Home remedies: Against colds and coughs: Honey is said to help better than antibiotics

You don’t always have to grab the very heavy guns. For a cold, many people swear by home remedies. Indeed, there are some benefits to treatment with natural agents. Honey, for example, can convince with much more than just its delicious, sweet taste.

Honey is one of the household remedies that have proven to be not only a delicious topping on bread or an ingredient in desserts, but also an all-purpose weapon for various ailments. Especially with cold symptoms such as coughs, many people turn to the honey jar first, as this can have an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect.

As a recent meta-study from the University of Oxford shows, honey is often even more effective than antibiotics. A total of 14 studies on the topic were compared, in which around 1,400 test subjects participated, as reported inFranken. The results of the comparative study were published in the journal “BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine”.

The researchers found that consuming honey not only reduced the frequency but also the severity of coughing in diseases of the upper respiratory tract – and that much more effectively than antibiotics, for example. In addition: Frequent use of antibiotics can lead to resistance. The drug does not kill all bacteria in the body – the surviving bacteria multiply as a result. Third parties can then easily become infected with these resistant bacteria, which can be a great danger, especially for those with a weakened immune system.

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Not suitable as a cold medicine for babies

The researchers also give a good reason for their findings: not all cold and cough symptoms in humans are caused by bacteria – viruses are often the trigger.

In many cases, honey alleviates symptoms, which ultimately leads to a shorter course of the disease. Mucus and secretions in the upper airways are thinned – the urge to cough is reduced and mucus can be coughed up more easily.

However, parents should refrain from giving honey to children under one year old. This can namely contain bacteria that small children cannot digest properly because their intestinal flora is not yet properly developed. This allows bacteria to expel toxins in the baby’s body, which can lead to infant botulism, with spore-forming bacteria settling in the intestines. In the worst case, this can lead to paralysis of the breathing and swallowing muscles.

This article first appeared on chip.de.

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