The best tea for a sore throat is a warm one with honey stirred in. A hot drink eased sore throat pain in a controlled trial, and honey has the strongest evidence of any home remedy for cold symptoms. Among specific teas, a licorice, slippery elm and marshmallow root blend has the best trial behind it, and a green tea gargle helped in a hospital study. Chamomile, despite its reputation, failed both trials that tested it on throat pain.
Most sore throats come from viral colds and clear up on their own. The NHS says they normally get better within a week. No tea cures the infection. What a good cup can do is make swallowing hurt less while your body deals with it, and some cups do that better than others. This guide ranks the options by the quality of the human evidence, not by tradition.
Teas for a sore throat, ranked by evidence
| Tea or addition | Best evidence | What it showed | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any hot drink | Randomised study, 30 people with colds | Immediate and lasting relief of sore throat; the same drink at room temperature did not help the throat | Moderate |
| Honey (stirred into tea) | Meta-analysis of 14 studies; Cochrane review in children | Improved cold symptoms, especially cough, vs usual care | Moderate |
| Licorice, slippery elm and marshmallow blend | Placebo-controlled trial, 60 adults with pharyngitis | Faster, greater pain relief on swallowing for 30 minutes | Low to moderate |
| Licorice root | Trial of licorice gargle before surgery | Less post-operative sore throat | Low for colds |
| Green tea (as a gargle) | Randomised trial, 121 heart surgery patients | Less throat pain at 12 and 24 hours | Low for colds |
| Ginger, lemon, peppermint | Mostly laboratory studies | No direct human trials on sore throat pain | Very low |
| Chamomile | Two trials in surgery patients | No benefit over placebo or no treatment | Evidence against |
1. Any hot tea: the warmth itself helps
The simplest finding is also one of the most useful. At the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University, researchers Sanu and Eccles gave 30 people with colds or flu a hot fruit drink, and on a separate occasion the same drink at room temperature. The hot drink gave immediate and lasting relief from sore throat, runny nose, cough, sneezing, chilliness and tiredness. The room-temperature version eased the runny nose, cough and sneezing, but not the sore throat. The study was published in Rhinology in 2008.
The authors suggest the warmth and taste increase saliva and airway secretions, which soothe the throat. They also acknowledge that part of the effect may be placebo, which is hard to separate from a hot drink you know you are drinking. For practical purposes, it means the base of any sore-throat tea matters less than drinking it warm. Warm, not scalding: very hot liquid can irritate an inflamed throat further.
2. Honey: the addition with the best evidence
Honey is not a tea, but it is what turns a cup of tea into a remedy. In 2021, researchers at the University of Oxford published a systematic review and meta-analysis in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine of 14 studies of honey for upper respiratory tract infections. Compared with usual care, honey improved combined symptom scores and reduced how often and how badly people coughed. The review was driven by antibiotic overuse: most sore throats are viral, antibiotics do not help them, and honey is a cheap alternative for relieving symptoms.
The authors rated the overall risk of bias as moderate and said more placebo-controlled trials are needed. A Cochrane review of honey for acute cough in children reached a similar conclusion: honey probably relieves cough better than no treatment or placebo, based on six trials involving 899 children.
Stir one to two teaspoons into a cup that has cooled slightly. Never give honey to a baby under 12 months old, because of the risk of infant botulism.
3. Licorice, slippery elm and marshmallow root blends
The only tea tested in a placebo-controlled trial for sore throat pain is a demulcent blend. Demulcent herbs are rich in mucilage, a slippery gel that coats the lining of the throat. In a 2003 multicentre trial at three primary care clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin, 60 adults diagnosed with acute pharyngitis drank either Throat Coat, a commercial blend built around licorice root, slippery elm bark and marshmallow root, or a placebo tea, four to six times a day. Neither the patients nor the researchers knew which tea each person had.
Pain on swallowing fell more with the herbal tea than with placebo at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes after the first cup. The total pain relief score over that half-hour was 53.6 for the herbal tea and 32.4 for placebo. The relief was rapid but temporary, which is exactly what you would expect from a coating effect.
