Honey Relieves Children's Coughs

A Taste of Honey
Marketing Health Services, 2008 Spring

Mom was right: Forget the cough suppressants. Buckwheat honey -- found in most grocery stores -- relieves children's coughs and helps them sleep better than dextromethorphan, the drug in most over-the-counter cough suppressants, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and released Dec. 3. The study's results are timely, considering that parents increasingly are looking for new ways to relieve their sick children, although doctors still warn that honey should not be given to children before their first birthday.

The study's researchers claim that honey is both a cheap and effective treatment, a viable alternative to a trip to the pharmacy for over-the-counter cough and cold medicine. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended last autumn that children younger than age 6 should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold medicines…