to do it for my self. I’m sure that will wor. Because for long time I being takes Natural med and home remedy. I had bad experience with others medication, many times. I believe any way, because I was growing up with Natural meds, we were very health. But after I start take meds from that hospitals, I got lots health problems. Thanks.
Hello. Thank you for such a wonderful alternative to those nasty chemicals. I found your recipe awhile back and have used it as written and it really works. This time I have a cough with congestion so I doubled the ginger because ginger is good for healthy lungs and it helps me breathe better.
I was just wondering, you said it is better to make a fresh batch every 2-3 days but we could double or triple the batch and store it in the fridge. How long can it stay good that way?
Thanks!!
Diane
So glad you found relief with the recipe! Honestly, I’ve only ever doubled the recipe once, and it was still good after a week (which is when it ran out). I would probably only make enough to last for the current cold, i.e. don’t make a huge “just in case” batch that just sits there in the fridge without being used, you know? And as with anything, give it the old smell test, and if it smells “off” just toss it. Feel better soon!
Thank you for sharing a good recipe. I really liked it. But instead of going into so much hassle if you are looking for a readymade herbal syrup with the finest quality natural herbs to cure your sore throat and cough, try using suazol by Tayyebi Healthcare.
Many thanks for the recipe. It works very well! Was suffering form a severe dry cough. As soon as I took two spoons of a raw natural medicine my cough quite. Feeling much better now. Thanks a lot!!!
You’re very welcome, Inessa! Glad you’re feeling better. 🙂
Sarah umm yusuf,lot of thanks for your home recipe. Now i am going to follow it….
You’re very welcome!
Put salt into a cup of water and let it dissolve, put it in your mouth- gargle then spit out.
Eating warm honey- sounds a bit sickly but it worked for me.
Thanks for the remedy. I am facing this cold and cough from past five days. Two days back I read this article and applied. Now I am fine!! Thanks again@sarah for the great piece info!!
Glad you’re feeling better, Pravallika!
Drinking warm tea with honey is my go-to treatment when the cold/flu season hits. I believe that home treatment is usually all that is needed to manage a sore throat or cough caused by virus. Thanks for sharing!
After suffering for four days, I went looking for a natural remedy for a horrible cough and a throat on fire. Hubby made this up for me in just a couple of minutes and WOW! Put the fire out and has stifled the cough! BONUS: it’s delicious! This would make a great marinade or even a sauce!
Thank you so much!
Blessings,
Angie
Aww yay, I’m glad you’re feeling better! And I agree, this stuff is delicious!
Great recipe. Usually Apple Cider Vinegar (Braggs Is the best) on it’s own will stop any illness especially sore throats, coughs and colds provided you take two teaspoons in a glass of warm water within 15 minutes of feeling ill. Not been sick in 4 years until now.
But I was travelling on a long flight and could not take my Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) because of the travel restrictions on liquids. Wish they sold ACV inside the airports in small bottles. So this time my cough developed very nicely on a 19 hour journey. I am sure this will help to recover, but I will avoid the Cayenne pepper. Too hot for me to handle. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I was mixing up a batch and just as I was finishing it, I looked over to my left where a jar of Fire Cider I had been brewing, was sitting. I giggled a little as I realized that your recipe is like a quick mini dose of Fire Cider. Minus the Horseradish and plus cinnamon. Anyhow, I still used your recipe and thought it was absolutely great. I personally thought it had more bite and a spunk than the Fire Cider.
Thank you again!
Haha, you’re absolutely right! That combo is a winner. 🙂
Hi, I just came across your post for this home-made remedy & was wondering if I could replace the raw honey with Agave honey(that’s all I have on hand)? Will it be as effective?
Raw honey is definitely not the same as agave honey. I stay away from agave, as it’s a very highly processed sweetener with little health benefits. Raw honey on the other hand is minimally processed, unpasteurized, and retains all of it’s healing properties which is why it’s so integral to this recipe. You should be able to find it at a local health food store, but if not, you can find it online at Amazon. Good luck! 🙂
I just made this, have been fighting a cold for over a month. The doctor says to take robitussin which gives me a wicked headache. Hubby looked this up and we went and bought the stuff. I omitted the garlic and cayenne. The other ingredients i used and it really does not taste that bad. I am going to see if it works without them if not I guess I will spice it up. Tasted like a sweet pickle to me. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Sarah
Thank you for this recipe!
