Recommendations for Good Tasting Hot Tea for Sore Throat

Updated on December 18, 2009
J.K. asks from Mansfield, OH
11 answers

Hello- my kids and I all have a cold which includes having a sore throat. None of us like hot tea but I know that it is very soothing to drink hot tea when coughing and have sore throat. Any suggestions on a really good tasting tea. The girls and I (but not my son) like sweet tea (iced) but not hot and ofcourse we are staying away from sugar to not feed the infection too, so any recommendations. Something fruity not tea tasting. We all like drinks like lemonade, fruit juice, Kool-aid stuff like that but there is alot of sugar in those kinds of drinks and they are cold. I wish we liked tea but just don't...any teas that don't taste like tea or any other hot soothing drink suggestions?
Thanks moms!

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So What Happened?

Hey everyone Thanks for all the great tips. Straight honey worked best for the kids. They are feeling much better. I am still battling but you know moms never get to take a sick day sooooooooo I am not letting my self heal. I will save this for future colds because flu season has just begun and although we usually do not get sick... I think this year is gonna be different. Again Thanks Moms never would have thought to try some of the things you suggested. Merry Christmas Everyone!
J.

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K.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hey! First off feel better! Secondly honey lemon tea is great for a cold. Hot water, half a lemon squeezed, and about two tablespoons honey. You can add or subtract the honey/lemon to taste but they work for us. My mom used to make it for me when I was sick as a girl!

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S.S.

answers from Santa Barbara on

I would consider the following herb teas.
Any mint tea
Celestial Seasonings has a Candy Cane (peppermint), Nutcracker Sweet (cinnamon, cloves), and a Apple Spice that are all good and don't taste like traditional Lipton-like black teas.
I love Lemon Zinger and Orange...something (also celestial seasonings).
I also like Good earth Herbal spice blend.

You might want to try drinking the tea like the British do with a little milk and honey (honey would be good for the throat, too).

Popsicles and icees (sugar free) would also feel good on a sore throat. Just hard to imagine in December.

Get better soon,
S.

2 moms found this helpful
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H.Y.

answers from Redding on

Here is what I do.
I heat up apple cider vinegar, honey, and lemon juice. The heat helps the honey to disolve. When hot and disolved, I pour into mugs and dilute and add more honey to taste.
The vinegar kills the bacteria in the throght and sends relief from pain almost instantly. The honey soothe coughing and is also an aniseptic. And the lemon also kills bacteria.

Another remedy is to fill 3/4 of the way with honey, add the juice and pulp of a whole lemon, grate some ginger and a clove of garlic or two. You let this set at least one day. It can be administered as is, but can be spicy. For my toddler, I add hot water and more honey and make it into a tea.

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L.C.

answers from Dayton on

One of the things my doctor recommended when my daughter had a strep infection was sugar free jello. You don't chill it until it sets, you just mix the hot water and let it cool enough to be drinkable but still warm on the throat. You might try hot chicken, beef or veggie broth. You can even put the tiny noodle in it like cup-a-soup, but it's still drinkable. It's the warmth more than the tea, itself, that is soothing.

We love peppermint tea. They have a vanilla tea that is really good. You might need some kind of sweetener in it. I, personally, can't do tea without sugar, but I don't think a little bit of sugar will hurt.

Hope this helps.

L.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

I like tea, so I can't comment on something that doesn't taste like it. My understand has always been, though, that it's not the tea, it's the Honey that soothes.

Most advice is to use a salt water gargle for a sore throat. A few things to consider with a hot liquid - the heat (if not cool enough) may actually aggravate the inflamed area and make it worse. The citric acid in lemon may do the same. Honey is not pasteurized (which is why it's not advisable to give to young children), so it may contain bacteria which could exacerbate a sore throat.

Personally, I'd call the pediatrician/family physician and ask if it's better to use heat or a cool drink to soothe your throats during your cold.

Good luck! Hope you all feel better soon.

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K.Z.

answers from Cleveland on

Heat up lemonade, fruit juice or cider. dilute with water if you are worried about the sugar level. Add cinnamon if you like.
Don't forget chicken soup!

K. Z.

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P.R.

answers from Cincinnati on

I would ditto the celestial seasonings options and add the white pear one. My favorite TAZO is the Passion one which is also a beautiful red color. But, I agree, it's not the tea but the honey and lemon that does the trick. So, the hot water with lemon and honey is fine. As far as bacteria in honey, most stuff you are buying at the grocer is pasteurized. The rule is not younger than 2 for raw honey, but you usually have to go out of your way to find that. For a really sore throat, I will sometimes eat honey straight from the spoon. Not sure what you're talking about with sugar feeding the virus. The only time sugar is a problem is with yeast, which you might get if you have killed off all the good bacteria in your body from taking antibiotics. So, I wouldn't worry about using the honey liberally unless you have other health-related sugar issues.

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J.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

chamomile works great as long as yall're not allergic to pollen & ragweed, if yall are, go for a mint tea. you can find chamomile teas in blends with fruits like raspberries or blackberries. also, to sweeten the taste if you use honey then the honey has enough health benefits to be well worth it and also sweetens the tea so you don't get that tea-y taste.

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L.G.

answers from Terre Haute on

Celestial Seasons Sleepytime is good. Another thing my mom used to do with us for sore throats was to put a bullion cube in 3 cups of water and we would drink it out of coffee mugs. Tastes like chicken soup but less filling.

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H.

answers from Columbus on

Hi J., Sorry you are all not feeling well. In this case, a spoonful of honey can do the trick for a sore throat or a cough (if you have that also). You don't even need the tea, since the heat can make an inflamed throat worse. Honey is extremely soothing for a sore throat. I often give my daughter a spoonful when she has a cold and cough and she loves it. Honey is completely safe in children older than 1 year of age and actually has antibacterial properties. I am a vet and honey is often used in wound care due to its healing properties. Also if your kids are old enough they can suck on a cough drop or even hard candy to increase the saliva in the mouth and prevent the throat from drying out. So good luck!

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C.

answers from Cleveland on

There is a brand "+AZO" and they have Wild Sweet Orange which is caffeine free.

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