Move Over Medicine, Honey’s Here
A natural treatment might work better than over the counter cold remedies.
Katherine Tweed • December 4, 2007
New research from Penn State College of Medicine found that a small dose of what I like to call the molasses of honey – buckwheat honey – is better relief for a nighttime cough than dextromethorphan (DM), the ingredient found in many cough suppressants.
This study, which was funded by the National Honey Board, is published in December’s issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. This is interesting in light of the FDA’s recent recommendation that children under six should not be given cold and cough medicine. Parents in the double-blinded study rated a bedtime dose of honey as more effective than no treatment and more effective than DM.
While buckwheat honey is not as sweet – or as easy to find – as the clover honey that squeezes out of the bear-shaped bottle, it is far better tasting than imitation grape or cherry anything, and could be worth a try to side-step the side effects of OTC medicines for young children.
