Honey For Cough And Cold Symptoms

     The September 2012 issue of Pediatrics reported a study that looked at the effectiveness of honey in improving nighttime cough symptoms in children between 1 and 5 years old who had simple colds.

     The World Health organization recommends honey as a cough medicine. Previous studies have shown honey to be better at improving night cough than either dextromethorphan or diphenhydramine – two common nonprescription cough and cold medication ingredients that frequently cause side effects in young children.  Nonprescription cold medications are potentially dangerous and have been reported to be associated with accidental overdose and death. There is no evidence that these medications are effective or decrease cold symptoms and we are not sure what is a correct pediatric dosage for them. The FDA advisory committee recommends that parents do not give cough and cold medications to children under 2 years of age.

     Honey has always been known to be useful for medical reasons. It has been used to help heal wounds because it has antibacterial properties. It also has excellent antioxidant properties. The study published in September compared three types of honey with a placebo that tasted similar to honey. All three of the types of honey decreased the child’s nighttime cough and sleep difficulties due to a cold. The problem with the study is that the dose of honey given was about 2 tablespoons which some children might refuse to take. Also, going to sleep with a dose of sugar in your mouth is a good way to get dental cavities, so the honey should only be used for a short time.

     It is very important for parents to remember that honey should never be given to children less than 1 year of age. We are not totally sure why, but infants under a year have a risk of getting infant botulism if they are given honey. Infant botulism is a severe, sometimes fatal nerve weakness that has been reported to occur even after small doses of honey in babies.