My sore throat secret weapon

Tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper powder. Yeeeowza!!! 🔥

It’s the secret weapon almost no one knows about for zapping a sore throat immediately. And when you’ve got to speak or present for an hour or more, you want something quick.

In a cup of warm water mix in a few drops of tabasco sauce or a quarter teaspoon of cayenne powder. Then gargle for about fifteen seconds—don’t drink! Spit it out and do it over again five or six more times.

I’ll warn you that depending on how much hot stuff you’ve mixed into the water, your throat will feel as though it’s on fire. But oh, what a great fire it is! As John Cougar Mellencamp says, “Hurts so good!”

Every time I’ve done this my sore throat disappears instantly. This is not a cure but rather a short-term fix that often lasts two to three hours. Throat lozenges are great but when I have to speak, this is my go-to fix.