This “home remedy” that we all have in our cupboards would quickly calm inflammation.
It is well known: several natural remedies with soothing and antiseptic properties such as honey, lemon and thyme or peppermint herbal teas are effective in soothing a sore throat. Dr. Linda Yancey, an infectious disease physician at Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, Texas, reveals another cure, much more unusual to immediately relieve a sore and inflamed throat. “This is more of a home remedy than a medical intervention, so there is no official recommendation [….] This is simply a temporary solution that will result in a reduction in symptoms during about 10 to 15 minutes“, she explains.
Anti-inflammatory properties
The famous natural remedy is the juice present in the jar of pickles. This may seem strange and hard to believe but this “brine” (a salty liquid preparation which allows food to be preserved) would have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial interesting. In the same way as gargling with salt water, “this solution being more concentrated in salt than the liquid present in our body tissues, this helps reduce inflammation by evacuating water“, shares the expert, interviewed on the American media Well and Good. Pickle juice works perfectly since it generally contains 4 to 5% salt while the body is composed of 0.9% salt (9 grams of salt per liter of water).
Not all jars are equal: prefer sour pickles rather than sweet-tasting pickles (avoid large burger pickles for example, “sweet pickles” or candied pickles) which logically contain less salt. “The pickles dill work well thanks to the salt contained in the preservation solution“, advises the infectious disease specialist and recommends always having 1 or 2 pots in your cupboards. Dill is an aromatic plant which has diuretic properties (promotes the evacuation of water), calming for the throat and expectorantwhich helps to clear the airways in case of cough, bronchitis, asthma or cold. It is right to look at the labels on the back of the products to find out if the pickle jar contains any. Regarding quantity, “there is no magic dose“, warns Dr. Yancey, but avoid drinking half the jar. Important: this natural remedy is not suitable for people suffering fromhigh blood pressure or those following a low-salt diet. Also, if a sore throat persists or worsens, it is better to consult your doctor.