Honey Helps with Cough in Children

Posted in: Conditions
By Dr. Pantea Etminan, NHD
Dec 11, 2013 - 1:12:49 PM

Honey has been an old remedy utilized for different health issues since ancient times. It contains live enzymes that are vital and healing. The nutrient profile is just amazing. It's powerful in providing the body with what it needs to take care of itself. It is safe for adults as well as children who are not allergic to honey.

One of many Health Issues that Honey is Good for--Cough

Honey is a safe and effective natural alternative to children's pharmaceutical type cough medicines. Honey is among the world's most time-honored cough remedies, having been used for that purpose since prehistoric times, and modern research appears to support this ancient practice. In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers compared the effects of three varieties of honey (eucalyptus, citrus and labiatae) with a placebo in 300 children aged one to five years with upper respiratory tract infections (URI).
Subjects were given a single 10 mg dose of honey or a placebo 30 minutes before bedtime. Outcome measures assessed included cough frequency, cough severity, bothersome nature of cough and child and parent sleep quality. While there was significant improvement in all groups comparing the night of treatment to the previous night, the improvement was greater in the honey groups compared to the placebo for all outcome measures, leading the study authors to conclude that "honey may be a preferable treatment for cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood URI."

1. Cohen HA, et al. Effect of honey on nocturnal cough and sleep quality: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Pediatrics. 2012 Sep; 130(3): 465-7. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3075.

2. Paul IM, et al. Effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007 Dec;161(12):1140-6. Retreived 6 Dec 2013 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18056558

3. Shadkam MN, et al. A comparison of the effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and diphenhydramine on nightly cough and sleep quality in children and their parents. J Altern Complement Med. 2010 Jul;16(7):787-93. doi: 10.1089/acm.2009.0311.

 



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