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Would You Gargle with Pickle Juice?
It’s the latest hack for a sore throat, but does it work?
It’s that time of year again — cold and flu season, or even worse, COVID. As soon as the temperatures drop, sore throats seem to strike with a vengeance.
Well suppose you’ve tried all the usual remedies — hot tea with honey, throat lozenges, saltwater gargles. But that stubborn throat irritation just won’t let up. What do you do?
When desperation sets in, people start getting creative with home cures. One unusual but trendy remedy is gargling with pickle juice.
Yes, we’re talking about the leftover brine from that jar of pickles in the back of your fridge. It doesn’t sound very tasty, does it?
Pickle juice proponents claim it helps soothe sore throats thanks to its vinegar content. The sour taste makes you salivate and that helps coat and relieve an inflamed throat. The vinegar content helps reduce throat inflammation and ease the pain.
And there’s some science to support it. Vinegar seems to work its anti-inflammatory magic on your throat while the salty brine provides a temporarily numbing…
