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Honey for a night cough — the one that is actually proven 蜂蜜止夜咳
Cough, Throat & Chest 咳嗽·咽喉·胸肺 proven evidenceWhat the evidence says:
This is the strongest evidence in the whole archive for a common complaint. Cochrane reviews find honey reduces cough frequency and severity and improves sleep in children with upper-respiratory infection, performing better than no treatment and at least as well as common over-the-counter cough syrups. UK NICE and WHO guidance both point to honey before OTC cough medicines. It is cheap, available almost everywhere, and works for adults too.
This is the strongest evidence in the whole archive for a common complaint. Cochrane reviews find honey reduces cough frequency and severity and improves sleep in children with upper-respiratory infection, performing better than no treatment and at least as well as common over-the-counter cough syrups. UK NICE and WHO guidance both point to honey before OTC cough medicines. It is cheap, available almost everywhere, and works for adults too.
How to make it
A teaspoon (about 5–10 ml) of plain honey, taken straight or stirred into warm — not boiling — water, at bedtime and as needed. Warm lemon may be added. No special variety is required; ordinary honey performed as well as manuka in trials.
Why it works
The effect is thought to be physical — a viscous coating that soothes the throat and reduces the cough reflex — plus the sweetness driving saliva. That is why the honey should coat, not be diluted away.
Classical source
蜂蜜 is 上品 in the Shennong Bencao Jing as 石蜜 — 安五臟諸不足，益氣補中，止痛解毒，除眾病，和百藥.
Cautions: NEVER give honey to a baby under 12 months — risk of infant botulism, which can be fatal. This is absolute. Also count the sugar if you are diabetic. A cough lasting over 3 weeks, or with blood, weight loss, breathlessness, or high fever, needs a doctor — honey treats the symptom, never the cause.