Weigh one detail before you read too much into it. The lead author worked in research and development at Traditional Medicinals, the company that makes Throat Coat. The trial was small and has not been repeated independently. It is still the most direct evidence for any specific sore throat tea.
4. Licorice root tea
Licorice root is the ingredient doing much of the work in those blends, and it has some evidence of its own. In a 2009 randomised trial in Anesthesia & Analgesia, 40 surgical patients gargled either water or 0.5 g of licorice in water for 30 seconds before anaesthesia. The licorice group had less sore throat after the breathing tube was removed, both at rest and when swallowing, and less coughing. A throat bruised by a breathing tube is not the same as a throat sore from a cold, but it supports licorice’s traditional use.
Licorice needs more caution than any other tea here. Its sweet compound, glycyrrhizin, can raise blood pressure and lower potassium. According to the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, large amounts can cause irregular heartbeat, and people with high blood pressure or heart or kidney conditions are at greater risk. Large amounts are unsafe in pregnancy, and licorice interacts with corticosteroids. A cup or two a day for a few days is a sensible limit. If any of those conditions apply to you, choose a different tea. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) has the glycyrrhizin removed, although it is sold mainly as chewable tablets rather than tea.
5. Green tea, especially as a gargle
Green tea has one trial that looked directly at throat pain, and it was a gargle study. In a randomised trial in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, 121 patients recovering from heart bypass surgery gargled 30 ml of either green tea or distilled water every six hours for a day after their breathing tube came out. The groups were similar at six hours, but the green tea group had significantly less sore throat at 12 and 24 hours. The study was single-blind.
Green tea is also a gentle drink to sip through a cold, with less caffeine than black tea. To gargle with it, brew it normally, let it cool until it is warm, then gargle and spit. See our guide to how to brew green tea to keep it from turning bitter.
6. Ginger, lemon and peppermint
These are the most common sore-throat teas, and they have the weakest direct evidence. Ginger has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity in laboratory studies. Lemon adds vitamin C and a sharp flavour that encourages saliva. Peppermint contains menthol, which gives a cooling sensation. None has a published trial showing it relieves sore throat pain in people with a cold.
That does not make them useless. They are pleasant, caffeine-free and good carriers for honey, and the hot drink research says warmth and flavour are part of what helps. Just treat them as a comforting base, not a treatment.
The tea that did not help: chamomile
Chamomile is often recommended for sore throats because of its anti-inflammatory reputation. The direct tests are disappointing. In a 2002 double-blind trial of 161 surgical patients in Bangkok, a chamomile extract spray before intubation did no better than a saline spray at preventing sore throat or hoarseness. A 2004 follow-up that coated the breathing tube with chamomile extract also found no difference. These were sprays in surgery patients, not cups of tea during a cold, but they are the closest trials that exist, and neither found a benefit.
Chamomile is still a fine caffeine-free choice in the evening, and we cover its sleep evidence in the best tea for sleep. For a sore throat, drink it warm with honey and expect the warmth and honey to do the work.
How to make a soothing sore-throat tea
- Brew any tea you enjoy. A licorice and slippery elm blend, green tea or a caffeine-free herbal tea are good choices. Black tea is fine too.
- Let it cool for a few minutes until it is warm and comfortable to swallow, not scalding.
- Stir in one to two teaspoons of honey. Adding it once the tea has cooled a little also keeps it from being too hot on the throat.
- Add lemon or fresh ginger for flavour if you like.
- Sip slowly, and repeat through the day. The trials that helped gave four to six cups a day, or gargles every six hours.
- Gargle with warm salt water between cups. The NHS recommends it alongside plenty of fluids and rest.
Fluids matter when you are ill, and tea counts. Our article on whether tea dehydrates you explains why. If caffeine keeps you awake when you need rest, switch to one of the best caffeine-free teas in the evening.
