
For sore throat, I gargle using 1/2 tsp. of salt in 6-8 oz very warm water with 1-2 drops of tea tree oil stirred in. The tea tree oil is a topical anesthetic that stops the pain and also kills virus, bacteria, and fungus.
Just don’t swallow it. It doesn’t necessarily stop a viral infection but can make it milder or not last as long. If you gargle at the first sign of symptoms and repeat about every 3-4 hrs you can knock out some viral infections. I first tried this in desperation when I woke up one morning with a sore throat so painful that I couldn’t bear to swallow my saliva. It stopped the pain for 3 hrs.
I kept gargling about every 4 hrs for one day. This was in a small community, and right after Christmas, when kids were still at home on vacation, and lots of people caught the virus, which was a nasty one.
Most people had it for 10 days, with fever and a bad cough and even a rash, and many went to the ER. I had symptoms for less than 3 days and have used this gargle for sore throat with viruses ever since. Works every time.