Sore Throat Cure

So I've been dogged for days by a severe sore throat. After trying various analgesics and anesthetics with very limited success, I turned to the Internet.

Here's the cure that people absolutely swear by, and why would I doubt them? The cure is basically a gargle made from Cayenne pepper and water. Now, if I would have just gone to the Internet first, I might have been able to get on top of the throat before it got the best of me.

Not only that, I had recently fallen off my strict hot pepper regimen which is the reason I ended up with this cold in the first place. Oh, that and the stupid girl sitting next to me on the bus that kept coughing all the way from downtown to Addison on the Clark Street bus. Had I been on the chiles I probably could have fought off her germs.

Hot and Spicy Gargle:

• The most amazing and effective treatment is using 5 shakes of Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum frutescens) Powder in a cup of hot water (or herbal tea or saline solution or lemon juice) and gargle every 15 minutes with the spicy elixir. May swallow each time a tiny bit. Gargling with cayenne can cause a strong burning sensation of lips and tongue. Therefore it is good keep milk or yogurt in your mouth after gargling until the burning disappears.

• If you do not have Cayenne pepper use 10-20 drops of Tabasco sauce in a glass of warm water, the effect will be the same.

• If you do not have access to Cayenne or Tabasco, chili peppers, hot paprika or white pepper are similarly useful. All these pungent spices contain capsaicin, which dulls the pain and has anti-viral properties.