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Will Honey Stop a Cough?

Coughing is your body's way of getting removing mucous or irritants from the respiratory tract. In this sense, coughing a good thing. However, it can be annoying when you're trying to sleep, work or in an environment where your coughing is disturbing others. One natural remedy for coughing is honey.

  1. How it works

    • Honey works by coating the back of the throat and getting rid of the need to expel mucous from the respiratory tract.

    Honey vs. Over-the-Counter Cough Suppressants

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, honey may be effective in treating coughs in children ages two and above. A study on the effectiveness of honey as a cough suppressant showed that children in this age range who were given 2 tsp. of honey before bed exhibited a reduction in coughing similar to that obtained with an over-the-counter cough suppressant.

    Benefits

    • In addition to being just as effective as an over-the-counter cough suppressant, there are other benefits to using honey. First, it's cheaper than pharmaceutical medicines, costing less than $5 a jar. Over-the-counter cough suppressants can cost up to $12 at a local drug store. Second, children below the age six may experience side effects such as nausea and vomiting from pharmaceutical cough suppressants. Honey may be a more natural and safer product to use than over-the-counter products.

    Caution

    • Children below the age of one year old should not consume honey, as a rare form of botulism is found in some honey and children one and under haven't yet developed the necessary immunity to fight off the bacteria.

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