The end of the cold winter season and the beginning of the allergy season means it’s peak time for dry, sore, scratchy, irritated throats.
Sore throats can be caused by a number of factors, such as a cold, the flu, and even COVID-19. But sore throats can also be caused by environmental irritants and seasonal allergies.
Whatever the cause, a scratchy, irritated throat can be uncomfortable, obnoxious, and painful. And while there are many over-the-counter options available to help treat the symptoms of a sore, itchy, scratchy throat, there are also more natural options.
In fact, you can even make your own homemade soothing throat spray to have on hand whenever a sore throat arises.
Homemade Soothing Throat Spray
Many homemade soothing throat spray recipes have a tincture base. A tincture is one of the most common ways to prepare a natural or herbal medication. Traditional herbal tinctures are made by steeping plants or herbs (fresh or dried leaves, flowers, root, or bark) in some form of high-proof ethyl alcohol or vinegar; this process extracts the highly concentrated medicinal components of the herb.
This allows the user to take the tincture via a few drops from a liquid dropper, or by adding a few drops to water or juice. Another benefit of tinctures is that the alcohol acts as a preservative, meaning these tinctures have a very long shelf life.
A simple, herbal homemade soothing throat spray recipe starts with a tincture base. The herbs you use for your tincture can vary, although peppermint, lemon balm, echinacea, elderberry, violet, or rose petals may be a good place to start. (If you do not wish to make a tincture, you can use an herbal tea as a base instead.)
Once you have your tincture or tea, follow this recipe to make your soothing throat spray:
Homemade Soothing Throat Spray Recipe
- 2 tablespoons of your homemade tincture or herbal tea
- 2 tablespoons of raw honey (do not give honey to children under the age of 1)
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
Mix all the ingredients and pour into a 2 ounce glass spray bottle. Spray into your mouth or throat as needed. Store in the refrigerator between uses.
You might also consider adding a few drops of food-grade essential oils to your recipe, or simply using them as aromatherapy to further support respiratory health.
Five specific essential oils that some research has found to be effective in supporting short-term relief from respiratory ailments are:
- Peppermint essential oil
- Rosemary essential oil
- Syrian Oregano essential oil
- Lemon-scented gum oil
- Blue gum oil
Be sure that if you use them in a throat spray, the essential oils you’ve selected are high quality and food-grade with specific labeling for ingestion. Also, be mindful of the dosing directions on the bottle or consult with your primary care physician. Do not ingest essential oils that are only meant to be applied topically with a carrier oil or in a diffuser.
If you don’t have the time or ingredients to make your homemade soothing throat spray, you can try one of these throat sprays from Bio-Botanical Research, Microbiome Labs, or Energetix.
Biocidin TS Throat Spray – Bio-Botanical Research
Biocidin TS Throat Spray from Bio-Botanical Research is an all-natural advanced throat spray remedy to help support sore throat relief. From winter colds to spring and summer allergies, Biocidin TS Throat Spray offers reliable relief with all-natural botanical ingredients like grapeseed extract, bilberry, echinacea, garlic, goldenseal, raspberry, and oregano oil to help relieve pain and discomfort associated with a sore throat and help soothe scratchiness caused by seasonal airborne irritants.
MegaCidin Probiotic Throat Spray – Microbiome Labs
MegaCidin Probiotic Throat Spray from Microbiome Labs is a robust, herbal probiotic throat spray that uses two unique and potent ingredient blends to support overall immunity and sore throat relief. MegaCidin Probiotic Throat Spray contains two ingredient blends, a proprietary probiotic blend, and a biocidin herbal blend. The probiotic blend contains Bacillus subtilis HU58 and Bacillus coagulans, two probiotic strains known to support immunity and healthy oral immunity. The herbal blend contains a wide range of unique ingredients, including bilberry extract, noni extract, milk thistle, echinacea, goldenseal, shiitake extract, white willow bark, garlic, grape seed extract, black walnut, and more.
Throat Spray Tone – Energetix
Throat Spray Tone from Energetix is a homeopathic sore throat remedy that supports homeopathic cough relief and natural sore throat relief. Throat Spray Tone is designed to be used on irritated, raw, or sore throats to help provide both fast-acting short-term and long-term relief. It contains homeopathic ingredients that have historically been used to fight off infection and support overall immune system health.
What’s your go-to soothing throat spray?