Starting the day with one or two cups of beverages is not a bad idea. This helps you to prepare for the challenges ahead of the day.
But, a speck of soreness in the throat could be a cog in the wheel while you are eating or sipping that cup of beverages. Thus, leading to loss of appetite.
However, green tea is a curative and therapeutic beverage that has been touted as one of the remedies to a sore throat.
But the question is, is green tea really good for sore throat? If yes, how and why? Let’s get the answers!
Causes and Types of Sore Throat
Sore throat is the feeling of discomfort in the throat. And the discomfort can be in form of irritation, pain, tenderness, dryness, burning sensation, and lots more.
There are three types of sore throat, starting from pharyngitis, tonsillitis to laryngitis.
Meanwhile, different things could cause a sore throat. But the most common causes are viral and bacterial infection.
Viral infections such as influenza could predispose you to a sore throat. While common bacterial infection like strep throat is also culpable.
Some other causes include; acid reflux, allergies, tumors of the tongue or throat, irritants, smoking, and lots more.
Can green tea help with a sore throat?
Green tea contains antioxidant which provides immune response against viral infection, bacterial infection or any other factors that could cause sore throats.
Besides, green tea is rich in EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), an important anti-inflammatory that could help to ease pain and discomfort in the throat.
And since the common causes of sore throats are viral and bacterial infection, therefore, without much ado, green tea can soothe sore throats.
While using green tea for this purpose, you must be careful not to aggravate the condition. This is because green tea contains caffeine – an irritant that can predispose you to a sore throat.
Therefore, if you must use green tea for your sore throat, you must not drink it excessively. Two cups per day are enough.
Which type of green tea is good for sore throat?
There is no specific research that suggests the types of green tea you must take for your sore throat. In this regard, all types of green tea, starting from matcha, hojicha, sencha to Gyokuro are all effective.
But to prevent having too much caffeine which may aggravate the condition, you can go for decaf or loose green tea since they have very low caffeine.
You can also go for the brand with less amount of caffeine. This is because the caffeine content in green tea also varies from brand to brand.
How to use green tea for sore throat?
There are ways to use green tea that could make it more effective for sore throats. Of course, you won’t want to keep building a castle in the air due to improper usage. So how can you use green tea for alleviating sore throat?
1. Gargling
Gargling is one of the most effective ways to treat larynx or pharynx-related diseases. By gargling, I mean washing your throats thoroughly with green tea solution or powder.
Moreover, you can gargle with green tea by following this simple procedure.
- Brew a cup of green tea as usual.
- Allow it to cool to a comfortable temperature
- Hold it within your throat for some seconds before spitting it out.
- Repeat the same procedure every 6 hours before the day end.
Meanwhile, if you like green tea powder, you can gargle with it by adding the powder to a cup of warm water. Then hold it within your throat for some minutes before spitting it out.
2. Drinking
Green tea if consumed will release antioxidants into the body to fight bacteria or viruses causing a sore throat. However, if you must drink green tea for sore throat, ensure you take the warm or hot one.
This is because hot tea will increase blood flow in the throat, hence alleviating sore throat.
You may also want to ask, when is the best time to drink green tea for sore throat? Well, there is no time you can’t drink it. But to avoid any side effects, don’t drink it excessively or on an empty stomach.
What other teas are good for sore throat?
Practically all teas except those with high caffeine are good for sore throat. Some of these teas are; Horehound tea, chamomile tea, licorice root tea, slippery elm tea, turmeric tea, and marshmallow root tea.
Some of these teas are rich in one or two compounds that can alleviate sore throats.
For instance, marshmallow root tea is rich in mucilage – a substance that helps soothe some common symptoms of the sore throat like dryness.
Besides, chamomile tea is rich in antioxidants and also helps lubricate the throat against soreness.
Final thoughts
Green tea due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties is good for sore throat. Since it is not caffeine-free, ensure you take it moderately so you won’t aggravate the sore throat.
Besides, if you’re not fond of drinking green tea, you can try some other beverages like citrus juice, coconut oil, honey, chamomile tea, peppermint tea, and lots more.
You should also try to get some sleep, exercise very well, and abstain from smoking.
But, if after drinking or gargling with your green tea for a couple of days, the symptoms persist, you must visit a doctor.