Today I woke up with a bad sore throat. Sore throats are nothing to worry about and my body normally takes care of it in 2-3 days normally and they don't affect my work. But this time I couldn't take that risk as I had to leave for Kasargod for the upcoming Freedom Walk in another two days. I cannot afford to miss the starting date as I am the only person who has currently volunteered for the whole walk from Kasargod to Trivandrum and if I miss the start date, there wouldn't be another person as there is not another person who has committed for the full stint. I woke up with the growls associated with sore throats and my mother, who is currently with me, spotted this and deduced the cause. She immediately concocted a potion and brought it to me.

I took the potion without any complaint and used it to gargle and soothe my sore throat. I don't normally complain to being used as a test bed for my mother's, her elder sister's or their mother's (while she was alive) traditional remedies. I don't complain simply because their remedies work. This potion which I used to gargle was super-effective and by the time I was dressed up to leave to work I could barely feel any soreness in my throat. My mother shares these remedies with people she knows and she likes doing it. I thought I would lend her a hand and share this knowledge of this special remedy for sore throats with others.

The ingredients are simple

1) Water - 1 glass
2) Salt - 1/4 tsp
3) Lemon Juice - 1/2 tbsp
4) Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
5) Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tbsp

Normally people gargle with hot water with salt. But this concoction has some extra ingredients that pack a punch. Boil water and add all the ingredients mentioned above in necessary quantities (necessary is subjective - but you modify according to your feel and results). Gargle with this concoction like you do with normal gargle medication. Spit out the water once done. Do take special attention when you spit the water out. If you see blobs of darkened dense mucus in the spit, the gargle has worked. If not, you have to gargle longer or tweak the mixture until you get the right results.