ISLAMABAD: A spoonful of honey can ease children`s night-time cough and help them and their parents sleep better, an American study reveals.
There is currently no proven effective treatment for cough due to an upper respiratory infection like the common cold.
While dextromethorphan (a cough syrup ingredient) is widely used, there is no evidence that it works, Health news reported.
Honey is used around the world as a home remedy for cough, and might provide a safe, effective alternative to a cough medicine.
According to American researchers from the Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, compared buckwheat honey, with a honey-flavoured dextromethorphan preparation and no treatment in 105 children, 2 to 18 years of age, who had sought treatment for night-time coughs due to colds.
Honey is a more effective cough remedy for children than many over-the-counter medications, according to a new study.
Honey provided the greatest relief of symptoms compared with the other treatments. Children who were given the honey had less frequent and severe nighttime coughing than either the children given dextromethorphan or those given no treatment at all.
Honey appeared to induce a brief period of hyperactivity in the children, but even so both children and parents slept better after children were given honey compared with dextromethorphan or no treatment.
Honey has a long history of use as a treatment for upper respiratory symptoms, and research suggests that it also contains antioxidant and antifungal properties.
Children under the age of one should not be given honey, as it may induce infant botulism in rare cases. He also noted that the experiment used dark honey, and it is not known if different varieties of honey would have the same effect.
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