I am looking for a recipe like this but suitable for toddlers… can you help me? Thank you 🙂
Hi Maria,
For a toddler, you could try just cutting down or leaving out the spicy stuff (cayenne and ginger). They may or may not take it with the garlic – so you may have to play around with that too. You could also try increasing the honey a bit, especially if you’re not going to cut out some of the other ingredients completely. Another idea is to maybe dilute the mixture; meaning to take the 1 tablespoon of the full-strength syrup and mix it with some juice or water.
Thankfully, I haven’t had the need for this for my own toddler, so I can’t tell you what’s worked for me; but if you find something that works, I’d love to know! 🙂
Thankfully my sweet is as healthy as she can be 🙂
However she is allergic to garlic… can I do the recipe, if needed, without it?
You can omit whatever you need, but of course the potency will change as well.
Hi, this scratchy sore throat & cough that I have right now didn’t let me sleep last night, its a good this I saw this page, I followed your procedure here and took 2 tablespoons an hour ago. My cough is less frequent now and my throat is not so dry unlike last night, thanks for the post. But I have 1 question, is it okay with my baby in my tummy? I am in my 3rd trimester in my pregnancy now… this is also the reason why I am looking for natural remedy because I can’t take medicine.
Love this recipe, got to make this for a relative that has a cold at the moment so they avoid the store brought rubbish, thanks so much for sharing this!
You’re very welcome, Lorraine! And so nice of you to make it for your family member. 🙂 I’ve actually just made another batch today as I seem to be coming down with something – this stuff really is awesome!
OOOOOOMMMMMMGGGGGG…..I made this last night and took 2 Tbls of this and then 2 Tbls this morning and my cough and sore throat is COMPLETELY GONE! Thanks a million!
I slapped the remedy together last night, been struggling with the flu for a few days. Used it twice last night for my throat, woke up this morning and it was nearly completely gone. Thanks so much for posting the recipe.
I just made this and it’s delicious. Now, I hope for this wonderful-tasting elixir to work its magic properties.
I just tried it. I was afraid to try it at first, but I actually found it rather tasty. My throat is feeling less scratchy and soothingly warm and not so dry.
You just described my sore throat an cough exactly… Off to make some! Just with the cayenne, I don’t like spicy stuff 🙂
Aww I hope this helps you feel a little better, Anastasia! And that’s why I love this stuff, because you can adapt it to your own tastes 🙂
This looks like a great recipe!
Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday!
Thanks for a wonderful tutorial, I’ve bookmarked your post for the future!
Sounds like a great recipe but I think I would leave out the cayenne in mine.
That’s what’s great about the recipe, allie – you can alter it to fit your preferences! 🙂
Sarah,
Can we use store bought honey? and regular apple cider vinegar? Have you ever made your own apple cider vinegar? Just curious. I will be trying this recipe as well as anything to do with coconut oil before my BIG giveaway for Tropical Traditions next week!
Thaleia, you can find raw apple cider vinegar (especially Bragg’s brand) at most regular grocery stores! Raw honey, is usually found at health food stores, though. Although it’s best to use the natural, raw versions of these, you can still use the regular kinds, but the health benefits won’t be there since they’re filtered out during the pasteurization process. The syrup would probably still be soothing though, so if you’re hard pressed, I’d still try it!
My husband thinks I should try this, but it sounds scary! It sounds really spicy, like it might hurt my throat. Perhaps I’ll get him to make me a batch 🙂
Hey Alicia!
I know it sounds scary, an if you’re not a fan of spicy, it may be a bit much for you. So like I stated at the end of the post, you can definitely play with the ingredients – omit some, or dilute it with more water, or even add some more honey, if you want! That’s also what’s great about making small batches; so you can see what works best for you. 🙂
I need this right now. I’ve been sick for 3 weeks now and the cough just started picking up in the last few days!
That’s a great recipe, thanks! I have a bit of a sore throat right now.
Sounds great! So going to have to try this next time I have a sore throat.
This is great! I’ve been looking for a good cough remedy!
Thanks for this natural cough/throat remedy and helpful tips. I hope I don’t have to use this recipe anytime soon (but just in case, I will go ahead and bookmark this post)!! 🙂