Honey may be better treatment for coughs and sore throat than antibiotics, new study finds

Honey has been a natural remedy for millennia
Unsplash/Arwin Neil Baichoo

Honey has been hailed for its medicinal properties for millennia, and now a new study has found the bee-produced substance may even be better than modern medicines at easing some cold symptoms.

Doctor-led research published in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine found honey may be better than usual care for easing viral upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptoms, especially coughs.

The University of Oxford researchers highlighted that an additional benefit of the natural product is that it can be utilised easily on a large scale as it is cheap, readily available, and can be consumed by most people as it has virtually no side-effects.

The researchers wrote that medics can recommend honey as a suitable alternative to antibiotics to treat URTIs, which are often prescribed despite the URTI being caused by a virus and not bacteria.

The substance may help ease congestion and other URTI symptoms 
PA

Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) affect the nose, throat, voice box and the large air passages (bronchi) that lead from the windpipe to the lungs.

Symptoms can include sore throat, blocked nose, cough, and congestion.

The researchers set out to see if there was evidence for honey's effectiveness for a range of URTI symptoms in adults, as the substance had to date only been systematically reviewed for its effectiveness in children.

They looked at research databases for relevant studies comparing honey and preparations that included it as an ingredient with usual care - mostly antihistamines, expectorants, cough suppressants, and painkillers.

They found 14 suitable clinical trials, involving 1,761 participants of varying ages.

Data analysis of these studies indicated that honey was more effective than usual care for improving symptoms, especially the frequency and severity of coughing.

Two of the studies found that URTI symptoms lasted one to two days less among those treated with honey.

The research was led by researchers from Oxford University Medical School
Sidharth Bhatia/Unsplash

Hibatullah Abuelgasim, of the Oxford University Medical School, and Charlotte Albury and Joseph Lee, of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, wrote: "Honey is a frequently used lay remedy that is well known to patients. It is also cheap, easy to access, and has limited harms.

"When clinicians wish to prescribe for URTI, we would recommend honey as an alternative to antibiotics.

"Honey is more effective and less harmful than usual care alternatives and avoids causing harm through antimicrobial resistance."

They added: "Upper respiratory tract infections are the most frequent reason for antibiotic prescription.

"Since the majority of URTIs are viral, antibiotic prescription is both ineffective and inappropriate."

However, the researchers noted that, as a naturally produced substance, honey is not uniform and therefore will not necessarily produce the same results each time.

They also pointed out that only two of the studies involved a placebo, and stated that more of these studies need to be done before definitive conclusions can be reached.

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