Greetings,

I brew a sage tea and add honey and lemon to combat these types of throat problems. Once the concoction is cooled somewhat gargle deeply with it. If given to the taste it won't hurt to swallow the tea post gargle. I always keep slippery elm bark lozenges handy in the event my throat acts up whilst playing. Both remedies are efficient in clearing throat congestion and/or irritation.

Living in the lovely and highly toxic area that I do in New Jersey airborne irritants manage to create sinus and nasal congestion issues in a great deal of folks. I use Olbas oil to help shrink the irritated nasal and sinus membranes. Simply apply a few drops to a piece of natural cotton and hold it to each nostril and inhale. Inhale slowly as you may feel a burning sensation. I believe an ingredient in the Olbas oil is oil of menthol.

Following this protocol restored my voice in two days after completely losing it during the second song I sang at a session one Thursday evening. A lot of tunes that night as it turned out. By Saturday my voice was back.

As an aside,if necessary, one could always expel a loogie in time during a rendition of the Wild Rover; Well its No, Nay, Never, hacht tooey, No, Nay, Never No more...
Be sure to have a spittoon handy if attempted.

Peace,
Ed