Throat Coat Tea review - nice, but no miracle

Krystal

So I was scouting around for various tips on throat care, especially problematic in winter time. I ran across Throat Coat tea which sounded like a wonderful idea. Most of us vocalists know that things like Hall’s lozenges are OK but the effects don’t last very long. Whenever I sing I get very dry. Sure I get a little nervous, but I think some nerves is normal. For me it’s more about excitement, like, ‘OMG I am so happy to be doing what I love, but please God I want everything to sound good!’ Like others here, I can’t tolerate secondhand smoke; a hot room or a cold room will kill the voice too. I have been trying to be more aware of correct breathing, etc. I’ve never had training in my life so it’s a learning curve. I can’t imagine mastering that to where the things like smoke wouldn’t bother me. I’ve been a soloist for //cough30+yearscough// and a member of various choirs or choral groups since my teens. I’m a better singer today than ever. BUT...I am plagued by the demon postnasal drip and the dryness I mention. If I could get rid of these issues—and master breathing— I would feel terrific!

Anyway, I got my tea shipment. This tea is made from slippery elm, a well known natural aid for sore throat. It is very pleasant to drink. I had my first cup Sunday morn before church. My assumption was that my throat troubles would be history. But half an hour later, during choir warmups, I felt that same dry feeling returning. Everything went well enough, but I was expecting my vocal cords to feel silky smooth, which they did not. Later in the day we had our Christmas cantata. I drank my second cup of tea before going to church. Again, very pleasant, and your throat feels good for maybe 15 minutes. But once again, by the time our program began, I was dry as ever. Plain water does help, I had some with me. But Throat Coat tea is not the magic miracle fix some of us need...

///Rant Over/// 😇

doc_ramadani

Hi @Krystal,

thanks for sharing. To be honest, I never heard of this tea before.

Doc

BBeck

I have some tea that brands itself as "Throat Coat". Not sure if it's the same thing, but it has echinacea in it. I drink it almost only when I feel a sore throat coming on.

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-981/echinacea

I feel like echinacea is a natural antiseptic and I take it in other forms when I start to get a sore throat as well.

But I sometimes feel dryness in my throat with 10 minutes of singing. It's winter here and the relative humidity gets down around 35% in here. I think Ken recommends room temperature water. But I would suggest keeping some handy the entire time you are singing. I like to drink some water the first chance I get when I start to feel the smallest bit of dryness in my throat. In most singing situations, you can keep a bottle of water with you and drink from it between songs or exercises. In warm ups and exercises, I'll stop in the middle of the exercise to get some water.

Krystal

BBeck said:

I have some tea that brands itself as "Throat Coat". Not sure if it's the same thing, but it has echinacea in it. I drink it almost only when I feel a sore throat coming on.

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-981/echinacea

I feel like echinacea is a natural antiseptic and I take it in other forms when I start to get a sore throat as well.

But I sometimes feel dryness in my throat with 10 minutes of singing. It's winter here and the relative humidity gets down around 35% in here. I think Ken recommends room temperature water. But I would suggest keeping some handy the entire time you are singing. I like to drink some water the first chance I get when I start to feel the smallest bit of dryness in my throat. In most singing situations, you can keep a bottle of water with you and drink from it between songs or exercises. In warm ups and exercises, I'll stop in the middle of the exercise to get some water.

Hi there, I’m a big fan of various beneficial teas so I will have to try that one too. My “Throat Coat” is made of slippery elm, and is under the brand name Traditional Medicinals. A very pleasant tea but not the miracle I hoped for. My dryness problem is just like yours. After about 10 minutes of straight singing I feel like I’m in a desert. It’s winter here too. That makes things worse, low humidity or maybe a hot room! I get hot anyway due to putting out quite a bit of energy in a lengthy performance. In summer I feel better, but sometimes folks like to turn the AC up high until my little body is freezing and my throat is tight from the cold air. I did make a wise move and start doing 2 things—bringing room temp water along to performances, and, if it’s available, drinking some hot decaf coffee just beforehand. The first time I brought some leftover coffee with me before singing began, I heard someone say, “oh, you’re not supposed to do that.” If I’d had time, I would have made a tart rejoinder, but didn’t say anything. I might have been wasting my breath anyway as some people don’t listen. I’m the lead soprano in any of the (several) choirs I participate in. The seconds and most of the altos don’t work half as hard as I do, so voice quality and stamina for me is important. In fact, during the critique of the Christmas cantata of last weekend, my director pointed out one or two little issues pertaining to me; which I wasn’t aware of but I will watch for them when I see the recording.

I just love this forum, the subject matter is fascinating and each topic can branch off into more subtopics and new questions. God Bless All ❤️💚

Krystal

doc_ramadani said:

Hi @Krystal,

thanks for sharing. To be honest, I never heard of this tea before.

Doc

Hi Doc! This tea is made by Traditional Medicinals. They have a nice variety of teas for many different ailments, teas you probably wouldn’t find in your local supermarket. I had never heard of this particular tea either until I ran into a link on a page about vocal health.

doc_ramadani

Hi @Krystal,

I will ask my wife about it - she is a pharmacist. It is amazing, she knows nearly everything about herbal plants.

Thanks for the info,

Doc

Krystal

doc_ramadani said:

Hi @Krystal,

I will ask my wife about it - she is a pharmacist. It is amazing, she knows nearly everything about herbal plants.

Thanks for the info,

Doc

You’re most welcome! It must be amazing having a pharmacist in the family, esp. one that knows all about herbal plants! I assumed all of today’s pharmacists knew little or nothing about plants, only drugs. But do ask her about this kind of tea.

I heard that peppermint tea is great for vocalists! Yippee! 😀💚 I love mint tea or mint anything. I could make that up beforehand and carry it around lukewarm or room temp. I know it is tasty other hot or cold.

doc_ramadani

Hi @Krystal,

for me, and this was a recommendation by wife, a spray of chamomile extract is best. Whenever my throat feels a little bit sore after singing very long I use it and my throat feels good after half an hour.

Doc

Krystal

doc_ramadani said:

Hi @Krystal,

for me, and this was a recommendation by wife, a spray of chamomile extract is best. Whenever my throat feels a little bit sore after singing very long I use it and my throat feels good after half an hour.

Doc

Ah! Thank your good wife for me! Chamomile extract sounds safer than oil of oregano, which might burn. Tea has not helped me much, sometimes even water doesn’t make much difference. Sunday we had snow coming in; and for some of us, weather changes can muck things up worse than usual. I like those Fisherman’s Friend lozenges, the straight menthol was harsh but there’s an aniseseed flavor that has some menthol in it. Those are pretty good for temporary relief of dryness or a sense of congestion. But I found out you can’t safely suck on lozenges during a performance...! I have tried paying closer attention to the use of air; too much can be drying, I know. But thus far I have not found the cure, not reached that A-HA moment. O well, Onward And Upward, is a mantra of mine...