When a sore throat needs a doctor
The NHS advises seeing a GP if:
- your sore throat does not improve after a week
- you often get sore throats
- a child under 5 needs help for a sore throat
- you have a lump in your mouth or neck, or a mouth ulcer, lasting more than 3 weeks
Get urgent advice if you also have a very high temperature or feel hot and shivery, signs of dehydration, or a weakened immune system. Call emergency services if you have difficulty breathing, cannot swallow, are drooling, are making a high-pitched sound as you breathe, or your symptoms are severe and getting worse quickly. Outside the UK, contact your local doctor or emergency number.
Frequently asked questions
Is black tea or green tea better for a sore throat?
Either is fine as a warm drink. Green tea has a small gargle trial behind it, and it usually has less caffeine. The biggest gains come from drinking it warm and adding honey, whichever tea you choose.
Does honey and lemon tea help a sore throat?
Yes, mainly because of the warmth and the honey. Honey has the best evidence of any home remedy for cold symptoms in a 2021 meta-analysis. Lemon adds flavour but has no trial evidence for throat pain on its own.
Is ginger tea good for a sore throat?
It is a comforting, caffeine-free choice, but there is no human trial showing ginger tea relieves sore throat pain. Its anti-inflammatory evidence comes from laboratory studies. Add honey to get a better-tested benefit.
Can tea make a sore throat worse?
Very hot tea can irritate an inflamed throat, so let it cool first. Strong caffeinated tea late in the day can disturb sleep. Too much licorice tea can raise blood pressure. Otherwise, warm tea is a safe way to keep your fluids up.
How many cups of tea should I drink for a sore throat?
The herbal tea trial used four to six cups of 150 to 240 ml a day. Limit licorice tea to one or two cups a day, and keep an eye on total caffeine if you are drinking black or green tea.
The bottom line
No tea cures a sore throat, but the right cup can make it hurt less. Drink it warm, which eased throat pain in a controlled study, and add honey, which has the strongest evidence of any home remedy for cold symptoms. For a specific tea, a licorice, slippery elm and marshmallow root blend gave the fastest relief in a placebo-controlled trial, with the caveat that its maker ran it. Green tea is a good gargle. Skip licorice if you have high blood pressure or are pregnant, and see a doctor if the soreness lasts more than a week or you struggle to swallow or breathe.
For the rest of cold season, see the best tea for immunity and the best tea for headaches.
Sources
- Sanu A, Eccles R. The effects of a hot drink on nasal airflow and symptoms of common cold and flu. Rhinology 2008;46(4):271-5.
- Abuelgasim H, Albury C, Lee J. Effectiveness of honey for symptomatic relief in upper respiratory tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Evid Based Med 2021;26(2):57-64.
- Oduwole O et al. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018;4:CD007094.
- Brinckmann J, Sigwart H, van Houten Taylor L. Safety and efficacy of a traditional herbal medicine (Throat Coat) in symptomatic temporary relief of pain in patients with acute pharyngitis. J Altern Complement Med 2003;9(2):285-98. Lead author employed by the manufacturer.
- Agarwal A et al. An evaluation of the efficacy of licorice gargle for attenuating postoperative sore throat. Anesth Analg 2009;109(1):77-81.
- Jafari H et al. The effect of green tea gargle solution on sore throat after coronary artery bypass grafting: a randomized clinical trial. Anesth Pain Med 2016;6(3):e32108.
- Kyokong O et al. Efficacy of chamomile-extract spray for prevention of post-operative sore throat. J Med Assoc Thai 2002;85 Suppl 1:S180-5.
- Charuluxananan S et al. Effectiveness of lubrication of endotracheal tube cuff with chamomile-extract for prevention of postoperative sore throat and hoarseness. J Med Assoc Thai 2004;87 Suppl 2:S185-9.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Licorice root.
- NHS. Sore throat.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Check with a doctor or pharmacist before using herbal teas if you are pregnant, take regular medicines or have a heart, kidney or blood pressure condition.
