Sore throats are super common in the wintertime. The dry air from indoor heating can often aggravate throats.
This recipe is super easy to make and uses natural herbs. Ginger and sage are readily available at your grocery store, or you can grow your own sage. This recipe also calls for dried marshmallow root. I buy an organic bag of dried marshmallow root every fall to have on hand.
Best Tea for Sore Throat and Cough
A sore throat can be really uncomfortable, and sometimes a cup of hot tea is the only thing that sounds tolerable. Sage is particularly alleviating for sore throats, with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Marshmallow root adds a soothing mucilaginous quality that helps to mitigate the pain, and ginger is a tried-and-true remedy for preventing and relieving many cold and flu symptoms. A little bit of honey and lemon, if you so desire, will make this a potent and delicious-tasting tea that will help your throat feel better in no time. Sage should be avoided by nursing women as it can reduce your supply. Thyme or oregano are both good alternatives with similar benefits.
Yield: 2 cups (480 ml)
Sore Throat Tea
- 2½ cups (600 ml) water
- ½ cup (8 g) loosely packed, roughly chopped, fresh sage leaves
- 1 tbsp (2 g) dried marshmallow root
- 1-inch (2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, sliced
- Honey and/or lemon, to taste (optional)
Sore Throat Tea Instructions
Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the herbs. Let the infusion steep for 10 to 15 minutes, then strain out the herbs before drinking. Add a spoonful or two of honey and a squeeze of lemon, if desired.
Drink 1 to 2 cups (240 to 480 ml) as often as needed to help ease the pain from a dry, sore or scratchy throat.
This tea is safe for children ages 2 and older. Please follow the dosage guidelines on page 23.
Sage is an easy to grow herb and stays hardy and evergreen to well-below-freezing temperatures. I always make sure to have at least one sage plant growing in my garden so that I have access to its medicinal and culinary benefits year-round.
This sore throat remedy tea is from the book ‘Healing Herbal Infusions‘.
*I received a copy of Colleen’s book ‘Healing Herbal Infusions’ to share a recipe and offer my honest review.
This book is full of healthy infusions and one of the best books I’ve seen for herbal remedies.
It’s easy to read and use, is beautifully photographed and will help you create and use your own infusions. Colleen Codekas also runs a fantastic inspirational blog called ‘Grow, Forage, Cook, Ferment’.
I love the sections of this book.
Colleen offers infusions for well-being, digestion, for aches and pains, immunity, motherhood and body care. She’ll go over the basics of how to use and create your herbal infusions at the beginning to give you an in-depth experience.
I highly recommend this book as a herbal remedy resource
Let us know if you have any teas for a sore throat or what you think about our tea recipe for sore throats.
What exactly does marshmallow root do? We’ve got 7 kids still at home and sore throats are making the rounds right about now. What great timing you have!! Thank you soo much.
Great question Carie! Marshmallow is one of my favorite herbs to use with kids. It acts as a cooling demulcent, is anti-bacterial and has anti-inflammatory properties. It’s soothing to irritated membranes which is why it’s great for sore throats.
In Colleen’s book she recommends kids ages 1-2 take 1-2 tsp if the adult dosage is 1 cup. Ages 3-7 would take 2 tsp if adult dosage is 1 cup and 2-4 tablespoons if the child is 8-12.