I’ve long been a big fan of natural remedies, so when our young kids were feeling under the weather with a cough or a cold, I would give them a teaspoon of raw honey in warm tea or water. Not only would the cough be quelled, but they’d often sleep better. So between raw honey and this homemade cough remedy, we’ve never needed an OTC cough remedy.
It’s long been known that raw honey has antibiotic and antimicrobial properties, so drinking warm lemon water or tea mixed with raw honey is a time-honored treatment.
Honey IS better than cough medicine Dextromethorphan (DM)
Mayo Clinic says, honey alone turns out to be an effective cough suppressant – as effective as a dextromethorphan – a common cough suppressant ingredient. Honey worked better than two common cough medications. (source)
An August 22, 2020, a 14-study meta-analysis by BJM Evidence Based Medicine concludes, “Honey was superior to usual care for the improvement of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. It provides a widely available and cheap alternative to antibiotics. Honey could help efforts to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance…”
It’s no newsflash to suggest honey has potent antimicrobial effects. In 2018, the UK’s National Institute for Health England went so far as to change its general recommendations for doctors and health care professionals, saying honey should be prescribed before antibiotics for patients with mild coughs and colds. (source)
Reducing unnecessary antibiotic treatments was the primary reason behind changing these general health recommendations.
Since the majority of URTIs are viral, antibiotic prescriptions are inappropriate and ineffective and add to the huge, worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance.
DO not give honey to children under one year of age due to the risk for botulism. (source)
Interestingly, Pasteurized (not Raw) Was Used
I find it so interesting that nowhere in the 14 studies did they mention using “raw” or “manuka honey” (manuka honey is fabulous when combined with turmeric, btw.)
So apparently researchers did the studies using pasteurized honey!
It is clear that heating honey eliminates most of the anti-microbial benefits! Their studies would certainly have produced even better results using raw honey.
The sugar in pasteurized honey would harm your teeth, but it turns out raw honey does NOT contribute to cavities and prevents gingivitis.
And just maybe this is not surprising given that antibiotics are useless for viruses and can actually make symptoms worse.
Consider the Honey You Purchase
• is devoid of pollen
• has added High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) made from GMO corn
• is imported from China according to the beekeepers we know
• is probably tainted from the metal containers used to transport it in bulk
“My son [or daughter], eat honey, for it is good; yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.” ~Proverbs 24:13
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Susan Jackson
I did not know this. I saved it to Pinterest!
Jacqueline
Thank you, Susan! I love that you pinned it!
Blessings!
Jacque
GenaT
Very timely article for me. Have bad sore throat and cough. And I hate cough syrup. Strongly dislike honey as well, but not as much as cough syrup. I don’t think mine is of viral or bacterial origin, ragweed is off the charts and one of my worst allergies. My standbys, Claritan and Sudafed are not cutting the mustard. Before I moved from here, 20 years ago, I used an ENT doctor for over 25 years, who gave me long acting steroid shots about every two weeks during peak allergy seasons. Well, he was older and I, and he is long since retired. The clinic he used is now a parking lot. So I guess I am SOL on getting what I know, from experience, would work.
Jacqueline
Gena, I hope that you can find a good raw honey to soothe your irritated throat!. I’m glad you aren’t taking the steroids anymore! Praying for you to one day start feeling MUCH better!
Hugs to you, friend! Jacque
GenaT
I ordered some Manuka honey, says it is from Australia, from Amazon. Supposed to get it by Wed. Just a small jar this time to make sure I can stand it. I have never cared for honey, but maybe mixed with warm water in small amounts I can gag it down.
I have never liked cough syrup and according to my mother, when I was very young, if she came toward me with cough syrup I would take off running and she would have to tackle me and put me into a “half-Nelson,” until I took it. When I was in the hospital in the Army with pneumonia, I realized that if I was asleep when they brought in my cough syrup they would leave the little shot glass on the bedside table, so if I heard them coming in, I would act like I was asleep, and as soon as they left the room, would get up, and take the cough syrup into the bathroom and dump it down the sink. So as long as it is not gag-a-maggot sweet and thick, I might be able to use it.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist
I always give my daughter a spoon of honey when she has a cough and when I was pregnant, ate local honey instead of anti-histamines for hay fever. It’s an incredible natural ingredient. xx
#BloggersPitStop
Kathleen Aherne
Thank you for another great post. Our Menaka has chosen it to be featured in the next Blogger’s Pit Stop.
Kathleen
Jacqueline
Thanks to you Kathleen and Menaka for featuring this post!
