Can Honey Truly Treat a Cough? The Science Behind This Natural Remedy

Is chronic cough robbing your peace? Have you ever wondered if there is any simple ingredient that can treat your cough faster than you had imagined? Cough is a common problem, but can turn serious if not treated on time.

So, is there anything apart from expensive medication that can cure your cough? Well, there is honey! And there are multiple methods in which you can use it to treat your cough. Want to know more? Do give a read!

How Honey Helps To Cure Cough?

Is honey good for cough? In the recent times, researchers have shown clear faith in the effectiveness of honey to cure cough. They believe if you take raw honey once every few hours, you can reduce irritation caused as such. Though there are contradictions as to how honey helps cure cough, there are several views in this regard. Some believe that honey contains many antioxidants and other natural substances that together help to cure cough.

Honey has a thick syrupy consistency that coats the back of your throat. Its sweet taste causes salivation. This process leads to the thinning of mucus and curbs cough. This way, it plays a vital role in treating cough in children as well. However, avoid giving honey to infants who are less than one year of age.

Methods To Use Honey For Cough:

Honey passes on its sweetness and remedial properties to you. You have it in your kitchen always. But if you target cough, be cautious and use honey the right way. Some of the methods by which you can use honey to treat cough are:

1. Honey With Lemon Syrup:

While honey kills bacteria, lemon alkalizes your body. Together, they are a great combination for dry cough!

1. Heat one unit of honey over low flame. Avoid boiling honey in any case.
2. Boil one lemon in water to make it soft and kill all bacteria thriving on its skin.
3. After cooling, slice the lemon and add to the honey getting heated on flame.
4. Heat for 2-3 minutes and let it cool.
5. Now extract lemon from honey by straining and then pour syrup in a dry bottle.

You can use this syrup as and when required for cough. ½ tsp 4 times a day is recommended for children and 1 tbsp for adults. In this syrup, you can also add other ingredients like cayenne pepper or coconut oil for a better effect.

2. Honey With Onion:

It is an effective home remedy for treating cough. Here, the compounds of onion will prompt you to cough, thereby leading to the extraction of phlegm.

1. Take 6 medium sized onions chopped in small pieces. Add them to 4 tbsp of raw honey.
2. Boil some water in a pan. Place this mixture in a small bowl over this pan.
3. Let it boil as such with a lid for around 2 hours.
4. Now sift this mixture.
5. Recommended dosage is 1 tbsp in every 2-3 hours or as needed.

3. Honey Tea:

If you are suffering from wet cough, probably you must try drinking honey tea with black pepper. It’s simple and fast to prepare. At the same time, its tangy taste will spruce up your mood as well.

1. Mix 2 tbsp of honey to one cup of boiling water.
2. Add one tsp of black pepper to it.
3. Allow it to simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Sift and drink it while it is warm.

4. Honey With Ginger:

Have you ever used ginger and honey for cough? Just like honey, ginger is also a wonderful home remedy to treat cough due to its decongestant and antihistamine properties. So here, you can combine the two!

1. Boil 12 thin slices of fresh ginger in 3 cups of water.
2. Keep it on a medium flame for 15 minutes and then strain.
3. Add one tbsp of honey to it.
4. You can also add lemon juice for enhancing its taste.

These are some of the effective ways of using honey for cough treatment. Try them once for your children or yourself. You will definitely benefit from the medicinal properties of honey. Give it a shot!

Do you know of any other ways of treating cough with honey? Share with us in the comments section below!