Tonsillitis - home remedies

and Dr. med. Ricarda Black

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

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Ricarda Schwarz studied medicine in Würzburg, where she also completed her doctorate. After a wide range of tasks in practical medical training (PJ) in Flensburg, Hamburg and New Zealand, she is now working in neuroradiology and radiology at the Tübingen University Hospital.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

Using home remedies for tonsillitis is common. In fact, neck wraps and a gargle solution, for example, can alleviate the symptoms and effectively support the therapy. Various herbal remedies for tonsillitis often also help. Here you can read everything you need to know about home remedies for tonsillitis.

ICD codes for this disease: ICD codes are internationally recognized codes for medical diagnoses. They can be found, for example, in doctor's letters or on certificates of incapacity for work. A36J35J03

A tonsillitis is associated with bothersome symptoms such as a sore throat, difficulty swallowing and irritated mucous membranes in the throat. Simple home remedies for tonsillitis can usually relieve mild symptoms well, so that many patients do not have to go to the doctor at all.

Purulent tonsillitis should be treated by a doctor because of the threat of secondary diseases! In that case, home remedies are not enough.

With a purulent tonsillitis, the tonsils are covered with pus. This manifests itself with white and yellow dots in the throat. If you suspect purulent tonsillitis, see your doctor.

Neck wrap against tonsillitis

What to do with tonsillitis The sore throat and difficulty swallowing can often be relieved with a neck wrap.

Warm neck wrap

A hot neck wrap promotes blood circulation and relieves pain. To do this, roll up a cotton cloth from both sides towards the middle and then roll it lengthways into a tea towel. Place this roll in a bowl with both ends sticking out. Then pour 500 to 750 ml of boiling hot water over the wrap. Let it infuse briefly and wring it out well (careful, hot!).

Carefully place the hot cotton cloth around the neck, but avoid the spine. If you have tonsillitis, let the compress work for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then dry your neck well and rest. You can use a hot neck wrap twice a day.

Cold neck wrap

If the patient prefers it and does not shiver or freeze, you can also use a cool Prießnitz neck wrap. To do this, put a cloth in cold water (10 to 18 degrees), wring it out and wrap it around your neck. Avoid the spine. Cover the wrap with a dry cloth and let it work for at least half an hour. After removing the wrap, protect your neck from the cold. The cold neck wrap can be used as a home remedy for tonsillitis once a day.

Tonsillitis: drink tea

The following herbal home remedies for tonsillitis are popular and often used successfully:

• sage
• chamomile
• Marigold
• myrrh
• Cape geranium
• Linden blossom
• Ribwort plantain
• Icelandic moss
• thyme
• American coneflower (Echinacea)
• Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)
• Dye pod (Baptisia australis)

How to make a tea from the medicinal plants can be found in the respective medicinal plants article. Sometimes different medicinal plants are combined with each other to treat sore throats and tonsillitis, for example in a tea mixture. You can get these in pharmacies, health food stores or well-stocked supermarkets and drug stores.

Gargle

What else helps with tonsillitis? Gargle! This moisturizes the mucous membrane of the throat and, depending on the additive, has an antibacterial or anti-inflammatory effect.

Make your own gargle solution

To make an easy gargle solution as a home remedy for tonsillitis, mix a glass of lukewarm water with either

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar,
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or
• 1 teaspoon sea salt.

Stir well and gargle it thoroughly. You can repeat the procedure several times a day as required.

Gargle with tea

Chilled medicinal herbal teas are also suitable for gargling. For sore throats and tonsillitis, the teas are made from:

• chamomile
• Marshmallow
• Oak bark
• Ribwort plantain
• mallow
• Marigold or
• sage

You can read how to prepare the respective tea in the corresponding medicinal plants article.

Inhale

Inhalation can loosen mucus from the upper airways and reduce local inflammation in the nasopharynx. In addition, inhalation moisturizes the irritated mucous membranes. This can be beneficial for tonsillitis.

To do this, heat water and put it in a bowl. Then sit in front of the bowl and bend your head over it so that you inhale the water vapor. Cover the head and bowl with a towel so that no steam can escape. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply for about ten to 15 minutes.

Various additives such as salt, chamomile flowers or essential oils can increase the effect.

You can read about which additives are suitable in the article Inhale.

What to eat with tonsillitis

Soft food: Patients with tonsillitis prefer soft and spicy foods. The person concerned can usually consume this despite having difficulty swallowing.

Sucking candies: With non-medicinal lozenges (such as sage candies) you can also relieve pain and a scratchy sensation in the throat. The candies stimulate saliva production. The saliva increasingly wets the inflamed tonsils and thereby alleviates the pain.

Honey milk: To do this, warm a glass or mug of milk and dissolve a teaspoon of honey in it. Drink the honey milk in small sips before going to bed.

Ice cream: Children in particular often get ice cream when they have tonsillitis. This briefly relieves the pain, but the cold also reduces the blood circulation and thus possibly slows down the healing process. If the pain is severe, cool but not cold foods (such as yogurt) are more suitable.

Tonsillitis in child: home remedies

Some home remedies are also suitable for a child with tonsillitis. When using neck wraps, however, you should first check the temperature on the back of your hand or your own neck.

Most medicinal herbal teas are also suitable for children. If the little ones don't like the taste of sage tea, you can also make chamomile tea for your offspring. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and tastes milder.

Young children cannot gargle or inhale yet. For older children, parents should always be present when they use these home remedies. Children can choke easily when gargling, and there is a risk of burns when inhaling if the hot water is handled incorrectly.

To moisten the irritated throat and pharynx and to relieve the pain, candies (for example with sage) or lukewarm honey milk are the better choice. In addition, honey milk has a mild expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect.

Children under one year of age are not allowed to consume honey. It can contain life-threatening bacterial toxins for you.

General tips for tonsillitis

Bed rest: Anyone who suffers from tonsillitis belongs in bed. The patient should rest and thus support the body.

Drink a lot: The mucous membranes of the throat are often red, irritated and painful when they have tonsillitis. Therefore, keep the mucous membranes moist by drinking enough. Cold drinks have a pain-relieving effect, but at the same time reduce blood flow. Warm drinks (tea, honey milk, hot lemon) are therefore better for the healing process.

Home remedies have 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. Using home remedies for severe purulent tonsillitis and avoiding medical treatment is not advisable. If you have a fever during tonsillitis, you should see your GP.

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