Slippery Elm Lozenges: A Soothing Sore Throat Home Remedy

Anyone out there experiencing sore throats or coughs during this transition from summer to fall to winter? Are you looking for a sore throat home remedy? Seems like a time when sicknesses come easily, and as a family we are always looking for nourishing ways to relieve symptoms while also helping our bodies to heal.

Well, here’s one possibility for a sore throat home remedy, Slippery Elm Lozenges. We got the basic recipe from A Kid’s Herb Book by: Leslie Tierra, L.Ac., AHG and just added honey to make them taste a little sweeter.

This sore throat home remedy is easy to make and very soothing and healing as well.

What you’ll need…

• 1 teaspoon dried, chopped licorice root
• ½ cup slippery elm powder
• 2 tablespoons honey

For this sore throat home remedy, first, make a tea of licorice by adding the licorice root to the water (a half cup) and bringing it to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then strain.

Put 1- 2 tablespoons of good quality honey (depending on how sweet you want them) into a ¼ cup measuring cup. Add enough of the licorice tea to fill the cup. (You can also put in water if you don’t have enough tea.)

Put ½ cup slippery elm powder in a bowl and make a depression in the center. Pour the tea into the hole and mix to make a smooth dough.

Sprinkle some slippery elm powder on a flat surface and roll out the dough to about a ¼ inch thickness. Slippery elm is often used for sore throat home remedies.

Cut the lozenges into small circles. We used the cap of a vanilla extract bottle and a knife to remove the circles. Smooth the edges so there are no rough spots to further irritate your throat, which would no be so good if trying to make a sore throat home remedy.

Keep rolling out the dough and making circles until all the dough is used. Then arrange them on a plate and leave them out uncovered overnight of for a day or two until completely dry.

Store in a dark bottle or tin in a cool, dry, dark place.

Suck on the pill so it dissolves in your mouth and coats your throat to heal your throat and lungs. Both the slippery elm and the licorice will soothe the irritation in the throat, and help any inflammation. When making any sore throat home remedy, these two herbs are great use. The slippery elm will be particularly soothing for a dry cough and the licorice will also act as an expectorant.

Written by John Gallagher

John Gallagher, L.Ac., CCH is co-founder and co-CEO of LearningHerbs. He created and designed HerbMentor and has produced all of the products and learning experiences that we offer. Besides being a dad to two grown kids, John is a five-element acupuncturist and a musician. He also co-founded a wilderness skills school and a theater company.