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A surprising ingredient to soothe a sore throat

A surprising ingredient to soothe a sore throat

Put your tea with lemon and honey aside. There would be a better ingredient to soothe your sore throat.

Professor Alyn Morice of Hull University has named himself a cough expert. He claims that cocoa is a better ingredient for soothing your throat than tea. Better than the ingredients that are known for it, such as honey and lemon.

Read also: "Have a sore throat? This tea works wonders'

Sore throat tips:cocoa for sore throat

A study showed that a medicine that contains cocoa improves faster than a medicine that does not contain it. An earlier study showed that the substance theobromine is also effective in reducing a cough. Coincidentally, this substance can also be found in cocoa.

Why is cocoa effective for sore throats?

When your nerve endings are stimulated, you have to cough. Cocoa is thick and sticky and creates a layer in the throat that protects the nerve endings. This means you have to cough less. Just like honey works, but according to Alyn Morice, cocoa does it even better.

Drinking chocolate milk has no effect, so tea with honey remains a good option. But: 'sucking on a piece of chocolate might provide some relief'.

Source:Metro.co.uk