Honey for Cough

Many people suffer from cough as a common symptom of the flu or cold. The cough tends to be more persistent in the night and hence many people look for ways to suppress the cough as it tends to disrupt their sleep. However suppressing the cough is not a very safe option as coughing is the body’s natural mechanism to try and get rid of the irritants that may be present in the lungs.
Honey for cough is considered to be an effective treatment as it tends to soothe the throat when consumed and thereby lessens the coughing sensation. Additionally the sweetness of honey also results in an increase in the production of saliva which then acts as a natural expectorant against cough. However honey should be consumed in its natural and purest form for best results. Honey is also more economical than commercial medication available for cough and is also rich in anti oxidants and bacteria fighting properties. A natural home remedy using honey for throat irritation or cough involves boiling a whole lemon in some water and then mixing the juice of this lemon with a cup of honey. Two tablespoons of this mixture should be consumed every four hours for relief against an itchy throat. Similarly mixing one teaspoon of honey with one teaspoon of onion juice and drinking this mixture daily also helps in providing relief from coughing.

However care should be taken while consuming honey as it may not be suitable for everyone. Honey should never be given to children who are less than one year old as it is known to result in a rare case of food poisoning called infant botulism. In the case of people who are generally sensitive, side effects of honey are seen in the form of nervousness, hyperactivity, lowered blood pressure, tingling, numbness and even vomiting. The most common and simplest method of using honey to cure a sore throat is to drink a mixture of warm lemon water and tea. Another natural treatment for cough using honey is first thinly slicing some lemon with the skin and pouring some honey on these slices in a jar till they are completely covered. This jar should then be refrigerated for at least two hours. Thereafter mix two tablespoons of this mixture in a glass of warm water and drink the same at least 3 times a day depending on how bad the cough is.