Blessings,
Jacque
Elizabeth Humphrey
*PRIVATE* question,
Hello Jacqueline, I have been a long time reader and subscriber (on Feedly) of your blog! Thank you for all the good information you put out. I have a question that I was thinking you might be able to help me with, but if you don’t have time or don’t want to get into it I understand:)
My daughter is 13 (homeschooled) and has long desired to become a nurse. She is not sure she wants to do it as a career ultimately, but for sure she has expressed the desire for the knowledge and training just to serve her family some day. She was asking me for books or online things that would help her start on the path for this goal. I was gently nudging her in the direction of alternative things like herbalism (easy to find home courses!) but she wasn’t interested in anything but the “standard” medical knowledge. She said she wanted to know how to diagnose symptoms, etc. so it sounds like she wants to be a nurse practicioner!
I have one of those “family medical dictionaries” but I was unsure, at her age, of just placing it in her hands. And I think she is desiring something more “curriculum” -like. Would you have any ideas of books for someone her age, or something easy enough to understand that she could start out with… what do nurses start out with anyway when they go to nursing school? I am also hoping that there is something out there that gives a very balanced, open to alternative medicine view for the next generation of people going into the medical field…
Any thoughts you have on this are appreciated!
-Mrs Humphrey
Oregon
Jacqueline
Hi, Elizabeth! I will need to think about this a bit, but I do have one thought right off the top of my head. Have you heard of Joette Calabrese and her homeopathy classes? They deal with diagnosis and practical application of the knowledge one gleans over time. https://courses.joettecalabrese.com/
I had to read a LOT of books cover to cover, testing, testing, testing, and we had clinicals in the hospital.
She needs to know that she will be highly vaccinated if she goes into that direction. https://deeprootsathome.com/22000-us-nurses-refuse-flu-vaccines-at-expense-of-career/ many of my friends who were still practicing when they made shots mandatory, are in poor health today. Thank God I retired before that major push to mandatory vaccing!! She may want to read Suzanne Humphrey’s book ‘Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and The Forgotten History’. https://amzn.to/2S3lzRO
One book you might want to start her with is Dr. Mendelsohn’s book for Moms, entitled “How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor: One of America’s Leading Pediatricians Puts Parents Back in Control of Their Children’s Health”, by Robert S. Mendelsohn MD Your daughter will see medicine from another angle and could be helpful for her decision making. https://amzn.to/30abfMn
“Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, renowned pediatrician and author advises parents on home treatment and diagnosis of colds and flus, childhood illnesses, vision and hearing problems, allergies, and more. PLUS, a complete section on picking the right doctor for your child, step-by-step instructions for knowing when to call a doctor, and much more.”
If I had it to do over again, this is the way I wish I could have been taught! I have had to unlearn SO much and regret being a part of harming so many people bc I bought into cutting, drugging, burning, and irradiating people and it often (not always) only made them worse for the wear.
I hope this is a good start for you! And I appreciate your question! I will pray for your daughter and that the Lord will lead her. Nusring to day is not what it used to be. Nurses do not have the inherent respect for the patient they used to have unless they are strong in the Lord – the pull of the world is very strong.
Blessings, grace and peace,
Jacqueline
Alex
Dear Madam,
My name is Alex, and I am responsible for cook.me marketing strategy.
We would be happy, if this is possible, to publish one of our articles on your website. This is going to be unique and original content that was never published before.
If you are currently accepting guest articles, I would be happy to pay you according to your rate card for such activity?
Please let me know if this is something that we can negotiate since as a startup we are facing a lot of challenges and our budget is very limited.
Best Regards,
Alex (Marketing Manager)
P.S: I have been following your website deeprootsathome for quite a long time. I am really impressed with your writing style and the information you provide there.
Jacqueline
Thank you, Alex! I am sorry, but I am already maxxed out with content! Blessings!
Jacqueline
Larry Hovee
Private:
Hi Jacqueline: Linda Gill told me that I should contact you to get permission to use a photo of a “downcast” sheep. I am writing a book on prayer and it will be published by Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers. With your permission, I would like to use that photo. The sheep is on its back in the grass, all four feet in the air, and a fence post is in the upper left of the photo. Thank you for your consideration of my request. I hope to hear from you. Take care. Larry
Jacqueline
Hi, Larry! I vaguely remember that photo, but I do not think I have it in a post now.. I searched in my search bar and there is nothing now. I lost a bunch of work a few years ago, and it may have been part of that. 🙁
I will look around for that same photo online now, and I will give you the link here if I find it!
Just poking around on Google or duck duck Go and found these:
Here is a post tha thas such a sheep: http://deannaharrison.com/2016/07/26/lessons-from-a-sheep-part-5-ive-fallen-and-i-cant-get-up/
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/country-living/back-paddock/sheep-trapped-in-tree-up-to-its-neck-in-trouble/news-story/c4d537243552ded505b2e52a1b4dee91
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2025247/The-woolly-headed-sheep-got-stuck-feed-bucket.html
https://dissolve.com/stock-photo/Livestock-Lamb-bucket-head-audience-rights-managed-image/102-D869-124-076
https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/bucket-head-sheep_673153.htm
These are free images:
https://pixabay.com/images/search/sheep/
I hope this helps!
May the Lord bless the work of your hands!
Jacque