Seven Fruits Effective in Relieving Sore Throat
1. Pear
Pears are sweet, sour, and cool in nature, with effects of promoting saliva secretion to quench thirst, nourishing lungs to relieve cough, and nourishing yin to reduce internal heat. Rich in water and vitamin C, pears are ideal fruits for the dry autumn climate. They are particularly effective for dry throat, hoarseness, and thick phlegm. Steaming pears with Fritillaria powder is a good remedy for long-term cough. Pears are also rich in potassium, which helps lower blood pressure. Cooked pears facilitate the excretion of uric acid by the kidneys, potentially aiding in the prevention of gout.
2. Cherry
Cherries are sweet and sour in taste, with a warm nature, promoting blood nourishment, beautifying the skin, warming the spleen, and soothing the stomach. Modern research shows that cherries are rich in iron, citric acid, and vitamin C, making them excellent fruits for blood replenishment. Known as the "first spring fruit," cherries strengthen spleen and stomach functions and boost the immune system, benefiting those with pharyngitis.
3. Loquat
All parts of the loquat plant are medicinal, and its fruit can nourish the lungs, promote urination, clear heat, strengthen the spleen, and nourish the liver. Rich in vitamin C, loquat resists scurvy-causing factors. It soothes coughs, nourishes the lungs, promotes urination, strengthens the stomach, clears heat, and moistens the throat, benefiting those with chronic pharyngitis. However, people with vitiligo should avoid it as vitamin C prevents melanin deposition.
4. Sugar Cane
Sugar cane is sweet, neutral, and non-toxic. It harmonizes qi, strengthens the spleen, benefits the large intestine, eliminates phlegm and thirst, relieves chest and heart heat, and detoxifies. Sugar cane has effects of purging heat, relieving thirst, soothing the diaphragm, promoting saliva secretion and moisturizing, strengthening the spleen and stomach, promoting urination, and nourishing the body. It can be used for dry mouth, insufficient body fluids, poor urine flow, constipation, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, fever, and thirst. Raw sugar cane juice is suitable for those with heat-induced injury to body fluids, restlessness, thirst, fever, red urine, and dry lung cough. For febrile diseases, drinking raw sugar cane juice is recommended, known as "Tian Sheng Fu Mai Tang" (Natural Pulse-Restoring Decoction). Patients with pharyngitis can consume sugar cane both raw and cooked, with cooked juice being particularly beneficial.
5. Waxberry (Red Bayberry)
Waxberries contain various organic acids, promoting saliva secretion and moisturizing the throat. They have a soothing effect on sore throat, dryness, itching, and cough. Rich in vitamin C, waxberries not only participate in sugar metabolism and redox processes within the body, enhancing capillary permeability, but also lower blood lipids and prevent the formation of cancer cells. Their fruit acids stimulate appetite, promote digestion, relieve summer heat, prevent sugar from converting into fat, and aid in weight loss. Waxberries inhibit bacteria like Escherichia coli and Shigella dysenteriae, treating dysentery and abdominal pain. They also contain vitamins B and C, which positively contribute to cancer prevention. The cyanamide and fatty oils in waxberry seeds can inhibit cancer cells and have a preventive effect against throat cancer.
6. Tamarind
Tamarind is cool and sour in nature, promoting saliva secretion to quench thirst and exhibiting antibacterial properties. It has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects on suppurative pharyngitis.
7. Grapefruit
Grapefruit flesh is soft, sweet, fragrant, and nutrient-rich, with over 20 times the vitamin C content of apples. It is a nutritious fruit rich in sugars, vitamins, phosphorus, iron, citric acid, insulin, and various vitamins and amino acids. Grapefruit has effects of enriching blood and qi, nourishing lungs to resolve phlegm, relieving cough and asthma, and lowering cholesterol. It provides auxiliary therapeutic effects for sore throat, hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease.
