Living in arid Southern California brings with it dry skin, dry sinuses, and dry throats. Sometimes, these dry throats turn into inflamed sore throats that ache and keep us awake at night. It’s times like these when I prefer to use a sore throat spray rather than lozenges. I can just coat the back my throat with a few sprays, lay down at bedtime or in the middle of the night, and go back to sleep.
Ain’t no one got time to suck on a lozenge at 2 in the morning amiright? Also, who else has done that before? Yeah, sore throats are awful.
Whenever I run out of my holy grail sore throat spray, I make up a batch of my own to hold me over and ease discomfort.
As soon as I notice that scratchy feeling in the back of my throat, I know that it’s time to prepare a remedy that I can keep on my bedside table to quick and easy use.
Pain Relieving Sore Throat Spray
This recipe is quick and simple to throw together and is really customizable.
Here’s what you need to make my version of sore throat spray:
• A 4oz spray bottle (feel free to divide the mixture into smaller bottles if desired)
• 1 TB raw apple cider vinegar (filter it through a coffee filter to remove any large particles of “mother” so it doesn’t clog the spray bottle)
• 7 TB filtered water or enough to come to the shoulder of the bottle
• 1 teaspoon raw honey – raw is best for sore throats so try not to use regular honey if possible
• 8 drops Thieves blend or equivalent (I also like On Guard, Medieval Mix, Fighting Five, and Germ Fighter) - Learn how to make Thieves Oil here!
• 8 drops lemon essential oil
• 7 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 drop oregano essential oil or oregano oil (yes, they're different!)
Loving Preparation – Homemade Sore Throat Spray
1. Begin by mixing the raw honey with the raw apple cider vinegar. Stir until the honey is completely dissolved (this may take a few minutes), then add it to the 4oz spray bottle.
2. Next, add the essential oils and then fill the bottle to the shoulder with filtered water.
3. Cap closed, and shake vigorously before use.
This spray is especially soothing if kept in the fridge and will last about 2 weeks if you do so. If kept at room temperature, this spray will last about 3-4 days.
To Use
As soon as you feel a dry scratchy feeling in the back of your throat, coat the affected area with a few spritzes of homemade sore throat spray to help relieve pain, restore moisture, and help you sleep more comfortably at night.
Use it as needed for instant soothing relief.
If you want to get super fancy, you can make a sage infused raw apple cider vinegar by adding 1 TB of dried sage to ½ a cup of vinegar. Allow the mix to sit covered on a sunny windowsill for at least a few hours before use.
It’s best if you can make a batch of infused vinegar beforehand and let it macerate for up to 4 weeks for best results.
However, this quick method is still good enough to get some of those great pain-relieving qualities sage possesses into your medicine.
Herbal Variations You Can Add for Even More Sore Throat Soothing Benefits
• Echinacea – stimulates white blood cells to fight infection
• Fenugreek – relieves sore throat pain and inflammation
• Goldenseal – fights bacterial and viral infections
• Horehound – very soothing for sore throats
• Licorice root – soothes pain, irritation, and hoarseness
• Marshmallow root – moistens dryness and soothes pain
• Mullein – moistens dry tissues, reduces inflammation, soothes pain
• Olive leaf – kills bacteria and soothes pain
• Raspberry leaf – its astringent properties soothe pain
• Thyme – Fights infection and soothes pain
• Wild cherry bark – great for soothing dry cough that may accompany sore throat
You can either macerate these in raw apple cider vinegar or make them into tinctures (which is what I like to do).
You can then add a few dropperfuls of the herbs you desire to your throat spray recipe to add some extra oomph to your blend.
What have been your favorite sore throat recipes? Please let me know in the comments!
You may also enjoy reading:
Sore Throat Remedies That Soothe Pain Fast
The Best Natural Remedies for Sore Throat
Simple Throat Coat Tea
Fast Acting Sore Throat Remedy