Plenty of ancient home remedies have withered under the test of time, but salt water gargling remains a tried-and-true mainstay.
Salt water gargling is a safe, easy, affordable, and effective way to help ease colds, sinus infections, and sore throats. It provides noticeable relief from symptoms and may also help to prevent infections from worsening.
Below are some ways that salt water gargling helps your throat, as well as additional benefits and how to make your own salt water solution.
The Scientific Basis for Salt Water Gargling
Salt water is simple to understand — it’s just a blend of water and salt, both natural ingredients that our bodies need. It’s also safe for almost anyone over the age of 6 who can gargle.
Modern research supports the use of salt water gargling for mild health issues. It’s been proven to help remove water from oral tissues, and the salt barrier it creates can prevent water — and undesirable pathogens — from reentering the tissue.
Salt has strong antibacterial properties, which is why it’s been used as a preservative for millennia. Salt desiccates (in other words, sucks the water out of) certain bacteria cells through a process known as osmosis.
When there’s a high salt concentration outside the membrane of a bacteria cell, water passes out of the cell to balance the salt concentration. This effectively kills the cell.
Salt water also soothes oral and throat tissues, which provides pain and irritation relief.
The Ailments that Salt Water Gargling Treats
Salt water gargling can help relieve many ailments, including the following.
1. Allergies
Allergies can lead to inflammation in your throat and tonsils. Allergies can come from sources including dogs, cats, mold, and pollen. With a salt water gargle, you can help reduce inflammation in your throat that results from allergic reactions to these substances.
2. Sore throats
Very few things help relieve the pain of a sore throat like salt water gargling. Scientific literature still supports salt water as a leading solution for reducing the severity of sore throats and shortening the virus’ stay in your body.
Salt water gargling is especially adept at relieving sore throats from flu and cold viruses. It’s also recommended to supplement severe sore throats with a pain reliever like ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
3. Respiratory and sinus infections
Bacterial or viral infections often result in significant discomfort in the respiratory system and/or sinuses. These infections can result from several sources:
- Strep throat
- Mononucleosis
- Flu
- Cold
Studies show that salt water gargles are highly effective at preventing reinfection from the annual flu, and, when combined with a flu vaccine, can dramatically increase your body’s defenses against infection.
4. Dental hygiene
Your mouth is a sensitive place — your teeth require a thorough cleaning, but areas like your gums need to be treated gently to avoid premature deterioration.
Salt water gargling helps the entire mouth by removing water from bacteria cells while also providing protective effects for the gums.
This could strengthen your body’s defenses against cavities, periodontitis, and gingivitis. In fact, recent studies have shown that daily salt water gargling helps reduce the counts of harmful bacteria in your mouth.
5. Canker sores
Mouth ulcers, or canker sores, are non-contagious, shallow sores that can form on your lips, cheeks, and tongue. Often it’s the result of eating acidic foods like citrus fruits. Salt water gargling can help alleviate canker sores by reducing the resulting pain and the inflammation.
How to Salt Water Gargle
Your daily salt water gargle is the most effective, 100-percent drug-free solution at your disposal for soothing your throat and boosting your body’s natural defenses against sickness.
For the most reliable results, grab a bottle of physician-developed Gargle Water™ Salt Rinse. It’s 100-percent safe and formulated to provide the optimum salt-to-water ratio for your throat and oral hygiene.
To gargle effectively, pour some Salt Rinse into your mouth, and swish it around for 30 seconds — this will cleanse your teeth and gums. This is best done once a day. To help protect your throat against infection and to relieve pain symptoms, gargle Salt Rinse every few hours.
If you’re unfamiliar with gargling, here’s how to do it. With the salt water in your mouth, tilt your head back and sing “ahhh.” This opens your throat, but the air coming out of it prevents the salt water from entering your throat. For particularly sore throats, you can also warm up your Salt Rinse in a small glass.
A daily salt water gargle can help you stay healthy year-round. Help keep your family out of the doctor’s office by encouraging a daily salt water gargle.
What Happens if I Swallow Salt Rinse?
If you accidentally swallow some Salt Rinse, don’t be alarmed. Salt water in small doses is not dangerous to most people. If you find you are swallowing too much salt water, you could get dehydrated. Simply practice leaning forward after gargling and spitting the water into your sink.
In the case of a bad infection like mononucleosis or strep throat, it’s always better to spit out the water and wash the sink afterward. This will prevent someone else in your household from catching your infection.
Salt Rinse is also a safe remedy because it’s the only pH-balanced salt water gargle mix on the market. It is meticulously made with purified water and USP-grade ingredients, and has a pH-balanced guarantee — not to mention it’s drug- and alcohol-free. You’re also ensuring you have the optimum level of salt concentration in your gargle mix.
For kids, you can try Pedia Salt Rinse. This has lower saline levels since kids need a lower concentration of salt when they gargle.
Enjoy a Healthier Mouth and Throat
According to Gargle Water, it is perfect for everyone over six years of age. Keep your family healthy year-round without relying on drugs and chemicals — all while staying comfortably within the confines of peer-reviewed medical recommendations.
With salt water gargling, you’re choosing a time-tested, safe treatment for a number of common ailments.
