Neck wrap for a sore throat

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

A neck wrap is a tried and true home remedy. It is mainly used for sore throats and sore throats. The wrap can unfold its beneficial healing power both warm and cold. You can read in this post which wrap works best for a sore throat and how to use it correctly!

What is a neck wrap?

A wrap for a sore throat is a classic home remedy for complaints such as sore throats and hoarseness. A distinction is made between cold and warm as well as wet and dry wraps. The principle of application is the same for every neck wrap: A cloth (warm or cold, damp or dry) is placed around the neck and covered and fixed with at least one other cloth.

How does the neck wrap work?

A warm neck wrap brings warmth to the body, promotes blood circulation and has an antispasmodic effect. As a result, the neck wrap relieves the pain of a sore throat or tonsillitis. A cold neck wrap, on the other hand, removes heat from the body and slows down inflammatory processes. It relieves pain, constricts the blood vessels and has a decongestant effect.

If you also wet the neck wrap (moist and warm or moist and cold neck wrap), this intensifies the effect, because the moisture keeps the heat or cold longer.

Sometimes a neck wrap is only aimed at this physical effect. But there are also neck wraps with additives (herbal tea, lemon, quark, essential oils, etc.), which strengthen or expand the effect.

What ingredients do you need for a neck wrap?

For a damp neck wrap you will need:

• Inner towel (preferably made of cotton or linen; size: large handkerchief or kitchen towel): The inner towel is doused with warm or cold water and then wrung out.
• Intermediate cloth: The intermediate cloth should be larger than the inner cloth. A cotton, linen or terry towel is best.
• Outer cloth: fixes the wrap. A wool scarf, terry towel or thick molton cloth is suitable for this.
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• Water or herbal infusion (e.g. chamomile or sage tea)
• If necessary, additional fastening material (plaster, bandage, etc.)

Of course, you don't need water or a bowl for a dry neck wrap. But if you want to make the neck wrap with additives such as quark or essential oils, you should also have them ready, for example:

• lemon
• Quark
• essential oils (e.g. sage, eucalyptus)
• If necessary, knife, fork, spoon or spatula (for distributing quark or other additives)

With all wraps, it is important that the lengths of fabric can be placed close to the body. The towels should not be too big, but also not too small for the corresponding part of the body.

How do you use the neck wrap correctly?

For a warm and moist neck wrap, fold the inner scarf in the middle at least once and roll it up from both long sides towards the middle. Place the inner cloth in a bowl so that both ends stick out. Pour about 500 to 750 milliliters of hot water (or medicinal herbal tea) over it. Then wring out the cloth several times, but be careful: Risk of burns! If the water is still too hot, let the wrap sit longer. This distributes the heat and can be released for a long time and evenly.

Place the wrung-out cloth against the neck from the front without creasing. Leave your spine free - the damp wrap can otherwise cause tension in the neck. Now place the intermediate cloth tightly around the inner cloth. Use the thick outer cloth to fix the warm wrap around your neck.

Leave the moist and warm neck wrap for 20 to 30 minutes or as long as you find it comfortable. Then remove the wrap and, if necessary, dry the damp neck with a towel. The patient should then rest for 30 minutes.

Never cover a damp wrap (regardless of whether it is warm or cold) with foil or other impermeable material - heat can build up.

Another variant is the warm lemon neck wrap: the juice and the zest of a lemon in hot water can intensify the effect of the neck wrap. The lemon has anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties, among other things. Put the juice and the grated zest of an organic lemon into the hot water, into which you then put the inner cloth and let it flow through.

A warm neck wrap with essential oils can often bring quick relief from a sore throat. For example, you can add 3 drops of cajeput, 1 drop of spiced lavender and 4 drops of rosewood to half a liter of hot water and dip the inner cloth in it. The rest of the procedure is the same as for the normal, moist and warm neck wrap.

You can also use essential oils along with a fatty oil as a carrier oil for an oil neck wrap. Here is a recipe that is recommended for tonsillitis: Put three drops of eucalyptus oil on a teaspoon of fatty oil (e.g. almond oil). Ideally, you have warmed up the carrier oil in a water bath beforehand. Then put the oil mixture on the inner cloth. Place this on the painful area on the neck, cover it with an intermediate cloth and secure the whole thing with a woolen scarf. Leave on for 30 minutes or even better: put on before going to bed and leave on your neck overnight.

The use of essential oils in children should be discussed beforehand with a doctor or aromatherapist - some oils irritate the mucous membranes and cause shortness of breath. In addition, you should generally test the compatibility before using essential oils: Rub a drop of the oil in the crook of your arm. If there is no skin irritation (such as redness, itching) within the next few hours, you can use it.

A warm potato overlay on the neck can also help with a sore throat. To do this, boil 500 grams of unpeeled potatoes until soft, then drain and allow to evaporate. Place on the unfolded inner cloth and mash with a fork or cutting board. Now wrap the potatoes in the inner cloth and seal them with adhesive tape to form a packet. Apply this to the sore throat, cover with a dry cloth in between and secure with an outer cloth. Leave on for at least 30 minutes or as long as the pad is perceived as pleasant. A potato wrap on the neck can be put on once a day.

For a cold and damp neck wrap (also called Prießnitz neck wrap), proceed in the same way as for a warm and damp wrap - except that you moisten the inner cloth with 10 to 18 degrees cold water (immerse or pour over). If you have an acute sore throat, leave the neck wrap on for 30 minutes, and for other sore throats for several hours. Then take off the wrap and protect your neck from the cold with a woolen scarf.

Another variant of the wrap is a cold quark pad on the neck. To do this, coat a gauze compress with 250 to 500 grams of low-fat quark (room temperature) and place it around your neck. Cover the quark pad with a dry cloth and secure the wrap with a larger outer cloth. In the case of acute inflammatory processes, leave it on for a maximum of 20 minutes, otherwise until the quark is dry. Then rest. Use once or twice a day. You can read more about this in the article Quarkauflage.

What complaints does a neck wrap help with?

A warm neck wrap helps against the following ailments:

• Sore throat
• hoarseness
• bronchitis
• Tonsillitis
• Laryngitis

With the addition of lemon, the warm neck wrap is particularly effective against bronchitis and congested airways, for example with a cold.

If the patient is uncomfortable with the warmth, a cold neck wrap can also relieve a sore throat (for example with a sore throat, sore throat or tonsillitis) and hoarseness.

When is a neck wrap not advised?

A warm neck wrap should never be used for acute inflammatory diseases. In the case of cardiovascular diseases, any heat treatment should be discussed with a doctor in advance. Before applying a hot wrap, you should always test the temperature on the forearm first. The same is especially true if the neck wrap is intended for a child or someone who cannot perceive temperature stimuli well (e.g. diabetics) - burns can then easily occur.

A cold neck wrap should never be applied if the patient is cold, limbs or chills. Before applying the wrap, the temperature on the forearm should be checked. As with hot compresses, this is particularly advisable if the patient is a child or a person with impaired temperature perception.

In addition, if the patient finds the (warm or cold) neck wrap uncomfortable, remove it immediately!

Home remedies have their limits. If the symptoms persist over a longer period of time and do not get better or even worse despite treatment, you should always consult a doctor.

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