Condition

Sore Throat

A sore throat, or pharyngitis, is pain, scratchiness, or irritation in the throat that often worsens when swallowing, and it is usually caused by a viral infection. Zinc and vitamin C are the two supplements most often looked at for it, but little research on them for sore throat specifically has been reviewed here so far. Honey, elderberry, and slippery elm are also popular, though this page can't yet say what trials found for any of them.

Supplements studied: 2
Graded outcomes: 0
Trials: 2
People studied: 1,004

Evidence by supplement

Strong
Moderate
Limited
Very limited

2 supplements

Colostrum

Colostrum: outcomes studied for Sore Throat
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		4 studies	292 people
Studies that measured upper respiratory tract infection symptoms The effect of bovine colostrum supplementation on salivary IgA in distance runnersInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 16676703 Effect of bovine colostrum supplementation on respiratory tract mucosal defenses in swimmersInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 20601740 Concentrated bovine colostrum protein supplementation reduces the incidence of self-reported symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection in adult malesEur J Nutr · PMID 12923655 and 1 more on the Colostrum page

Licorice

Licorice: outcomes studied for Sore Throat
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Sore Throat Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		1 study	619 people
Studies that measured sore throat symptoms Comparative Efficacy of 6 Topical Pharmacological Agents for Preventive Interventions of Postoperative Sore Throat After Tracheal Intubation: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.Anesth Analg · PMID 33886521

The Sore Throat Support protocol

2 primary supplements · 3 supporting supplements

ZincZinc lozenges (13–23 mg) every 2–3 hours when awake (max 5 days)
Vitamin C1,000–2,000 mg daily during illness

See the full protocol

Shop the evidence-backed picks

Fullscript collectionImmune support: evidence-graded picksOpen on Fullscript

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Studies cited

1 study from PubMed

Efficacy and safety of Kegan Liyan oral liquid for patients with acute pharyngitis: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial.Phytomedicine · PMID 39217655