Natural Health: How to deal with incredibly frustrating laryngitis

I have a mild dose of laryngitis, brought on by a throat infection. I’ve tried gargling with salted water but it hasn’t helped much. What would you recommend?

Laryngitis is incredibly frustrating to deal with, particularly if you work in the service industry. One of the best things you can do is to take pure aloe vera juice to soothe the mucous membranes, taking 15-20ml twice daily.

Pure aloe vera juice is not only useful in treating internal inflammation, it has also been shown in a double-blind randomised clinical trial to be as effective as chlorhexidine in reducing dental plaque over a four-day period.

It is important to make sure that you use pure aloe juice (the label will typically state 99.9% aloe vera inner gel juice or similar), and not the popular aloe-based drinks, which often have sugar and flavouring and contain very little aloe juice.

The aloe juice alone should be enough to soothe and heal your stressed throat and vocal cords, however, you can also take liquorice tea throughout the day to help support your immune system whilst healing your larynx. Liquorice root is a great remedy for coughs, colds, and sore throats due to its natural anti-inflammatory properties and ability to shift excess mucous.

Liquorice root is also a great source of nutrients — vitamin E, phosphorus, the B vitamins, manganese, iodine, chromium and zinc.

This makes it useful as a support to the immune system and adrenal glands. There is no need to sweeten liquorice tea since it is a naturally sweet brew, and can be taken hot or cold.

Zinc, in particular, is an important mineral for immunity, since the body secretes zinc into fluids as an antiseptic.

Tea, coffee, and alcohol all reduce levels of zinc in the body. You can boost your zinc levels and get the zinc right to where your body needs it most by sucking on zinc lozenges.

It is worth continuing with the warm salt water gargle, as this will no doubt be helping to keep the infection at bay.

Obviously, you will still need to be resting your voice as much as possible, and avoid dehydrating beverages such as coffee, alcohol, and fizzy drinks.

I’ve had a barking cough for almost two weeks. I feel fine but I find the coughing exhausting, particularly at night when I go to bed.

Liquorice root, as above, will also be a useful remedy to help soothe your throat and help with the exhaustion.

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is a valuable tonic remedy due to the presence of glycosides — essential for the relief of adrenal exhaustion and muscular fatigue. It also provides natural cortisone, which is nourishing for the adrenals.

The other herb worth looking into is a common culinary ingredient long used to support respiratory health.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is strongly antiseptic, due to the constituent thymol, making it the ideal choice for persistent coughs, respiratory infection, asthma, and hay fever.

For a herbal infusion, you will need a tablespoon of fresh thyme or you can use a teaspoon of dried thyme and a cup of boiling water. Steep the thyme for four to eight minutes and drink two to four cups daily.

Raw honey can be added for sweetness and additional medicinal benefit. You can combine the liquorice root and thyme to make your herbal infusion rather than taking them separately.

As far as store-bought cough preparations go, I have yet to find a remedy as effective as Weleda’s Cough Elixirs. Weleda’s Herb & Honey Cough Elixir contains thyme, aniseed, horehound, marshmallow root, Iceland moss, and elderflower in a honey syrup.

This combination has been created specifically for dry and irritating coughs. You can take it by the spoonful as needed, or add the dose to a little warm water if you prefer.

Weleda’s cough elixirs are available from independent natural health stores and pharmacies nationwide.