DIY Herbal Honey Sore Throat Spray Recipe (2024)

Learn to make a quick and easy throat spray using tinctures (or herbal tea) and honey. It’s a delicious way to treat sore throats, coughs, and colds!

Today, I’m sharing how I make customized herbal honey throat sprays to treat my family’s scratchy and sore throats.

I use raw honey in these, but you can substitute vegetable glycerin for a vegan product. Also, remember that honey should not be given to children under a year old.

I base my throat sprays on a recipe found in Rosemary Gladstar’s book: Medicinal Herbs, A Beginner’s Guide. The recipe revolves around using tinctures, but if you prefer to avoid alcohol completely, you can substitute a strong herbal tea instead.

I’ll give more details on that below, along with a list of herbs to consider using when designing your spray.

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DIY Herbal Throat Spray Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons total of herbal tincture(s) or tea – see list below
• 2 tablespoon raw honey (or vegetable glycerine)
• 1 tablespoon warm water
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions to Make

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour the mixture into a 2 ounce glass spray bottle. I buy glass spray bottles at Specialty Bottle.

Directions to Use

Spray into your mouth, directed towards your throat, as needed to relieve sore throat pain. When made with tinctures, this throat spray will last for several weeks, stored in your refrigerator. Do not give honey containing products to kids under 1 year old.

Herbal Tea Variation

If you don’t want to use alcohol based tinctures, you can make this recipe with a strong herbal tea instead. Just be sure to keep the resulting spray in your refrigerator and be aware that the shelf life will be reduced to about 2 days.

To make a strong herbal tea:

• Place 1 or 2 tablespoons of dried herbs, or 2 to 4 tbsp fresh herbs, in a heat proof jar.
• Pour one cup of simmering hot water over them.
• Let this steep for at least an hour, or more. The longer it steeps, the stronger the tea will be.
• Strain and use in the recipe above instead of the tinctures and water.
• Extra tea can be frozen in ice cube trays for later use.

Herbs to Use in Your Sore Throat Spray Recipes

Be sure to research each herb before use to ensure that it’s not contraindicated for your personal health situation. A persistent or severe sore throat can be a symptom of serious illness and may need evaluation and/or treatment by a health care professional.

Tinctures can be found at your local health store, online (I buy from Mountain Rose Herbs or Woodland Essence), or you can make your own by following the directions HERE (my recipe for ginger tincture), only using the herb(s) of your choice.

My favorite combination is about 2 tsp spilanthes tincture, 2 to 3 tsp lemon balm & honeysuckle tincture, then the remaining 1 to 2 tsp is made up of small doses each of a variety of tinctures. This makes a slightly throat numbing spray that fights germs while it soothes!

• Spilanthes (Spilanthes acmella) – My favorite addition! It adds a tingly numbness that is exceptionally helpful when dealing with a raw feeling throat. It’s anti-microbial and antiviral in nature and helps upset stomach. You can buy a high quality spilanthes tincture/extract at Mountain Rose Herbs or make your own. (Spilanthes is easy to grow!)
• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) – is antiviral, calming, soothes nervous stomach and powerful against cold sores. I use a large amount in throat spray because it’s all around great for so many things. It’s easy to make your own lemon balm tincture if you grow it in your garden (I also add honeysuckle when I make mine), but you can also find lemon balm extract/tincture at Mountain Rose Herbs.
• Usnea (Usnea spp) – fights throat, sinus & lung infections, kills bacteria such as strep; you can learn to make your own usnea tincture at our family site, Unruly Gardening, or buy usnea extract (tincture) from Mountain Rose Herbs
• Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) – antiviral against colds, coronaviruses, flu; useful for coughs, lung conditions, (used in Stephen Buhner’s COPD protocols too)
• Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) – is another one to help with throat pain. It also helps boost your immune system. You can buy echinacea tincture at Mountain Rose Herbs or check your local health store.
• Violet (Viola odorata, V. sororia) – one of my favorite all around plants. Soothes inflammation and heals, also purported to fight oral cancers. Make your own tincture from violets growing in your yard or buy violet tincture from a small shop on Etsy
• Rose petals (Rosa spp) – are cooling, anti-inflammatory, and astringent. Make your own tincture easily by covering fresh or dried organic or unsprayed rose petals with vodka for four to six weeks.
• Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) – The classic antiviral, very effective against influenza. I use the tincture in very small amounts (just a few drops at a time). You can buy tincture/extract at Mountain Rose Herbs, or make your own using my directions HERE, or check your local health store.
• Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis) – A favorite adaptogen, it helps the body cope with stresses & illness. (You can find schisandra tincture at Mountain Rose Herbs or make your own with dried berries, soaked overnight.)
• Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) – My other favorite adaptogen! It gives a subtle boost of energy and increases the ability to fight off colds. You can buy astragalus tincture from Mountain Rose Herbs.
• Ginger – is antibacterial, helps upset stomach, nausea and chills. It’s super easy to make a tincture using ginger root bought from your grocery store, or find ready-made at Mountain Rose Herbs.
• Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) – sometimes used for allergies or inflammation. (Gather from your yard in spring.)

These are just a few ideas for tinctures I tend to grab more often; there are many more options to mix and match.

Invest in a reference book such as Making Plant Medicine by Richo Cech. It lists many plants, their uses and contraindications, and will give you direction on other herbs to try out. Hands down, it’s the most loved and used book in my personal library!

More Remedies for Cold & Flu Season

• 14 Ways to Use Ground Ginger
• Herbal Jello
• Easy Ginger Honey Syrup
• Ginger Lemon Honey Tonic
• 7 Winter Wellness Essential Oil Recipes
• DIY Herbal Cough Drops

This article was originally published January, 2014 and updated January, 2022.