Is honey an effective remedy to treat cold and cough in children?

Is it a myth or a fact?

For long we have been hearing that honey is an effective remedy to treat cold and cough in children. But there are sceptics who tell us that this might not be true. A contraindicative thought that is doing the rounds these days is that honey could do more damage than good when it comes to treating cold and cough in children. But for people who believe in natural remedies and healing these doubts can t hamper their beliefs as there are studies that indicate that honey can be used as a remedy to treat seasonal bouts of cold and cough in children. While definitely it cannot work as a medicine to banish problems of a chronic cough but it can give kids symptomatic relief from a cough. Here are 13 things to keep in mind when your child is suffering from a cough and cold.

A study done in 2016 and published in the journal Paediatric Child Health pointed out that using honey as a remedy was better than no treatment or a placebo as it could give symptomatic relief. However, the study couldn t assess the effect of honey on cough duration as the observation period was really short. Honey is believed to prevent the growth of bacteria, viruses and yeast, and reduce inflammation. It has both soothing effects and antioxidant properties. This might be the reasons why it gives symptomatic relief to kids suffering from a cough and cold [1]. Here is when you should take your child s cough and cold seriously.

Another study published in 2014 in the journal Canadian Family Physician also reinstated the benefits of using honey to treat a cough and cold. It pointed out that a single dose of honey might reduce mucus secretion and reduce a cough in children. In a study offering 500 ml of water, water with buckwheat honey, black tea, black tea with sugar, or black tea with buckwheat honey to 25 healthy men, honey showed a good demulcent effect and antioxidant properties, and it increased cytokine release, which might have antimicrobial effects. The study also concluded that honey can be recommended as a single dose of 2.5 ml before bedtime for children older than 1 year of age with a cough [2]. Here are five ways to use ajwain to treat a cough and cold in kids.

However, honey isn t an advisable remedy or concoction for infants. There have been reported cases of botulism due to indigestion of honey in infants.

To know if honey is really as effective as it is touted by the experts and as the data in various journal suggest, we spoke to Dhvani Shah, naturopath and sports nutritionist expert to clear the air. She says, Honey can be used as a natural ingredient to treat a seasonal cough (and not chronic conditions) when used in combination with other spices or herbs to get the best results. To treat a dry cough, a combination of honey and ginger works the best. But if one has phlegm and mucous then having honey with a pinch of turmeric gives a lot of relief. Honey always works well when taken with a combination of some other therapeutic agent.

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References:

[1] Barker, S. J. (2016). Honey for acute cough in children. Paediatrics & Child Health, 21(4), 199 200.

[2] Goldman, R. D. (2014). Honey for treatment of cough in children. Canadian Family Physician, 60(12), 1107 1110.