Honey Might Be Sweet Way To Relieve Child's Cough

From The KOLD News 13 Newsroom

Now that many children's cough medicines have been taken off the market, parents are looking for new ways to calm their child's cough.

The answer may be honey.

It's not a cure, but researchers say it soothes the throat and that appears to calm the cough reflex, helping a child sleep through the night.

In a study, researchers used dark honey.

They gave children, two-to-five years old, half a teaspoon at bedtime.

Children six to 11 got a full teaspoon..

Older children were given two teaspoons.

But honey should never be given to children under the age of one.

Dr. Ramona Sunderwirth is with St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York.

She says, "It has botulism spores and young children can absorb those spores and become very sick with a disease called botulism, which can be life threatening."

The study got funding from the National Honey Board, but the researchers say the board had no influence on the study's design or results.

The research is in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.