There are many ways to lose one’s voice, and none of them are quite pleasant. Some of you may be suffering from the season’s sickness while others may be recovering from a crazy night at homecoming. We now generously present you with five remedies you can use to soothe your vocal cords (you’re welcome).
#1 Ricola cough drops—the original
The original Ricola cough drop asserts its dominance the moment you unwrap it: you can expect your tonsils to be purified even by the smell. Once consumed, it feels as if the insides of your throat are being scrubbed from top to bottom with herbs, which can either be good or bad depending on your tastes.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Too rectangular. At the time of writing this, the writer still hasn’t gotten the fresh herb scent out of their mouth (it’s been three hours).
#2 Ricola cough drops—lemon mint
This is the cough drop that people see everywhere but don’t really know where they come from. Well, now you know. This sweet, lemony cough drop soothes the throat while providing a candy-like taste to enhance your enjoyment. While it may not be the original Ricola cough drop, it still competes as the better one.
Rating: 4 out of 5. This cough drop is moderately nice, with a decent balance between flavor and freshness.
#3 Luden’s—wild cherry flavor
For those who dislike mint flavors, this is for you. This one is like a lollipop: your mouth will be filled with the sweet cherry taste…and nothing else. It may not deep-cleanse your throat with freshness, but this candy—I mean cough drop—is a perfect remedy for those who long for a taste of their childhood.
Rating: 3 out of 5. While this cough drop is not effective, this writer is a sucker for sweets and doesn’t have the heart to give a lower score.
#4 Halls—mint
If you thought the original Ricola cough drops were strong, this cough drop will blow you away with its snowstorm of pure mintiness. That’s it. Just an overwhelming blizzard of mint. Perhaps it was the writer’s error of judgment of getting the Halls mint flavor rather than the Halls berry flavor, but she wanted variety.
Rating: 2 out of 5. Too fresh. The writer had to spit it out after two minutes. She recommends that readers try other flavors of the Halls cough drop instead.
#5: Honey with warm water
While this is obviously not a cough drop, this is a good alternative for those who consider cough drops to be a choking hazard (which, to be fair, they are). Honey has a long history of being used as a remedy, so one can pretty much say this has a pretty good track record. Sometimes, warming things up is a good alternative to cooling things down.
Rating: 5 out of 5. Easy to make, accessible and tastes good. The writer may or may not be biased because this is their personal go-to method to cure their throat ailments.
