12 Best Teas for Sore Throat to Help You Get Through Winter

Cold and flu season is here again, bringing along stuffy noses and sore throats. It can feel like a never-ending cycle of discomfort, but thankfully, tea can help you feel better faster. The right tea can not only help you recover from colds and flu, but also soothe that scratchy throat and provide a warm, comforting feeling.

Herbal teas like sage, mint, chamomile, ginger, and thyme are great choices for relieving cold symptoms and speeding up recovery. Tea is known for its ability to help with sore throats because it contains antioxidants that can reduce pain and swelling.

You can also make your tea even more effective by adding honey.

Dr. Rainbolt says "Honey can help reduce inflammation and irritation in your throat".

Honey adds a sweet taste and has its own healing properties, such as helping reduce swelling and fighting infections. Studies have shown that honey can help clear mucus and calm coughing, making it a great addition for anyone battling with a cold. In this article we will discuss 12 best teas that will help you in dealing with a cough, congestion, or a sore throat.

12 Best Teas for Sore Throat

1. Pukka Turmeric Gold Tea

Pukka Turmeric Gold Tea is a powerful and soothing blend designed to harness the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric, along with the refreshing taste of lemon and the richness of whole leaf green tea. The key ingredient, turmeric, is well known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Drinking this tea during a cold or flu can help to ease throat irritation and improve overall respiratory health. 

The warming, golden infusion of Pukka Turmeric Gold Tea can be enjoyed not just for its comforting flavour but also for its potential health benefits. Whether you're battling a sore throat, congestion, or simply looking for a way to boost your immune system during the winter, its soothing warmth and healing properties make it a popular choice among those looking for natural remedies to fight off winter colds.

Preparation: Steep Pukka Turmeric Gold tea bag in hot water 3 to 5 minutes for extra soothing magic, stir in a teaspoon of honey.

2. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris):

Features: It has small leaves variously coloured grey-green with a spicy flavour and bitter taste.

Main Ingredients: Contains a high percentage of thymol which is antiseptic.

Pairings: Pairs nicely with lemon or honey, especially in a relaxing tea.

The antiseptic and expectorant properties of thyme make it effective for colds. These properties help in combating bacteria and viruses that cause cold symptoms. Thyme may also help thin and expel mucus from the airways, improving airflow. The herb is used in infusions and inhalations for colds.

3. Chamomile

Features: Small white flowers known for their sweet yet somewhat bitter taste.

Substances: Bisabolol and matricin, with calming properties

Combination: A great mix with lavender or honey for relaxation.

Chamomile is a natural remedy for colds thanks to its relaxing and anti-inflammatory properties. For instance, chamomile contains a handful of compounds like bisabolol and matricin that have been shown to relieve throat irritation and inflammation caused by colds. Chamomile tea can also help in getting better sleep, and remember good quality of sleep during illness is part of recovery as well. Chamomile has a soothing influence that can reduce stress and anxiety levels which again is a factor that can enhance your immunity along with general health.

Tip: While drinking chamomile tea, inhale the steam from your mug since it will help clear your nasal passage and reduce effective congestion. Another potential benefit is improved sleep quality, especially since it promotes better rest when consumed before bed an essential component of recovery.

4.  Earl Grey tea

Earl Grey tea is a beloved classic tea, made with black tea leaves flavoured with bergamot oil. While black tea itself is known for its astringent properties that can help reduce swelling in the throat, so black tea is another good choice if you have a sore throat. The bergamot that is added gives a citrus aroma and adds flavour to it, helps with nasal congestion as well as induces calmness making it feel comfortable.

Although most people drink Earl Grey because they love the caffeine kick and strong flavour, some feel quite passionately about its health benefits. However, studies have suggested some possible health benefits of Earl Grey tea including its antioxidant activity that can promote the general well-being.

Earl Grey tea offers potential health benefits, including supporting heart health by lowering blood pressure, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The bergamot in the tea has been shown to have lower cholesterol. Additionally, the polyphenols in black tea help in weight loss by reducing fat digestion, promoting fat metabolism, and preventing obesity by reducing oxidative stress.

Earl Grey tea has very little nutrition, as there are no calories, protein or fat, carbohydrates, fibre and sugar but it has about 40–120 mg of caffeine. It also has vitamins and minerals, including small amounts of iron, potassium, magnesium, riboflavin and folic acid. 

5. Ginger tea

Ginger tea, one of the usual cures for different kind of injuries, is also effective in sore throat. Gingerol is one of the bioactive compounds in ginger that have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Ginger tea is beneficial for inflammation of the throat an important complication after getting sick.

According to dietitian and nutritionist Melissa Wasserman Baker, ginger root itself has antimicrobial properties, so it is great for helping clear out anything infectious that may be causing a sore throat. That makes this property ideal for having fast results and faster recovery by easing the inflamed tissues. It alleviates pain and soothes inflammation when you have a cold, cough flu, or just throat irritation.

