Rizzo JA, Honestly, you're doing all the things, it might just be a "wait it out" kinda situation. For an older toddler or child, drinking warm liquids can help to soothe a sore throat, loosen congestion, and ease a cough.Try giving your child warm water, herbal tea, or broth. The mean frequency of cough (reduction in cough frequency score) was 1.73. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. We cannot generalise on the applicability of our findings because most children in this review received treatment for one night, even though an acute cough may last for more than one week. S2 TI cough* or AB cough* We also found that giving honey for three days is probably more effective in relieving symptoms of cough when compared to placebo or salbutamol. To evaluate the effectiveness of honey for acute cough in children in ambulatory settings. Laks Y, Cough is among the most common symptoms in children and the majority of children have at least one episode of acute cough annually [1, 2].Acute cough is typically classified as cough lasting less than 4 weeks [].Acute respiratory tract infection is the most common cause of cough in children [].Cough affects the quality of life of both the child and his/her parents; thus, effective treatments . The .gov means its official. Botulism (foodborne botulism and infant botulism). 1Assessed on a 7point Likert scale from 0 to 6; lower score is better. government site. 2Downgraded by one level because of study limitations: it was unclear if Shadkam 2010 concealed allocation; there was no blinding, which could increase the risk of bias in the study outcomes. Diarrhoea was reported in the salbutamol (N = 9, 21%), honey (N = 7, 12%), and placebo (N = 6, 13%) groups. Arumainayagam DC, Improvement in quality of sleep at night for children (cough impact on sleep score). When we compared types of honey, dark honey from Kenya probably reduced cough frequency and cough severity to a greater extent than the other types of honey. The mean frequency of cough (reduction in cough frequency score) was 0.98. We would also like to thank the authors of Paul 2007, Shadkam 2010, and Waris 2014 for their prompt responses to our requests for further information and clarification about their studies. The parents of seven children given honey and two given dextromethorphan reported side effects in their children, such as not falling asleep easily, restlessness, and becoming overexcited. Two children in the honey group had tachycardia compared to one in the placebo group (RR 1.58, 95% CI 0.15 to 16.86; 1 study, N = 102; lowcertainty evidence; Analysis 3.3) and one in the salbutamol group (RR 1.51, 95% CI 0.14 to 16.10; 1 study, N = 100; lowcertainty evidence; Analysis 3.4). Health status: children with upper respiratory infection who "were ill with a mean SD of 2.8 2.0 days before enrolment". (2013). Unproductive cough is usually referred to as 'dry' cough. Honey for Kids - Health Benefits and Precautions - FirstCry Parenting DOI: Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about infant botulism. Khiati B, Using honey for infants aged up to 12 months is not advised because of poor immunity against bacteria that may be present, which can cause paralysis. Four children who received salbutamol had rashes compared to one child in the honey group (RR 0.19, 95% CI 0.02 to 1.63; 1 study; 100 children; moderatecertainty evidence). We imposed no language or publication restrictions. A spoonful of honey helps a coughing child sleep - PMC There was no strong evidence for or against using honey. placebo was a browncoloured sugar and alcoholfree syrup with an inert thickening agent whose ingredients included sodium citrate, citric acid monohydrate hypromellose, sodium benzoate, saccharin sodium, sodium chloride, caramel colour, and water. Silan date extract was used as a placebo because its structure, brown colour, and taste are similar to that of honey. Cough remedies for kids: How to treat cough in kids - SingleCare The mean frequency of cough (reduction in frequency of cough score) was 1.34. 