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A new study released on December 3rd indicates that a teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children's coughs and help them sleep better.
The study was a three-way comparison, pitting honey, cough medicine, and nothing at all, against each other. Honey won out against the other two. Honey may work by coating and soothing an irritated throat, the study authors said.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Ian Paul of Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine said: "Many families are going to relate to these findings and say that grandma was right."
The research was published in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, December's Archives.
There have been quite a few warnings as of late from Federal health advisers that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines shouldn't be used in children younger than 6. Some of the big drug manufacturers are finally beginning to take some products for babies off the market (but begs the question: how did they get on to the drugstore shelves in the first place?).
A few pediatricians who have read the just-released study said they would tell parents seeking alternative remedies to try honey. The doctors did note however that honey should not be given to children under age 1 because of a rare but serious risk of botulism.
The researchers recruited 105 children with upper respiratory infections from a local clinic in Pennsylvania. Parents were sent home with a paper bag which contained a dosing device inside. Some of these dosing devices were empty. Others contained an age-appropriate dose of honey-flavored cough medicine containing dextromethorphan. And lastly, some contained nothing more complicated than a similar dose of honey.
The parents then reported about their children's sleep and cough symptoms, once before the bedtime treatment and once after.
Eventually, the entire group of children got better, but honey consistently scored best in parents' rating of their children's cough symptoms.
