Hoarseness is an abnormal change in the voice caused by a variety of conditions. It is generally due to irritation, or injury to the vocal cords. Hoarseness normally gives the voice a rough and harsh quality, though it may also cause a change in the pitch or volume of the voice. This occurs by an inflammation of the larynx (also referred to as the voice box) caused by infection, abnormal growth or by taking hot and cold substances alternately. The person suffers from dry, irritating cough, pain in swallowing and a persistent urge to clear the throat. He may also have a tickling or burning sensation in the throat, a coated tongue, and fever.
The most common cause of hoarseness of voice is the inflammation of the vocal cords (acute laryngitis) caused by an upper respiratory tract infection, and less commonly from misuse or overuse of the voice. Other causes of hoarseness include benign vocal cord nodules or polyps, thyroid problems, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), inhalation of irritants, allergies, smoking, trauma to the larynx or vocal cords, neurological conditions and cancer of the larynx.
Give as much rest to the voice as possible
Try not to use your voice too loudly or too long
Avoid decongestants as they can dry the vocal cords and prolong irritation
Take steam inhalation to relieve irritated vocal cords
Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol
Humidify your home
Do not eat spicy foods
Control your cough
To reduce the risk of hoarseness, avoid exposure to others with infections
Avoid speaking or singing when your voice is hoarse
Drink lots of water
Avoid whispering because it strains the vocal cord more than speaking does
Avoid agents that dehydrate the body, such as caffeine and alcohol
1. Take quarter a teaspoon of black pepper (kali mirch) powder and one teaspoon of clarified Butter. It is very effective home remedies for hoarseness of voice.
2. Extract the juice of ten fresh leaves of holy basil (tulsi) and add a little honey. Lick slowly. This is another simple and natural home remedies for hoarseness of voice.
3. Another useful home remedies for hoarseness is the ginger (adrak) tea. To prepare the tea, peel the skin from a small ginger root. Slice the root and place the pieces into a small pot of water. Boil the pieces to make tea. Add two tablespoons of honey to sweeten the tea. Sip the hot tea slowly.
4. Onion (pyaz) syrup is an excellent gargle to relieve hoarseness of voice. To prepare the onion syrup, slice three large onions and put them in four or five cups of water. Simmer until syrupy and strain. Then, put 4-5 tablespoonful of the syrup into a glass of warm water, along with a tablespoon of honey and a little lemon juice. Sip slowly.
5. Add half a teaspoonful of turmeric (haldi) powder in 250gms of milk and heat on a low flame for 5 minutes after it starts boiling. Allow it to cool to a bearable temperature and then add a half teaspoon of powdered sugar candy and drink in the night for 2-3 days. This is very effective home remedies for hoarseness.
6. Chew some black pepper (kali mirch) and sugar candy (mishri), as the juice eases the hoarseness.
7. Gargle with an infusion of a teaspoon of fennel (saunf), mixed with a glassful of water. This is another effective home remedies for hoarseness of voice.
8. Gargle with the juice of wheat grass to relieve sore throat, reduce inflammation and irritation. Alternatively, you can also drink it.
9. Gargling with alum (phitkari) mixed with water is also beneficial. It helps soothe the sore throat and relieve hoarseness of voice.
10. Gargle with an infusion of a teaspoon each of powdered cinnamon (dalchini) and cardamom (elaichi), mixed with a glassful of water. This is very effective home remedies for hoarseness of voice.
11. Boil turnips (shalgam) in water and use this water as a gargle. This is very efficient remedy to get relief from hoarseness of voice.
12. Soak 2-3 almonds (badam) and 2-3 dried figs (anjeer) in a cup of warm water for two hours. Remove the outer skin of the almonds. Grind the figs and almonds to a fine paste. Add a teaspoon of honey, and drink it with a cup of warm water at bedtime. You can also take it with hot milk. This gives relief from a chronic throat irritation.
13. Eat roasted grams and drink warm water at night to get relief from hoarseness of voice.
14. Take equal quantities of liquorices (mulethi) and lump sugar (sugar cubes). Grind them together and bottle the mixture. Take half a teaspoon at a time. Keep in the mouth, let the saliva mix with it, and swallow it slowly, a little at a time. It soothes the throat and is excellent home remedy for hoarseness of the voice.
15. Roast a piece of the dried fruit of Teminalia belerica (baheda). Keep it in your mouth and slowly suck the juice. It will relieve the condition.
16. A gargle with fresh juice of spearmint (pudina) with a little salt and water is a valuable remedy to make the pitch low.
