Throat remedies for singers

I blew out my throat at prac last week. I very rarely do any damage to my voice because quite frankly I know better. Last week's prac though was a bit of an issue as all of my core muscles were burning from the workout I gave them at a Trapeze class on the weekend. This meant I was singing with basically no support. Really, really bad idea!

As a result I am currently on self enforced vocal rest and nursing my throat with herbal remedies, tea, ice cream, and lots of nutritious food to help my immune system. This got me thinking though that I should share a few of these things, not that I am recommending needing them but even a singer with the healthiest habits can get a sore, dry throat from singing too much.

As a singer I've learnt all about proper technique, posture, good habits for keep my voice in shape and the importance of keeping fit. These are a few of the other things I use or have tried when issues have cropped up.


Chinese Herbal Remedies

This one is my go to for during and after performances. I dissolve a tablespoon of it in hot water and either take it with me in a water bottle to sip during the show or drink it warm afterwards to sooth my throat. My vocal teacher put me onto it and she was put onto it by one of Stevie Wonder's backing singers (ahhhh connections). It's totally herbal, non drowsy and really soothing. If I drink this before bed I have yet to wake up with a sore throat.

Vocalzone

This one is probably more familiar to most of you. It has lots of celebrity endorsements and you can get it at pretty much any chemist around the place.
Vocalzone reminded me a lot of eating Fisherman's Friend as a kid. It looks much more therapeutic than appetising and the effect is fairly similar. It has a strong flavour, very medicinal and definitely clears up the throat. I can see how singers use it to keep their voice open and clear, it definitely did that for me, very effectively.
In terms of soothing though, it's not for me. 

Lemon and honey "tea"

This one's an oldie but a goodie. You can either make this naturally with fresh lemon juice and real honey (preferably organic for both) straight into freshly boiled water, or for a slightly different variation you could brew up some lemongrass tea and add in the honey, or even lemon juice as well. T2 do a great loose leaf organic lemongrass  if you're so inclined. Of course there's the old lemongrass and ginger but thats never been my cup of tisane, I like my ginger separate from my lemongrass but that's just me.
For me this one's a bit more soothing in theory. I tend to use "I've been singing a lot" as an excuse to brew this up but when my throats a bit on the raw side I tend to find the lemon a little bit abrasive because of the acidity, even despite the honey. The lemongrass tisane with honey is a great option for this reason and I like to drink this more often when I'm worried about my throat from a not getting sick perspective rather than an overworked throat perspective. I find this helps if my throat is feeling sensitive due to my glands being flared up fighting possible nasties.



Lastly, if you're having serious or ongoing problems with your voice it may be best to speak to a specialist about it. At a recent ANATS workshop that I attended, Jonathan Livesey from Voice Connection spoke about the various things that can affect a singers voice and how important it is to be treated by someone that understands the nuances of a singers voice. Voice Connection would be my first stop if I was having serious troubles with my voice.

Don't forget, it's always crucial to drink lots of water to keep your throat hydrated.

If you've got some great unknown remedy I haven't mention let me know!

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