1Assessed on a 7point Likert scale from 0 to 6; lower score is better. A study in children with the common cold suggests that honey may help calm coughs. Studies of the antimicrobial effect of honey show that it has broadspectrum antimicrobial effects on various gramnegative and grampositive bacteria (Agbaje 2006; Katrina 2014). In our protocol we proposed to include children aged from 2 to 18 years. The difference observed in adverse events in comparisons of honey versus dextromethorphan, honey versus diphenhydramine, honey versus salbutamol, and honey versus placebo were not statistically significant. The mean cough impact on parents' sleep (cough impact on parents' sleep score) was 1.89. Some of the symptoms of botulism, like lethargy and irritability, may lead to an incorrect diagnosis of other conditions, like sepsis or meningoencephalitis, so its important to let your babys doctor know if theyve eaten honey. Honey confers antibacterial (Lusby 2005; Mullai 2007), antiviral (Shahzad 2012; Watanabe 2014; Zeina 1996), antifungal (Ahmed 2013b; Irish 2006; Kuncic 2012), and antiinflammatory properties (Tonks 2003). Honey may also resolve bothersome cough to a greater extent than no treatment. The authors stated that the reasons for loss to followup were unknown. Any disagreements were resolved by consensus. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the Caregivers' responses to the questionnaire on cough symptoms ranged from 'extremely' (6 points) to 'not at all' (0 points) (lower score indicated better cough symptom relief). On Day 5, honey reduced bothersome cough to a greater extent (MD 2.74, 95% CI 5.27 to 0.21; 1 study, N = 57) than salbutamol (MD 2.47, 95% CI 4.73 to 0.21; 1 study, N = 43; moderatecertainty evidence) or placebo (MD 1.85, 95% CI 3.56 to 0.14; 1 study, N = 45; moderatecertainty evidence; Analysis 2.3). Quote: "The randomisation sequence was constructed by a statistician not affiliated with the study and was then used by the study coordinators to assign treatment group". (2010). Can You Safely Have a Vegetarian Pregnancy? . The honey and diphenhydramine mixtures were prepared by the pharmacist, who was not part of the study. As with any new food, its a good idea to introduce honey slowly. Data were available from six small studies, and investigation of sources of heterogeneity was not feasible. Tonks A. Honey stimulates inflammatory cytokine production from monocytes. Koluman A. This is an update of reviews previously published in 2014, 2012, and 2010. Riva E, Honey coats the throat and soothes irritated mucus membranes, calming a cough and easing related symptoms. #3. Use a wet cotton swab to get rid of sticky mucus around the nose. Nanda V, Get some zzz's: Encourage your to child get plenty of rest and sleep to promote healing. Reddy CU. #4. An open randomised study and literature review. 2Downgraded by one level for serious imprecision. Martin M Meremikwu: none known. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. GRADE Working Group, McMaster University. The administration of honey beyond three days probably had no advantage over salbutamol or placebo in the reduction of cough severity and bothersome cough. Honey for Acute Cough in Children | AAFP 8600 Rockville Pike Atkins D, Effect of multiple honey doses on nonspecific acute cough in children. Some 70 percent of babies who get botulism may require mechanical ventilation for an average of 23 days. Here are some other tips for substituting honey for sugar: Infant botulism cannot be transmitted through breast milk. The paediatricians and parents were unaware of the nature of the treatment each child received. Comparison 1 Pairwise comparison, Outcome 2 Honey versus diphenhydramine. Liquid chromatography and chemometricassisted spectrophotometric methods for the analysis of two multicomponent mixtures containing cough suppressant drugs, Assessment of the antitussive efficacy of codeine in cough associated with common cold. All participants randomised were included in the final analysis. Also, read your labels carefully, as some regular varieties may contain added sugars and other ingredients. Holt PG, Not described but probably done. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The risk of bias for attrition was unclear in three studies because the studies only stated the proportion of children lost to followup in each treatment group, but no clear information on the reason for the loss (Cohen 2012; Shadkam 2010; Waris 2014). Data were available from only Paul 2007, which had a small sample size. Honey is sweet and mild, so parents and caregivers may think its a good choice as a spread on toast or a natural way to sweeten other items. Can You Give Honey to Children? There may be little or no difference between the effects of honey and dextromethorphan (an ingredient in overthecounter cough remedies) or honey and bromelin with honey