Gargling with Baking Soda and Water to Treat a Sore Throat
Perhaps you already know that it’s advisable to gargle with baking soda and water when you have a sore throat. Indeed, it’s a mixture that’s highly recommended for this kind of discomfort. Of course, you shouldn’t neglect any treatment prescribed by your doctor.
Furthermore, rinsing with this mixture on a daily basis can help maintain good dental hygiene. In fact, it contributes to the removal of plaque on the teeth, while helping to maintain fresh breath.
Bicarbonate of soda
Sodium bicarbonate is a salt formed by sodium hydroxide derived from carbonic acid, which contributes to the acid and base balance of the body. The chemical formula with which sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is represented is NaHCO3.
It’s a whitish powder that creates an alkaline reaction on contact with water and then dissolves completely. It’s easy to find in any type of supermarket.
One of its advantages is that it isn’t toxic when ingested (in small amounts) which is why it’s used as baking powder in the preparation of various desserts.
Apart from its possible use in the kitchen, baking soda offers many other uses. Among these is the maintenance of good oral hygiene.
You might also like to read: 3 Natural Mouthwash Recipes for Bad Breath
Gargling with bicarbonate of soda and its benefits
A good way of obtaining relief when you have a cold with a scratchy throat and pain when you swallow is to gargle with baking soda and water.
Ingredients for baking soda gargle
1 cup of warm water (125 milliliters).
1 teaspoon of baking soda (5 grams).
Preparation
- In the cup of hot water add the teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate. Stir really well until the bicarbonate is completely dissolved.
- Take small sips and keep the mixture in your throat, as far back as possible. Gargle for approximately thirty seconds.
- Spit out the mixture. In fact, you shouldn’t swallow it, as it could be bad for your health.
- Repeat the same process until you’ve finished the mixture.
The effects of the baking soda in combination with the water, which shouldn’t be cold but not too hot either, will help clear mucus and reduce the inflammation in your throat.
In addition to relieving sore throats, the baking soda and lemon mixture can also help freshen breath.
You might also be interested to read: 11 Remedies to Speed Up The Relief of a Sore Throat
Precautions when using baking soda
You must be careful not to swallow the mixture as bicarbonate of soda can have adverse reactions. For example:
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Flatulence.
- Heartburn.
- Muscle weakness.
- Difficulty breathing.
Although gargling can help relieve a sore throat, you must remember that this measure isn’t a cure as such or a substitute for any treatment prescribed by your doctor
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Al-Abri, S. A., & Kearney, T. (2014). Baking soda misuse as a home remedy: Case experience of the California Poison Control System. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpt.12113
- Ghassemi, A., Vorwerk, L. M., Hooper, W. J., Putt, M. S., & Milleman, K. R. (2008). A four-week clinical study to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of a baking soda dentifrice and an antimicrobial dentifrice in reducing plaque. Journal of Clinical Dentistry.
- Li, Y. (2017). Stain removal and whitening by baking soda dentifrice: A review of literature. Journal of the American Dental Association. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2017.09.006