![Are tea, honey and lemon really effective against sore throats?](https://img.passeportsante.net/1000x526/2018-02-27/i73578-the-miel-et-citron-sont-ils-vraiment-efficaces-contre-les-maux-de-gorge.jpg)
February 27, 2018
A good hot tea, a spoon of honey and a lemon juice. Everyone has already been advised one of these three remedies or often the three associated to treat a sore throat. But is this grandmother’s remedy really effective? Three doctors gave their opinions to NPR, the National Public Radio.
Tea deflates the pharynx
According to Doctor Damrose, head of the laryngology department at Stanford, tea, and in particular green tea, could help to deflate the pharynx. This is because this part of the throat can tend to swell when it is infected with a bacteria or virus. It is then difficult to swallow and therefore to swallow anything. But tea can also help clear a congested throat, like any hot drink.
The American doctor considers that “ sipping and swallowing helps prevent irritating coughs “. However, his colleagues Drs Long and Sardesai see a flaw in tea: caffeine. This helps to increase the production of acids. However, the acid tends to irritate the throat. It is therefore preferable to drink tea that is light in caffeine, or even without theine.
Honey, no contraindications
According to Dr. Long, assistant professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, he is “ really very speculative »To attribute the virtues of remedy for the throat to honey. However, none of the three doctors interviewed by NPR sees a dangerous or aggravating side to eat honey when your throat is hoarse. Could it be just her soft side that comforts?
Lemon to fill up with vitamin C
Dr Long does not take a very good liking to lemon because of its acidity, when it comes to treating a sore throat. His colleague Dr Sardesai, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the Washington University School of Medicine, highlights the importance of vitamin C in lemon. ” And vitamin C is known to help fight certain infections.», Recalls NPR.
To support her remarks, she quotes a study published in 1999, which showed ” the effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing and relieving respiratory infections caused by viruses.“An argument confirmed by Doctor Damrose, recalling that” lemon has anti-bacterial properties “. In the end, to relieve a sore throat, it is advisable to drink tea without caffeine, with a little honey and a quarter of lemon.
Marie-Eve Wilson-Jamin
Read also: Treat a sore throat