Score another win for folk treatments: a new study says that honey is more effective than over-the-counter dextromethorphan syrups at treating a child’s cough: “The results were so strong that we were able to say clearly that honey was better than no treatment and dextromethorphan was not.”

The study’s authors point out that honey isn’t recommended for children under one year old due to “the rare but serious risk it might cause a type of food poisoning known as botulism.”

For older kids, however, it is generally safe. He and his colleagues used a dosage identical to that recommended for cough syrups: half a teaspoon for two- to five-year-olds, a teaspoon for six- to eleven-year-olds, and two teaspoons for children twelve and older.

“Honey eases nighttime cough” [Reuters]
(Photo: Getty)

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