In addition to its anti-inflammatory benefits, ginger is also great for digestion. Ginger is fabulous for nausea and also fantastic in settling upset stomachs, making it suitable allrounder health food ingredient. You can even add a spoon of honey for the ginger tea and have greater relaxation. In addition to its own antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, honey brings in the moisture that the throat is so desperate for with some added sugariness and very soothing taste to the tea overall.

Bonus Tip: For an extra boost of Vitamin C and throat-soothing benefits, add the juice from a slice of fresh lemon and stir in a teaspoon of honey into your ginger tea. Moreover, the antibacterial properties of the honey can provide a boost to your overall health which further contributes towards quick recovery.

6. Sage

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is a well-known herb that has medicinal properties and it has been used back to centuries. Sage is especially helpful for treating colds because it has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. These properties soothe up the throat and reduces inflammation of throat and mouth which is arthritis with Colds. Additionally, sage is also an expectorant that will help clear mucus from the airways. However, sage tea helps activate the immune system and this factor can help you recover faster from cold diseases.

Tip: Use cooled sage tea to gargle if you want the remedy to take effect more directly in a sore throat.

7. Mint

Mint, with its refreshing flavour and aroma has the potential for high effectiveness against cause of cold. Mint, which contains menthol as a major active ingredient works to open the airways and ease stuffy nose. So, it makes a cold easier to breathe through. Mint also works as anti-inflammatory agent which helps in soothing the throat and reducing coughs. Mint tea, which is commonly consumed while suffering a cold, provides hydration and helps heal the throat and airways.

8. Lemongrass

Perhaps the most known herbal remedy in many cultures, lemongrass has a wide range of uses. As it is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, the lemongrass can also assist you in overcoming colds. These properties may help combat the infections leading to cold symptoms. Apart from this, lemongrass gives relief by soothing the throat or voice box so that it quickly eases sore throat as well as enforces reduced coughing. And, it also helps your immune system which can be beneficial for avoiding cold and flu symptoms as well as fighting off impact of them. This can make it a nice addition for herbal teas, where it can be paired with other healing herbs too.

9. Marshmallow Root Tea

The marshmallow plant has been used for centuries in natural medicine, and even today people still use it in many things to treat. Marshmallow root tea can help relieve a sore throat and calm down the intensity of a cough. Besides, products feature marshmallow root that also helps clear skin irritants and improve digestion.

Preparation: Allow 10 minutes for teabags of marshmallow root to steep, as you must ensure that the mucilage is extracted. Take it slowly to let it coat the throat. You can add some honey to the drink for more antibacterial an effect.

10. Licorice Root Tea

Licorice tea does not taste like regular licorice.  Glycyrrhizin, which is present in licorice root, has various benefits as an antioxidant, antimicrobial agent and anti-inflammatory properties which can help ease the sore throat too and may have some health benefits like easing acid reflux.

Preparation: Pour a cup of hot water onto the licorice root, and steep for 5-7 minutes. For a more flavour, mix it with cinnamon or honey.

11. Green tea

Green tea has high power among beverages, as it provides a various health advantage to consumers. Green tea regularly has the potential to improve brain functionality, and lower the danger of coronary heart disease, as well as be protective versus been identified with some cancers. Green tea has the amino acid theanine which is calming to the brain. It can help to ease the stress levels which can be good if you are feeling a run-down.

12. Peppermint Tea

Lastly the peppermint tea is awesome during sickness. The menthol has a cooling effect that offers temporary relief for a sore throat by creating an almost numbing sensation and inhaling the steam acts as a natural decongestant.

That is why, peppermint tea can be a very best beverage, however, moreover contains a few feasible health benefits that can make peppermint tea the ideal blend. Peppermint tea is a beverage that can be enjoyed for its refreshing flavour as well as menthol, the main active ingredient in peppermint that soothes many ailments; this tea is naturally caffeine free and therefore you can enjoy it at any time of day.

Perhaps the most famous advantage of peppermint tea is its capacity to soothe healing problems. A remedy for bloating, gas and indigestion for centuries. According to some studies peppermint may help relax the digestive spend muscles, which can reduce muscle cramps and make you feel better. In patients with the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), peppermint oil seems to alleviate symptoms significantly.

Tips for Using Tea to Relieve Sore Throat

Besides consuming certain types of tea, here are ways to boost the effects of tea to relieve your sore throat:

Maintain hydration: Often drinking warm teas during the day helps to keep your throat hydrated which is one of the critical factors while healing.

Honey: Honey is sure an exceptional sweetener, but it also features natural antimicrobial properties that inhibit infections. Having a spoonful of honey in your tea can coat the throat and keep it soothed for a while.

Gargle with Tea: For direct relief, try gargling cooled tea. Gargles with a warm green tea, sage tea, or saltwater are especially good for relieving throat pain and swelling.