Honey

What human studies say about honey

• Respiratory infection symptoms · Meta-analysis, 14 studies · 2021
  Compared with usual care, honey was associated with lower combined symptom scores, cough frequency and cough severity. In two pooled placebo-controlled studies, the difference in combined symptoms was not statistically significant. Limitation: Only two studies compared honey with placebo, with high heterogeneity (I2=91%); the review calls for higher-quality placebo-controlled trials. PubMed 32817011
• Childhood cough · Systematic review, 6 studies, 899 participants · 2018
  Honey probably reduced cough frequency more than no treatment or placebo, with moderate-certainty evidence. It showed a similar effect to dextromethorphan (low certainty). Beyond three days, it had no advantage over salbutamol or placebo. Limitation: Most children received honey for one night only, and two studies had high risk of performance and detection bias. PubMed 29633783
• Acute bronchitis cough · Randomized controlled trial, 194 participants · 2023
  Median days with moderate-to-severe cough were 6 in the honey arm versus 5 with usual care. The authors concluded the symptomatic therapies tested, including honey, were ineffective against cough. Limitation: Open-label design, and the planned sample size was not reached because of the COVID-19 pandemic. PubMed 36239199
• Nocturnal cough, sleep · Randomized controlled trial, 161 participants · 2022
  Both groups improved in nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty on both nights. Honey showed no significant difference compared with the honey-flavoured syrup placebo. Limitation: Only a 2-night observation period, with symptoms rated on a Likert scale; the abstract reports no longer-term outcomes. PubMed 35927828

Most studies used extracts or doses that differ from home cooking. Full details in the Nourilo Research Library.

Safety: Never give honey to babies under 1 year old — it can cause infant botulism, a very serious illness. Source: NHS — Foods to avoid giving babies