Honey For Cough: How To Use It?

May 23, 2023 by Pranay David

Generally, a cough is regarded as a good thing as it ensures that you are rid of the mucus that collects in your lungs. If a cough becomes persistent it is very unwelcome to us all. Honey is regarded as a time honored remedy against a sore throat. It can relieve coughs better than any over the counter medicine. Cough medicines contain common cough suppressant ingredient, dextromethorphan, but honey works better than the drug. Here are some effective ways to use honey for cough relief.(1)

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Is Honey Good for Cough?

Honey is a tested home remedy for coughs. The sticky nature and viscosity of honey help to soothe the agitated mucus membrane. It is antibacterial in nature.
Hence it is able to provide relief from any kind of bacterial infection in the throat that causes the coughs.
It also helps the body to fight infection as it is rich in antioxidants.
A study had shown that children of age 2 and above and suffering from respiratory tract infection were treated with honey just before bedtime. It reduced their night time coughing and their sleep improved.(2)

How to Use Honey for Cough Relief?

Given below are some methods of using honey to cure constant coughs.

Peppermint Tea and Honey for Cough

Ingredients:

20 fresh peppermint leaves
10 Indian basil leaves
2 whole peppercorn
1½ cup of water
2 tablespoons of honey(3)

How to consume:

Grind the leaves and peppercorns together into a coarse paste.
Add the water and bring it to boil
Let the mix reduce to a cup then take it off the heat.
Filter the mixture to a cup.
Add the honey.
Drink it warm
Repeat twice daily till you are healed.

Benefit: Peppermint contains menthol which helps in decongestion.

[ Read: Best Essential Oils for Cough ]

Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey for Cough

Ingredients:

Apple cider vinegar- 4 tablespoons
Honey- 4 tablespoons
Water- 3 tablespoon
Cayenne pepper- ¼ tablespoon
Ground ginger- ½ tablespoon(4)

How to consume:

Put all the ingredients in a glass jar and shake it well so that all the ingredients are mixed well.
Leave it at room temperature for a day
Stir the ingredients well before consuming.
Consume 1 tablespoon daily till you are healed.
Keep in the refrigerator for longer storage.

Benefit: Apple cider vinegar works along with honey to remove congestion.

[ Read: How to Cure Cough with Apple Cider Vinegar ]

Lemon and Honey for Cough

Ingredients:

1 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of lemon juice(5)

How to consume:

Mix together the two ingredients.
Swallow the mixture at once.
Repeat thrice a day till healed.

Benefit: Vitamin C helps to fight infection and reduces the inflammation.

[ Read: Natural Remedies for Sore Throat ]

Ginger and Honey for Cough

Ingredients:

4 cups of water
3 tablespoons of freshly chopped ginger
1 tablespoon of dried peppermint
1 cup of honey(6)

How to consume:

Add the ginger and peppermint to the water and bring it to a boil.
Continue boiling till mixture is reduced to half.
Let it cool to room temperature
Add the honey and stir it well
Store it in an airtight container
Consume 1 tablespoon every four hours till healed
Conserve excess in the refrigerator.

Benefit: Ginger helps to soothe a sore throat and reduces a cough.

[ Read: How to Use Turmeric for Cough ]

Cinnamon and Honey for Cough

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of honey
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon(7)

How to consume:

Mix together the two ingredients.
Swallow the mixture at once.
Repeat thrice a day till healed.

Benefit: Cinnamon provides a lot of warmth that helps to overcome the coughing sensation.

Hot Milk with Turmeric and Honey for Cough

Ingredients:

1 cup of milk (preferably milk with fat content of milk, soy, coconut, almond, etc)
1 tablespoon of turmeric
2 tablespoons of wild raw honey
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
A pinch of black pepper(8)

How to consume:

Heat the milk over the stove.
Add turmeric and whisk it well.
Pour in the honey and the cinnamon and stir it.
Add the black pepper and stir it
Strain the mixture and enjoy the drink.
You can store the excess for later use.
It is best to drink the entire concoction on the same day.
Drink twice a day till you are healed.

These are some of the methods of alleviating a coughing fit and also curing the problem. It is important that you take the doses regularly. If you are allergic to any of the ingredients you must discontinue it at once. It is very important that if the coughing continues you must consult a doctor as you could be suffering from some other problem that needs proper care and attention.

Scientific Evidence: