Pickle juice for colds? Experts say it may work

The question is, how many people will actually try this home remedy?

Cold and flu season can be miserable. Runny or stuffy noses – either way, it’s torture. And there are few worse experiences than a cough you just can’t shake.

But how far would you go to feel better? Apparently, some people are willing to drink pickle juice … and it’s working.

According to a report on the Today Show last week, pickle juice is going viral as a fast remedy for a sore throat.

And it is actually an idea with some merit, as gross as it may sound on the surface.

The Today Show interviewed Dr. Linda Yancey, an infectious diseases specialist in Houston.

Yancey noted that sufferers of a sore throat can find a temporary relief from the discomfort by gargling or consuming “a substance that is more concentrated than the fluids in your body, which will draw the water out of the tissues, reducing swelling and some of the pain,” Today reports.

Ideas that work include the classic step of gargling salt water, eating a spoonful of honey, drinking a warm, sweet drink, sucking on cough drops, and yes, eating a pickle or drinking pickle juice, Today reports.

Pickles are a tasty treat, but the thought of drinking or gargling pickle juice … well, that’s a tough one.

Experts told Today pickle juice is likely a success because it’s mainly salt and vinegar.

And readers, while this is fascinating, it’s not the most interesting part of the story.

Pickle juice has several other health benefits,

Today reports, citing a Cleveland Clinic report. Those benefits include “antioxidants to help fight infection, probiotic properties to keep your gut bacteria in balance, electrolytes, which boost athletes’ recovery, and preventing blood sugar spikes.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 30 percent of kids and 10 percent of adults have sore throats caused by strep, which is a bacterial infection.

The rest – the vast majority by far – are usually due to a respiratory virus, Today notes.

And for those virus-related cases, the only remedy is time and rest – antibiotics won’t work.

So it’s good to have some ideas in the arsenal to help treat the discomfort.

Now, honey we can see as a tasty treatment, and who can argue with a warm, sweet, drink?

But pickle juice? We just don’t know, readers.

What are your thoughts? Would you try pickle juice for a sore throat? And what home remedies work for you? Share your thoughts with a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com.

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