Honey is a food that has been used for thousands of years as a medicinal remedy. Honey is often used orally to treat coughs and topically to treat burns and heal wounds.
Harvard Health shares that honey has antimicrobial properties, and scientists say that in adults and children older than one year it can be a harmless way to treat cold symptoms like sore throats and coughs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also lists honey as a product that can be used to relieve coughs in adults and children at least 1 year of age and older. Honey should not be given to babies under one year of age due to the risk of botulism.
How much honey can help relieve a cough
The Mayo Clinic indicates that drinking tea or hot lemon water mixed with honey is a very traditional way to soothe a sore throat. But honey on its own can also be an effective remedy for cough relief.
“If winter brings you a sore throat and cough, a spoonful of honey can be quite soothing,” notes Harvard Health. The publication adds that honey might even reduce symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection, according to a review of studies published in 2020 in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
“Honey appeared to be as effective as dextromethorphan, a common cough-relieving ingredient, in typical over-the-counter doses,” the Mayo Clinic reports, citing a study that included children ages 1 to 5 with infections. of the upper respiratory tract.
Children in the study consumed up to 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) of honey at bedtime. The honey seemed to reduce nighttime coughing and improve sleep.
In the review published in the BMJ, researchers reviewed 14 studies of nearly 1,800 people with upper respiratory tract infections treated with honey or standard methods (antihistamines, expectorants, cough suppressants, and pain relievers).
The researchers found that honey seemed to help reduce the frequency and severity of coughing. In some cases, it shortened the duration of symptoms by a day or two, though Harvard notes that the findings are observational.
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