A few years ago I tried a lozenge called Sambucol (from the health food store) which is derived from Elderberries and I took the lozenge and let it dissolve in my mouth 3 times a day for 4 days and my sore throat was gone
Cold Ezee works well to cut the time of a cold. It has zinc in the middle, which helps to boost the immune system. Warning, though, do not drink citric acid (orange juice, apple juice, tomatoes, etc) a few hours before or after taking it. Vitamin C inhibits the absorption of zinc, so you need to take the zinc separately from Vit. C for full absorption.
Another thing that works well for sore throats is Halls cold drops. I don't particularly like the way they taste, but swallowly the liquid as it melts help to numb up the throat some.
Otherwise, there are throat sprays that give temporary relief. Keep yourself hydrated with water and juices. If your throat dries out, it will hurt more. Drinking a lot of hydrating fluids (i.e. not soda) will help keep your throat less sore.
Antiseptic and anesthetic lozenges from your pharmacy are usually very effective.
Manuka honey works very well
Anesthetic throat sprays work but make the back of your mouth feel very odd sometimes
try squeezing the juice out of regular onion and stirring it with a spoon of honey
Manuka Honey mixed with the juice of a lemon and sipped in half a cup of hot water
Drinking herbal tea (made with crushed black pepper, onion, corriander, tulsi etc.) 4-5 times a day will help to solve the problem within one day.
u might wanna boil raw garlic (with honey) ...
I realize that you don't want a "gargle with salt water" answer, however it is an effective way to help heal your throat. Most bacterias can't live in a salty enviroment. Barring that, drink a tea made with honey and lemon. The lemon helps to kill germs and honey coats the throat, not to mention is has natural antibodies to heal. Make sure that you use raw honey, which is easily found in most stores. Also, take a spoonful of honey, if you don't want to do the tea with lemon. Hope this helps.
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