Sore Throat Soother: A Cure for What Ails You, With a Twist

Oh, winter cold and flu season. How I loathe you. But when the throat tickles and nose sniffles begin, I’m glad to have this home remedy at hand. Easy to make with just four ingredients, this sore throat soother may not cure the common cold, but it makes it a bit easier to endure.

stream of honey flowing into a glass jar full of natural throat soother ingredients

Years ago, I spotted a recipe for a lemon, ginger, and honey “cure for what ails you” and decided to give it a try.

A cure for what ails you, with a twist

As I tend to do, I embellished the recipe a tiny bit. We have ‘olena (fresh turmeric) readily available here, and we all know how good it is for us. With its anti-inflammatory properties, it just makes sense to incorporate some into this natural sore throat soother.

fresh ginger, turmeric, whole lemon

For a pint-sized jar of throat soother, you’ll need one whole lemon, about a 3″ length of ginger, and several finger-sized pieces of turmeric. (It’s the dark orange slices that look like carrots in the photo.) Slice them all thinly — a nice sharp knife helps!

slices of turmeric, ginger and lemon

To make a batch, simply layer slices of fresh ginger, turmeric, and lemon in a jar in roughly equal parts. It doesn’t matter what order you layer them in. When the jar is full, pour honey—preferably local—over the slices until the jar is full. You may need to tap the jar on the counter a bit to get the honey to settle around the fresh ingredients. Or run a butter knife inside the edge of the jar to allow the honey to flow.

Related: Make Turmeric Powder from Fresh Roots

sliced turmeric in the bottom of a glass jar

Once full, cap the jar and invert several times to distribute the honey. If you see that the honey level drops after doing this, open the jar and add a bit more honey.

Store this sore throat soother in the refrigerator

Put this natural sore throat soother in the fridge and allow to sit for at least a week. The lemons will juice out, thinning the honey down quite a bit. When you’re ready to use is, give the jar a gentle shake and pour yourself a shot – about a tablespoonful. Or stir some into a hot cup of tea.

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How long will it last? We kept it for about a month in the fridge, but perhaps even longer.

slices of ginger, turmeric, and lemon on a cutting board, with some in a glass jar

Wowza

This is good stuff. It tastes delish, kind of sweet and tangy and wonderful. And anyone who downs a shot follows it up with a nice, hearty whoop! because they could tell that it was a nice power boost for the system. Yeah, maybe a little woowoo; you gotta try it yourself and see what you think.

I’m not going to tell you it’s a cure for the common cold, but it definitely is a throat soother. [If you prefer a less bold way to take your turmeric, try this hot turmeric milk.]

layers of lemon, olena, ginger in a jar with honey, a sore throat soother

★ Did you make this sore throat soother? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★

stream of honey flowing into a glass jar full of natural throat soother ingredients

Honey Sore Throat Soother with Ginger, Turmeric, and Lemon

Yield: 1 pint
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Made with honey, immunity boosting turmeric, lemon, and ginger, this natural sore throat soother is a cure for what ails you when cold & flu season arrives.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup fresh ginger, sliced
  • 1/4 cup turmeric root, sliced
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • 1 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

  1. Layer sliced ingredients in a glass jar to the rim. A wide mouth jar makes this easier, but it's not necessary.
  2. Pour honey over the top of the turmeric, ginger, and lemon.
  3. Seal jar and shake gently. Store in the refrigerator for a week before using.

Notes

You may need to tap the jar on the counter a bit to get the honey to settle around the fresh ingredients. Or run a butter knife inside the edge of the jar to allow the honey to flow. 

When you’re ready to use is, give the jar a gentle shake and pour yourself a shot – about a tablespoonful. Or stir some into a hot cup of tea.

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

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Originally published November 2013. Last update: November 2018

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

18 comments… add one
  • Dee Nov 19, 2021 @ 20:48

    I make this quite often, around here we call it witches brew! I do make a couple of additions to it . Add 1/4 to 1/2 t of cayenne pepper, a cinnamon stick,and a pinch of cloves. My son and his wife swore that after just one shot glass their symptoms were bearable the next day!

    • AttainableSustainable Dec 2, 2021 @ 10:25

      Good addition ideas, I’m glad they are feeling better. witches brew!

  • Shelley Goddard Dec 30, 2018 @ 5:57

    Adding pepper would increase the efficacy of the turmeric by 3 x’s, fermenting it considerably more.

    • Kris Bordessa Jan 5, 2019 @ 16:41

      Yes, good point!

  • Susan Nov 17, 2018 @ 18:43

    I don’t want to say I can’t wait to try it! We just put this together today to prep for cold/flu season. Thank you, it looks amazing. If no one needs to use it in the next month I’ll be drinking it anyway. 🙂

  • Lori Nov 21, 2014 @ 16:12

    I get mine at our international store here in Denver, it’s called the Hmart.

    • Holly Nov 15, 2015 @ 14:10

      Sprouts also carries fresh turmeric now, too.

  • Heather Nov 20, 2014 @ 9:05

    Where do you buy fresh turmeric?

    • Kris Bordessa Nov 20, 2014 @ 9:22

      I’m in Hawaii, so I can get it at the farmers markets. You might try an Asian grocery, if you have one nearby.

  • Elizabeth Sorrell Nov 19, 2014 @ 11:41

    It’d b a great hot toddy with ginger brandy!

  • Gretchen Falkenburg Oct 25, 2014 @ 4:57

    Also nice in a hot cuppa. Works well with most herbal teas too. Just a teaspoon here and there.

  • Lori Oct 24, 2014 @ 17:12

    How long did you let it set before sipping, I made a master blend, but might make some of this too.

    • Kris Bordessa Oct 24, 2014 @ 17:58

      Probably 48 hours(ish)?

      • jodi Oct 28, 2014 @ 9:24

        What size jar?

        • Kris Bordessa Oct 28, 2014 @ 9:43

          It depends how much you make. 😉 Just layer the ingredients in a jar to fill it.

  • Nance Feb 24, 2014 @ 3:38

    What is ‘olena?

    • Nance Feb 24, 2014 @ 3:42

      oops… I just read: turmeric. Sorry about that.

  • drew Dec 17, 2013 @ 2:38

    Have you tried making that into a ferment? Take out the honey and add a sugary fruit apples or oranges. Let it sit on the counter. I’m going to give it a try.

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