Honey Found to be More Effective Than Cough Medicine

Got a cough? Instead of reaching for a bottle of that over-the-counter medication, why not have a spoonful of honey instead? According to the results of a new clinical trial, honey is more effective at soothing a sore throat than a common ingredient in children's cough medicine.

Using honey to treat a sore or scratchy throat isn't a new phenomenon. Rather, it's been used now for centuries, and scientists believe that it may be effective because it has constituents that kill microbes and acts as an antioxidant. This means that honey may prevent damage inside cells from chemical byproducts of their activity.

In the study, they compared buckwheat honey with dextromethophan, a common active ingredient found in over-the-counter cough medicines in the US. It's found less commonly in UK medicines.

The researchers used 105 children with nighttime cough, and then split them into three groups. The first group got a syringe full of honey, the next a syringe containing medicine, and the third group got an empty syringe.

The honey was found to be more effective than dextromethorphan at relieving the severity, frequency, and bothersome nature of the cough. Surprisingly, the medicine was only slightly more effective than no treatment at all.

The report of the study was issued today in the Archives of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine by researchers at Pennsylvania State University.