A study shows that honey cough is better than syrup
Israeli researchers studied 300 children between the ages of 1-5 years when they all caught a cold and lasted for a few days. Researchers gave one child a teaspoon (10 grams) of honey and others a teaspoon of syrup, but the children did not know. It was found that children who drank honey generally improved their cold symptoms and improved their cough and sleep quality. The results have been published in the scientific journal Pediatrics. The honey used in the study is: eucalyptus honey, citrus honey, vanilla honey such as lavender or rosemary honey.
In response, Dr. Ian Paul, a pediatrician at Pennsylvania State University in the United States, pointed out that honey is rich in antioxidants that can help fight infections caused by colds. In addition, the thicker the honey, the richer its antioxidants. Regarding the antitussive effect of honey, Dr. Paul explained that honey is thick, sweet and dense, which can increase the secretion of saliva, help to reduce phlegm and lubricate the respiratory tract.
According to Reuters, a study in Pennsylvania confirmed that children with colds who drink honey before going to bed are more effective at coughing than taking cough drops, and they sleep more peacefully.
Traditional Chinese medicine honey has a long history of cough
Li Fang, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, said that traditional Chinese medicine believes that honey is sweet and flat, and the twelve meridians return to the lungs, spleen, and large intestine. The main function is tonic, moisturize, analgesic, detoxify, and cough. It is often used clinically in the treatment of patients with abdominal pain, lung dryness, dry cough, and intestinal dryness and constipation. From the perspective of western medicine, honey has a strong inhibitory effect on Gram-positive bacteria such as streptococcus, staphylococcus, and diphtheria. If honey says that its cough suppressing effect is slightly better than syrup, the main reason may be that it not only relieves cough but also moisturizes the lungs, which is more effective. In short, it not only treats the symptoms but also helps the cure.
Li Fang, deputy chief physician, said that honey cough has been used in China for a long time, and many Chinese medicine works have records of honey as an aid for cough. In many folk anti-cough remedies in China, honey’s participation is also indispensable. Many people often meet Combine it with some pears, white radishes, and lilies that have lung-moisturizing effects to make a variety of medicinal and medicinal foods.
Babies under one year old should not eat honey
Li Fang, deputy chief physician of the respiratory specialist at the Nanjing Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, said that traditional Chinese medicine usually divides cough into five syndrome types: wind-heat, wind-cold, phlegm-dampness, phlegm-heat, and yin-deficiency-heat. . For example, sweet-scented osmanthus honey and locust flower honey have heat-clearing and detoxifying effects, which are more suitable for patients with wind-heat cough; wolfberry honey has the effects of nourishing qi, nourishing kidney, and nourishing the lungs, and has a good adjuvant treatment effect on yin deficiency and hot cough patients. However, patients with cough with phlegm and damp should not use it more, because honey is not suitable for those with swollen abdomen full of wet resistance and thick moss.
Other experts reminded that babies under one year old should not eat honey, because honey is susceptible to botulinum contamination during brewing, transportation and storage. Due to their weak resistance, babies, after ingesting botulinum, will multiply in the intestine and produce toxins, and the liver’s detoxification function is poor, which can easily cause botulinum food poisoning. Babies younger than 6 months are more susceptible to the disease.