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Honey

Also: shahad (Hindi) · miel (Spanish/French)

A soothing sweetener for coughs in children over one. Never give it to babies under 12 months.

Overall evidence

Evidence level: Moderate evidence

Reasonable evidence for short-term cough relief in children over one; it is still sugar.

Several trials or reviews point the same way, but studies are short, small, mixed in quality, mostly observational, or test concentrated forms rather than everyday food.

Honey
Photo: Scott Bauer, USDA ARS, via Wikimedia Commons (public-domain)

What it is

A sweet syrup made by bees from flower nectar: mainly fructose and glucose, with water and small amounts of other compounds.

Traditional use

Tradition, not evidence: how cultures use it, not proof that it works.

  • Worldwide

    Honey and lemon in hot water is a near-universal cough and sore-throat drink.

  • Middle East

    Honey is eaten with dates and in pastries, and has religious and medicinal standing.

  • India

    Honey is mixed with ginger juice or tulsi as a home cough syrup.

What the research says

Each claim graded on its own evidence.

  • Honey and acute cough in children over 1

    Evidence level: Moderate evidence

    A Cochrane review found honey probably relieves cough symptoms more than no medicine, diphenhydramine or placebo, and may make little difference compared with dextromethorphan. The evidence was low to moderate quality, and most children took honey for a single night.[1]

  • Hot lemon and honey for adults' coughs

    Evidence level: Limited or early evidence

    The NHS says there is limited evidence that hot lemon and honey eases a cough, though it can have a similar effect to cough syrup.[2]

In food amounts

Trials typically used a spoonful before bed. Honey counts as free sugar, which the WHO recommends keeping below 10% of daily energy.

We describe everyday cooking amounts only, never supplement doses.

Safety

Babies and children
Never give honey to babies under 12 months old, including in food or on dummies. It can contain bacteria that cause infant botulism, a very serious illness.[3][1]
Health conditions
Honey is a free sugar. If you manage diabetes or are watching sugar for your teeth, count it like any other sugar.[4]
General
See a GP for a cough lasting more than 3 weeks, and get urgent help for chest pain, difficulty breathing or coughing up blood.[2]

If you take regular medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are cooking for a baby or someone who is unwell, check with a doctor, pharmacist or midwife before using any food or supplement for a health reason.

Sources

  1. [1] Honey for acute cough in children (Oduwole et al.) — Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018
  2. [2] Cough — NHS (UK)
  3. [3] Foods to avoid giving babies and young children — NHS (UK)
  4. [4] Healthy diet — fact sheet — World Health Organization

Sources were checked when this entry was written. Research changes; if you spot something out of date, please tell us.

Cook with honey

43 more

Showing 9 of 52 recipes.

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