Honey effective for nighttime cough

Posted on Mon, 13 Aug 12

A new study lends strong support to the age-old use of honey for kids with a troublesome cough.

An investigation published in the journal, Pediatrics, gave a group of children aged 1 to 5 with upper respiratory tract infections either honey (10 g or about 2 teaspoons) or a placebo about 30 minutes before bedtime.

Cough symptoms and sleep quality improved significantly with honey and the effects were greater than placebo. "In light of this study, honey can be considered an effective and safe treatment of children >1 year of age" concluded the study investigators.

Reference:

Cohen HA, Rozen J, Kristal H, Laks Y, Berkovitch M, Uziel Y, Kozer E, Pomeranz A, Efrat H. Effect of Honey on Nocturnal Cough and Sleep Quality: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. Pediatrics. 2012 Aug 6. [Epub ahead of print]