Do you ever wake up with a sore throat that just doesn’t seem to go away? It could be due to swollen tonsils, which are painful, annoying, and very common.
Tonsils are tissue lumps found at the back of the throat. There are two of them on each side of the neck. Tonsils are a component of the immune system that contain white blood cells to fight the bacteria in your mouth. Tonsillitis is a disorder that causes inflammation (swelling) in the tonsils as a result of a bacterial or viral infection. Tonsillitis can affect individuals of all ages.
Tonsillitis itself is not infectious, but the viruses or bacteria that cause it are. Washing hands on a regular basis may help prevent the spread of illness. If you get tonsillitis, it’s useful to know what natural home remedies you can use to help ease the pain and swelling.
So here are a variety of natural solutions for swollen tonsils so that you can quickly reduce discomfort and encourage healing. Keep reading if you’re interested in finding out more about some simple and effective ways of treating your swollen tonsils from home!
5 effective home remedies for tonsils
There are some natural home remedies that can effectively treat or reduce symptoms of tonsillitis. Here are some home remedies:
Chicken soup
Warm liquids, such as tea and chicken soup, may help relieve a sore throat. Chicken soup is a go-to food for treating illnesses over the years. It is a convenient way to get the vitamins, minerals, calories, and protein your body might require in greater amounts for you to recover.
Gargling salt water
Combine salt in a glass of warm water, and use it to gargle in your throat. Salt is helpful in minimizing throat discomfort. Gargling and rinsing with warm salt water can help relieve the discomfort from tonsillitis or a sore throat. It can also help reduce inflammation and may even help in treating infections.
Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in warm water. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Gargle and swirl it about in your mouth for a few seconds before spitting it out. Make sure to avoid drinking the solution. You can use regular water to rinse out the remaining salt in your mouth.
Drink tea
Warm drinks like tea can help alleviate the pain caused by tonsillitis. Raw honey, which is often used with tea, also has potent antimicrobial qualities.
Make sure to drink the tea warm rather than when it’s hot, and stir in the honey until it dissolves. Certain teas might be more effective in treating tonsillitis or a sore throat. Ginger tea, for example, is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which can help reduce inflammation and pain.
Avoid consuming hard or sharp foods
Foods with hard or sharp edges, such as potato chips, crackers, cereal, toast, apples, and carrots, may scrape and irritate the throat, and exacerbate swelling. Stick to soft meals instead, such as mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs.
Use a humidifier
A humidifier can be useful if the air is dry or if you have a dry mouth. Dry air can aggravate the throat, so reintroducing moisture into the air with a humidifier can help ease irritation in the throat and tonsils. If the tonsillitis is caused by a virus, cool-mist humidifiers are particularly effective.
It is recommended to use a humidifier as needed, especially when sleeping until the tonsillitis has cleared up. If a humidifier is not available, sitting in the bathroom filled with steam from turning on the shower can also provide relief.
To alleviate the pain and discomfort, it’s important to get sufficient rest by elevating the bed or sitting upright in a chair. Avoid lying flat, as it can increase pressure on your tonsils and throat and cause swelling at the back of the neck.
Tonsillitis recovery
Many tonsillitis cases resolve rapidly on their own. Tonsillitis caused by viruses usually clears up after 7 to 10 days of rest and lots of water. Bacterial tonsillitis may last up to a week, but you will likely feel better within a day or two after starting medications.
To help your body heal, make sure to drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest, regardless of whether you’re taking any medications or relying on natural home remedies.
In rare and severe situations if you have recurrent or chronic tonsillitis, your doctor might recommend a tonsillectomy, where your tonsils are surgically removed. This is normally performed as an outpatient procedure. In this case, most individuals, including infants and adults, will recover completely within fourteen days of having a tonsillectomy.
