Could a pantry stack like honey be more effective in treating a cough than a cold than antibiotics? A new study published by the University of Oxford, shows that honey is just as effective as antibiotics and medicines without concierge in reducing the frequency and severity of coughs.
The study, published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, found honey is an effective treatment for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and reduces both the frequency and severity of coughs. Researchers suggest, “If clinicians want to prescribe them for URTI [upper respiratory tract infections], we would recommend honey as an alternative to antibiotics. ”
Scientists came to the conclusion that honey is a powerful medicine after checking 14 studies, which included 1,761 participants. The authors concluded that they hope this research will convince clinicians to offer honey as an alternative to antibiotics for URTIs.
Affordable and inexpensive alternative to antibiotics
The study said doctors have a limited choice of antibiotics to prescribe patients sick with higher respiratory diseases. “Honey could help efforts to curb the spread of antimicrobial resistance … It offers a widely available and inexpensive alternative to antibiotics,” according to researchers. They hope this research will provide another choice for clinicians to choose that has no side effects and is accessible to all.
Antibiotics are barely accessible without proper health coverage and can also be expensive. “Honey is a commonly used lay medication that is well known to patients. It is also cheap, easily accessible and has limited damage, “researchers wrote. They point out that honey is cheap and can be found in any supermarket, making treatment widely available to all economic classes.
Side effects are not the only problem with antibiotics, but increase their resistance as well. “The over-presentation of antibiotics has caused an epidemic of drug-resistant ‘superbugs’ and infections that are immune to treatment, killing 35,000 Americans a year,” according to the NY Post. As the use of antibiotics continues to normalize, more diseases become difficult to treat.
The easiest way to use honey to treat a cough is cold
The most effective way to treat a cough when cold with honey is to add one to two tablespoons of hot water. Squeeze half a lemon in the hot water with honey to break up sludge and soothe your throat. Lemons are also a great source of vitamin C that boost your immune system. The study briefly mentions that further research should be done on products infused with honey or milk, as it is unknown how effective products are that have honey mixed in.
Yes, honey is a powerful treatment option for colds and coughs, but that does not mean that antibiotics should not be used sometimes. Antibiotics are a crucial tool for doctors who can assess the severity of your illness, whether it is bacterial or viral (because antibiotics do not work against viruses) and if you have pre-existing health conditions.
More research continues to reveal the power behind all-natural remedies, herbs, and spices. Turmeric and its active ingredient curcumin have been linked to significantly decreasing inflammation and improving bowel health. Ginger also has anti-inflammatory properties. Antibiotics work to fight infection, while these plant-based nutrients can help cure inflammation and other causes of illness before they get the flu.
Honey is not vegan because it comes from the work of bees, and how the honey gets business, because farmers can choose to harvest honey carefully and keep the bee crusts intact, while leaving enough for the bees around the colder months to survive. At less careful harvests, farmers replace the honey with a cheap sugar substitute that the bees seek.
If you do not want to use honey in cooking, it can be replaced by vegan alternatives: Rice syrup, agave nectar, maple syrup, molasses, grass malt, organic cane sugar, Sucanat, sorghum or fruit concentrates.
.