on all cough symptoms. Gonzalez M, If you have additional questions about infant feeding and when to introduce certain foods, contact your pediatrician. Moderatecertainty evidence showed that the effect of honey was probably better than no treatment in reducing cough frequency (MD 1.05, 95% CI 1.48 to 0.62; I = 0%; 2 studies, N = 154), cough severity (MD 1.03, 95% CI 1.59 to 0.47; I = 63%; 2 studies, N = 154), cough impact on children's sleep (MD 1.04, 95% CI 1.57 to 0.51; I = 7%; 2 studies, N = 154), and cough impact on parents' sleep (MD 0.88, 95% CI 1.23 to 0.52; I = 26%; 2 studies, N = 154). Martos I, and transmitted securely. We rated Paul 2007 as at high risk for performance bias because they did not blind the notreatment arm of their study. Honey is found to possess a wonderful soothing or demulcent agent that helps to provide a coating on the mucous membrane that is swollen, thus providing immediate relief from the irritating cough, cold and sore throat. Still, some doctors do not recommend giving babies sweeteners until after their first birthday. Compared with placebo, honey also provided faster cough relief (MD 0.72, 95% CI 1.31 to 0.13; 1 study, N = 102; Analysis 1.8; moderatecertainty evidence). Best D, Carter DA, All or some of these children were suffering from symptoms such as rhinorrhoea, sneeze, sore throat, and stuffed nose. For these reasons, immediate remedy for cough is often sought by parents and carers of children with cough. Consider reducing your oven temperature by about 25F and keep a close eye for browning. Honey probably reduces cough symptoms more than placebo and salbutamol (a drug that opens lung airways) when given for up to three days. Study duration was a year (January 2009 to December 2009). How much you use is up to you. It was not clear whether treatment allocation was concealed. Data were from one small study (Waris 2014). The protocol was registered retrospectively after completion of the study. In addition, the scale used for measurement was not clear (a 7point Likertlike scale was used for cough assessment), and the protocol was registered retrospectively after completion of study. Honey is sweet and mild, so parents and. Give 4 times per day when coughing. Quote: "The classification of patients was done by the hospital pharmacist", Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias). Examples are apple juice and lemonade. So what do you do? MatinezCastro I. Carbohydrate composition and physico chemical properties of artisanal honeys from Madrid (Spain): occurrence of Echium sp honey, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, In vitro antiviral activity of honey against varicella zoster virus (VZV): a translational medicine study for potential remedy for shingles, Overthecounter (OTC) medications for acute cough in children and adults in community settings. We excluded three studies after assessment for this update: Cohen 2017 compared honeybased cough syrup to nonhoneybased cough syrup; Ayazi 2017 was a quasiRCT; Baker 2016 was a commentary on our review. Infant death associated with cough and cold medications two states, 2005, MMWR. There was no difference between the effect of honey alone and bromelin with honey on cough frequency (moderatecertainty evidence; Table 6). The mean frequency of cough (reduction in frequency of cough score) was 1.95. Dobersek U, Kusel MM, We included six small RCTs that we assessed as at overall low risk of bias (Figure 2). No adverse events were reported in the notreatment group. Are they harmful to infants? We could not test for asymmetry using a funnel plot because we included fewer than 10 studies. Kanamori N, zdemir H, Kobayashi N. Antiinfluenza viral effects of honey in vitro: potent high activity of manuka honey. We ranked the studies as low, unclear, or high risk of bias, as recommended in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Higgins 2011). No studies enrolled children with comorbidities. When the frequency of cough on Day 1 of treatment was assessed, parents of children in the honey group rated their children's coughs to be slightly less frequent (MD 1.71, 95% CI 2.28 to 1.13; I = 0%; 4 studies, N = 357; moderatecertainty evidence) compared to children who received dextromethorphan (MD 1.54, 95% CI 2.30 to 0.78; 2 studies, N = 74; moderatecertainty evidence), placebo (MD 0.99, 95% CI 1.79 to 0.18; I = 0%; 2 studies, N = 120; moderatecertainty evidence), no treatment (MD 0.98, 95% CI 1.38 to 0.59; I = 17%; 2 studies, N = 79; lowcertainty evidence), and salbutamol (MD 0.52, 95% CI 6.28 to 5.24; 1 study, N = 43; moderatecertainty evidence), but not better than diphenhydramine (MD 1.73, 95% CI 2.72 to 0.74; 1 study, N = 40; lowcertainty evidence; Analysis 2.1). Most of the children received treatment for one night, which is a limitation to the results of this review. Giving your child honey when she is sick can also help soothe her sore throat, helping her to sleep better so that her body can more readily combat her illness 2 . Use of honey associated with Ananas comosus (Bromelin) in the treatment of acute irritative cough. Honey for Cough - New Kids Center Djebli N, Honey may be better than diphenhydramine in reducing cough frequency (MD 0.57, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.24; 1 study, N = 80; lowcertainty evidence), cough severity (MD 0.60, 95% CI 0.94 to 0.26; 1 study, N = 80; lowcertainty evidence), cough impact on children's sleep (MD 0.55, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.23; 1 study, N = 80; lowcertainty evidence), and cough impact on parents' sleep (MD 0.48, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.20; 1 study, N = 80; lowcertainty evidence; Analysis 1.2). Getting a proper diagnosis will ensure your baby gets the appropriate treatment. An overview of reviews of honey for treating cough included three reviews (Nitsche 2016). Gur S, Water is best, but warm decaffeinated tea may also help ease the tickle that sets off the cough. Age 3 months to 1 year: give warm clear fluids to treat the cough. The mean bothersome cough (reduction in bothersome nature of cough score) was 1.00. Comparison 1 Pairwise comparison, Outcome 11 Honey versus salbutamol (Day 3). Fiocchi A, Honey probably relieves cough symptoms to a greater extent than no treatment, diphenhydramine, and placebo, but may make little or no difference compared to dextromethorphan. The mean severity of cough (reduction in severity of cough score) was 1.59. 5Downgraded by two levels for very serious imprecision. Their coughing had lasted 5 days", Age (children who completed the study): 37.75 11.12 months, treatment: honey: mean age 37 11.4 months, dextromethorphan: mean age 37 11.1 months, diphenhydramine: mean age 38 11.4 months, no treatment: mean age 37.8 10.9 months, Intervention: a single dose of natural honey from KafiAbad (a village in Yazd, Iran), Dose, duration, frequency, administration: received 2.5 mL of natural honey before sleep, Intervention: dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine, or no treatment (received supportive treatment recommended for other groups as well). On the fifth day of treatment, moderatecertainty evidence showed there was no significant difference between honey and placebo in reducing cough frequency (MD 0.48, 95% CI 2.95 to 1.99; 1 study, N = 102), cough severity (MD 0.43, 95% CI 2.21 to 1.35; 1 study, N = 102), bothersome cough (MD 0.51, 95% CI 3.01 to 1.99; 1 study, N = 102), cough impact on children's sleep (MD 0.55, 95% CI 1.79 to 0.69; 1 study, N = 102), and cough impact on parents' sleep (MD 0.57, 95% CI 1.59 to 0.45; 1 study, N = 102; Analysis 1.8). Data from two studies are presented in Table 6 (moderatecertainty evidence, one study with unclear cough scales) (Ahmadi 2013; Peixoto 2016). We rated Shadkam 2010 as at unclear risk of bias for this domain. Honey that's been in your cabinet for several years may darken or lose its aroma. 6 4 or 5 Liebelt EL, Other, much less common, causes of a cough include: bacterial respiratory tract infections. Golob T, In Cohen 2012, attrition was significantly higher in the eucalyptus honey (19%) and citrus honey (18%) groups than Labiatae honey (3%) and placebo (5%) groups. It may even work better for children than OTC cough medicines. Carroll KN, One review author (OO) independently extracted and entered data into Review Manager 5 (Review Manager 2014). We included three new trials (, Searches updated. We found that giving honey for up to three days is probably more effective in relieving cough symptoms compared to placebo or salbutamol. Watanabe K, We included children aged 12 months to 18 years with cough caused by acute viral or bacterial URTI. We assessed random sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding, selective reporting, and other sources of bias, and recorded the assessment in the 'Risk of bias' tables. Rozen J, Using a 7point Likert scale, honey probably reduces cough frequency better than no treatment or placebo (no treatment: mean difference (MD) 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.48 to 0.62; I = 0%; 2 studies; 154 children; moderatecertainty evidence; placebo: MD 1.62, 95% CI 3.02 to 0.22; I = 0%; 2 studies; 402 children; moderatecertainty evidence). We assessed five studies as at low risk for allocation concealment bias (Ahmadi 2013; Cohen 2012; Paul 2007; Peixoto 2016; Waris 2014). Dr Olabisi Oduwole (OO) prepared the main text of this update and wrote the methods section of the update based on a template developed by the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group. Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias), Quote: "the treating doctor and the mother were unaware of the nature of the medication (honey or diphenhydramine)"; "In order to prevent the confounding factor of mothers anxiety or her personal situation, her reports were only accepted if they were corroborated by the reports of a third person close to the child". The medical name is viral bronchitis. Greco M, Although many OTC cough preparations are available, there is no good evidence regarding their efficacy (Chang 2014; Smith 2014). Honey probably relieves cough symptoms and improves sleep quality for both children and parents better than no treatment. Recommendations may change from year to year, and your childs doctor should have the most up-to-date information. Milk Honey Study Group. Heilm S, Colds, coughs and ear infections in children - NHS The parents of four children who received salbutamol and one child given honey reported rash. 2 children from the notreatment group were lost to followup; 1 was withdrawn from the dextromethorphan group because the participant did not take the treatment. S3 S1 or S2 If you see a reaction, contact your pediatrician. It is also not clear if the two outcomes (cough frequency and severity) listed in the methods section of the published paper and protocol was their original intention (Ahmadi 2013). A study identified as ongoing in 2014 was published, but was excluded because it was a quasiRCT (Ayazi 2017). (Note: This should . Honey probably reduces cough frequency better than placebo when given to children for a day. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal 2Downgraded by one level for serious imprecision. Honey can be a nice addition to your babys diet, but its important to wait until after 12 months of age. Reported adverse events included mild reactions (nervousness, insomnia, and hyperactivity), gastrointestinal symptoms (stomachache, nausea, diarrhoea, and vomiting), rash, tachycardia, drowsiness, and somnolence. Abassi J. Meslem A, Zhuang Y1, You can also swap honey for sugar in your favorite baking recipes. Peixoto 2016 randomised 60 children aged 2 to 15 years (43% boys, 57% girls) "with irritative cough for at least 24 hours, which led to the need for medical consultation" and no history of chronic disease. Read on to learn more about introducing honey to your baby, including risks, benefits, and how to introduce it. A Cough Cure For Kids? Try Honey : Shots - Health News : NPR We rated all six included studies as at low risk of bias for sequence generation. For every 1 cup of honey youre using in a recipe, reduce the other liquids by 1/4 cup. Other symptoms may have included but were not limited to congestion, fever, sore throat, myalgias, and headache" (p. 1141), Age: 2 to 18 years; median age of the 105 children completing the study was 5.22 years (range 2.22 to 16.92 years), treatment (median interquartile range, years): honey = 5.43 3.81. control (median interquartile range, years): Dose, duration, frequency, administration: "For the honey group, the volume of honey dispensed was equivalent to the agedriven volume dispensed for DM [dextromethorphan]", Intervention: "artificially honeyflavoured DM [dextromethorphan], (17 mg/5 mL prepared using DM hydrobromide powder [100% pure United States Pharmacopeia grade], artificial honey flavoring, coloring, stevia liquid extract, methocel, and simple syrup [Professional Compounding Centers of America, Houston, Texas])", no treatment = empty syringe, Dose, duration, frequency, administration: "dosage for DM [dextromethorphan] approximated typical OTC label recommendations, with children aged 2 to 5 years receiving 8.5 mg/dose (1/2 teaspoon), children aged 6 to 11 years receiving 17 mg/dose (1 teaspoon), and children aged 12 to 18 years receiving 34 mg/dose (2 teaspoons).