Bowl with honey stick and pine cones on rustic table
Halil ibrahim mescioglu/Shutterstock

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Article Abstracts
Mar 09, 2023

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Will Honey Help Your Sore Throat and Cough?

Article Abstracts
May 01, 2025

Honey is an age-old natural remedy to soothe a sore throat and cough—but does it actually work? Family medicine physician Elizabeth Rainbolt, MD says yes.

How Honey Works

“Research shows that honey has some antimicrobial and anti-inflammation properties. Honey can help by decreasing inflammation and irritation in your throat,” explains Dr. Rainbolt. “Another study shows that honey may reduce mucus secretion. So, you can use honey for cough symptoms as well, whether it’s a wet or dry cough.”

How to Use Honey for Sore Throat and Cough

Adults can take a spoonful (about one teaspoon) of honey for a cough and sore throat. The same amount can be diluted in herbal tea or warm water with lemon for adults and children over the age of one. This can be repeated up to four or five times daily.

Honey has been shown to work as well as some cough medications, and doesn’t come with side effects that many over-the-counter cold medications have, such as drowsiness. Honey is also helpful for those who can’t take traditional cold medications, such as people with health conditions like high blood pressure or heart disease, or children under the age of six.

Pasteurized honey will have a longer shelf life than raw (unpasteurized) honey, and any crystallization and yeast will have been removed during the pasteurization process. Dr. Rainbolt also mentions that using local honey, which is often raw, can come with extra benefits. “There’s a thought that if you use local honey, you are exposed to some of the area’s natural allergens in a positive way,” she explains. “The idea is that it will help with allergies you have.”

Make sure not to give honey to children under the age of one. Although it’s a rare occurrence, honey can contain spores that cause botulism, a serious illness that attacks the body’s nervous system.

Honey is an effective natural alternative to more conventional options for sore throat and cough. Try it as a first line of defense the next time a sore throat or cough strikes.

REFERENCES

Cleveland Clinic. (2023, February 13). Honey for your sore throat and cough. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/honey-for-sore-throat-and-cough/

Advanced Search on this topic

Other Articles in this category

Apr 30, 2025 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Exercise creates microscopic tears in muscle tissues, which the body repairs, and each repetition of this cycle allows muscles to grow back stronger…
Apr 28, 2025 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Dermatitis affects 95 percent of patients undergoing radiation therapy. According to a review published in Drugs in Context, the symptoms of…
Jan 21, 2025 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
From syrup and wine to gummies and supplements, everyone today knows something about elderberries. However, knowledge of their medicinal power traces…
Dec 30, 2024 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
  Join us in today’s episode, we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Felice Gersh, a renowned expert on PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and women’s health…

Customer Service

KnoWEwell News Updates