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What's a good cure for a hoarse voice? Hoda needs help!

Hoda Kotb has returned after taking a sick day, and she shared an odd remedy a doctor recommended for her raspy throat. So we crowdsourced some other options.
/ Source: TODAY

After taking a rare sick day on Tuesday, Hoda Kotb has returned to her chair right next to Kathie Lee Gifford!

All seems marvelous for the TODAY anchor — except, well, she's still got a bit of a "raspy" voice.

"You know what I call that? Sexy," Kathie Lee joked on Wednesday. Well, that's one way to turn lemons into lemonade!

Hoda said she is, indeed, feeling much better — although one physician's particular remedy for her throat is still not sitting so well with her.

"A doctor told me to go to the grocery store and gather up all of the onion skins — you know, at the bottom of the onion bin," Hoda revealed. "Gather them up, put them in a pot, boil them with salt, drain out the onion parts and gargle with that stuff."

While Kathie Lee said the formula made sense, Hoda was squeamish about the possibility of lingering dirt. So we crowdsourced some ideas via Twitter, and viewers chimed in with some alternative remedies.

Many people recommended variations of tea, including peppermint, ginger and lemon (and paired with honey). Others said to eat honey by itself. Additional suggestions included gargling apple cider vinegar or Himalayan sea salt, or whipping up a concoction made with whiskey, lemon juice and honey.

While these tips sound like they're worth a try, we also tapped a health professional to get an expert's opinion.

Dr. Kimberly Vinson, assistant professor at the Vanderbilt Voice Center, told TODAY that her typical recommendations for a raspy throat after an upper respiratory infection include "rest, good hydration, anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen or naproxen, and nonmentholated lozenges." She also advised limiting caffeine and alcohol intake, and trying a humidifier.

There you have it, folks. Nothing a whole lot of water, rest and over-the-counter meds can't fix!