Honey Calms Kids’ Coughs

A new study from Penn State College of Medicine found that honey might make an effective and safe alternative for over-the-counter children's cough medicines. The randomized, partially double-blinded study found that when children received a small amount of buckwheat honey before bedtime, it provided better relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty than no treatment or the common over-the-counter cough suppressant dextromethorphan (DM). The results are published in December’s Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (“Effect of Honey, Dextromethorphan, and No Treatment on Nocturnal Cough and Sleep Quality for Coughing Children and Their Parents,” Ian M. Paul, MD, MSc; Jessica Beiler, MPH; Amyee McMonagle, RN; Michele L. Shaffer, PhD; Laura Duda, MD; Cheston M. Berlin Jr, MD, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2007;161(12):1140-1146).

Honey has been used for centuries as a folk medicine for upper respiratory infection symptoms like cough. Two thousand years ago, Roman Aulus Cornelius Celsus, author of the first systematic treatise on medicine, De Medicina, suggested honey for many different purposes, including coughs and throat maladies. Honey possesses antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, and also acts as a demulcent, a liquid which coats the throat and soothes irritated mucous membranes.

In the Penn State study , the researchers looked at 105 children between the ages of 2 and 18. On the first night, children received no treatment. Parents answered five questions about their child’s cough and sleep quality, and their own sleep quality. The second night, children were given honey, artificial-honey-flavored DM or no treatment about a half hour before bed and parents again were asked to answer the same five questions. The parents rated honey as significantly better than DM or no treatment for symptomatic relief of their child’s nighttime cough and sleep difficulty. Some parents reported mild side effects with the honey, such as hyperactivity.

These findings might prove valuable; an FDA advisory board recently recommended that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines not be given to children younger than 6, because they lack effectiveness and have a potential for side effects, including dystonic reactions, severe involuntary muscle contractions and spasms.

“Our study adds to the growing literature questioning the use of DM in children, but it also offers a legitimate and safe alternative for physicians and parents,” said researcher Dr. Ian M. Paul, MSc, associate professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Children’s Hospital, Hershey, PA. “Additional studies should certainly be considered, but we hope that medical professionals will consider the positive potential of honey as a treatment given the lack of proven efficacy, expense and potential for adverse effects associated with the use of DM.”