Dec
Bethany Sanders
Filed under: Alternative Therapies, Natural Products, Healthy Kids
Parents who are heeding the FDA warnings not to give cold medications or antihistamines to young children may find themselves scrambling for other ways to relieve their child’s cough. They may be glad to hear that an old home remedy — honey — is getting a closer look as a cough reliever.
New research suggests that a dose of honey at bedtime may soothe nighttime cough as well as over-the-counter cough suppressants. More research needs to be done to find out if this study holds water, but health experts say that the benefit may come from honey’s antioxidants and microbe-fighting characteristics.
I’ve treated sore throats with lemon juice and honey before, as did my mother before me and her mother before her. It’ll be interesting to see if science can prove this home remedy really works.
Note: Children under the age of 1 should never be given honey, because it can cause botulism in young children.