A soothing drink for a strained throat

[Glencora]

My son's singing teacher suggested a ginger-lemon-honey drink. I've found a couple of recipes, but not much. He doesn't want "real" tea. Any ideas?

[rcallner]

A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, hot water, and honey to taste is marvelously soothing.

[Lady_Tenar]

Yes, when I have a throat infection, I gargle and swallow this mixture several times a day, sometimes with a little cayenne pepper as an additional anti-microbial (don't overdo it though). It really helps. I'm a singer and I've been through a lot of trial and error with throat treatment.

For soothing the pain, I've found nothing that beats an extra-strong cup of peppermint tea with plenty of honey. Tastes great too.

[themags]

There's a spray called "Singer's Saving Grace" that you can use in a pinch right before a concert - it's a herbal concoction but mainly alcohol which acts like an anaesthetic. It's not a solution but will get you through the night. Throat coat tea does help but tastes yucky. A very simple solution is steaming your head - place a large bowl of steaming boiled water on a table and cover your head with a towel over the bowl and inhale for a good 15 minutes

[goodhealthgourmet]

the steam treatment is for chest & sinus congestion, it really doesn't do much for a sore throat.

[themags]

The warm moist air does soothe the throat as well. I'm a professional singer.

[operagirl]

To my taste buds, Singer's Saving Grace tastes awful, and Throat Coat is actually pleasant! Go figure. Agree with the head-steaming option -- feels really good. Gargling salt water also helps.

[dmd_kc]

Former opera student here. NO lemon. It's acidic, mildly analgesic, and not good for your throat (or especially your teeth, for that matter). It dries out your mucous membranes and encourages you to overuse your vocal cords because you think they feel better, when they're just a bit numb. For the same reason, Chloraseptic is a definite no-no. That's one of the worst old wives' tales I know of, right alongside putting butter on a burn.

Ginger, I don't know, but I believe it's mildly acidic too. But really, there's not a ton you can do on the outside to fix the vocal cords. It's like those topical painkillers for muscle relief like Head On or Aspercreme -- the effect is psychosomatic, because there's no way the drugs can possibly penetrate as far as the pain, which originates well inside the dermis.

Rest is what it really takes, just like for any other strain. And learning not to overuse the voice in the first place. There are absolutely no short-cuts for healing an overuse injury, period. You can cover up the pain to let yourself push it further, but that's not an answer.

[Glencora]

What you say makes sense, though it isn't really what I want to hear. He's pretty much a beginner and needs to learn not to strain his voice. I made the concoction goodhealthgourmet suggested, adding a couple of pieces of ginger. It smelled great, but he only drank half the mug. If I make it again, I'll leave out the lemon. I think I'll buy the "throat coat" tea, as well. I've used it in the past, and it seems to work well. He has a concert tonight and an audition on Tuesday. I'll just tell him to be very quiet over the three day weekend. It will nice and peaceful around here, at least.

[SymphonicSinger]

I agree. I learned that Chloraseptic doesn't work the hard way when I went to sing "Time To Say Goodbye" and went to hit my high A, it was too thin to my liking.

[Boccone Dolce]

i remember hearing that chewing/sucking black licorice is also supposed to help

for anyone that does want 'tea' - i like Traditional Medicinal's 'Throat Coat' tea- it's got slippery elm and other stuff that's supposed to be soothing

i had laryngitis once and a friend told me her Granny's cure was Peppermint Tea- double bag it, add 6oz BOILING water- let it brew 10 minutes

[goodhealthgourmet]

ooh, i forgot about "Throat Coat." good call! i tried a sample of it when i had a really raw, sore throat, and the slippery elm was definitely *very* soothing. worked really well.

[luciaannek]

I sang a lot in high school, throat coat is a life saver.

[KTinNYC]

Just slice up some fresh ginger pour hot water over, add honey and lemon juice to taste. The ginger is pretty strong so you might want to strain it out.

[goodhealthgourmet]

dissolve a honey-lemon Ricola throat drop in hot water, and add additional lemon & honey to taste if necessary. an old family friend who was the ENT for the NY Metropolitan Opera taught me that.

[Glencora]

thanks!

[smtucker]

I have never heard of the Ricola trick but i bet it works. Back when I was a student at NEC, singers would drink hot water with lemon juice and honey. They claimed it made their throats feel better and had the added bonus of being made from the free condiments at the over-priced school cafeteria.

[goodhealthgourmet]

"had the added bonus of being made from the free condiments at the over-priced school cafeteria."
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LOL! definitely a student- (and recession-) friendly bonus :)