How to Make Cough Syrup With Honey

Honey has been used as a cough syrup for generations. A study conducted at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, showed that honey was more effective than Dextromethorphan for relieving sore throats, for reducing the intensity of coughs and for promoting restful sleep in children. Dextromethrophan is a cough suppressant ingredient commonly found in over-the-counter cough medicines. The possible side effects of dextromethrophan include but are not limited to difficulty breathing, dizziness and hallucinations. Barring an allergy to honey, there are no known reactions to honey cough syrup. Note: Honey should not be given to children who are under the age of 1 as they have underdeveloped immune systems that are susceptible to illness from botulism spores found in some honey.

Things You'll Need

• Honey
• Water
• Small saucepan
• Spoon
• Funnel
• Glass bottle with lid

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Instructions

• 1

  Pour 1/2 cup of honey in a small saucepan. You can use any type of honey that you desire. The study at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, used buckwheat honey. It is not known if any one type of honey is better than another.

• 2

  Add 1/2 cup of water to the small saucepan.

• 3

  Heat the honey and water over low heat. Stir the mixture frequently. Allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes or until it has slightly thickened. When done, the mixture should resemble the thickness of maple syrup. Remove the saucepan from the stove burner and allow the cough syrup to cool for 1 hour.

• 4

  Pour the mixture through a funnel into a glass bottle. Put the cap on the bottle. Store the honey cough syrup in the refrigerator.

• 5

  Administer 1 tsp. of cough syrup orally, three times a day.