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MONDAY DEC 3, 2007 (Foodconsumer.org) -- Many parents do not know what to do to help their children when they suffer coughing from upper respiratory infection.   But a new study suggests that the right medicine to use is right in their kitchen cabinet - that is honey!

Researchers from Penn State College of Medicine found a small dose of buckwheat honey given before bedtime is more effective than many over-the-counter cold medications such as dextromethorphan (DM) in relieving of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty in children.

The study showed honey did a better job reducing the severity, frequency and bothersome nature of nighttime cough from upper respiratory infection than DM or no treatment, according to the press release by Penn State.

Honey was also found to improve the sleep quality of both the coughing children and their parents. In contrast, DM was not significantly better at alleviating symptoms than no treatment.

These findings are particularly important since an FDA advisory board have early found that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are neither safe nor effective in children less than 6 years old.

The current study led by Ian Paul, M.D., M. Sc. and published in this month’s Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine involved 105 children between the ages of 2 and 18 at a single University-affiliated physician practice site.

In the study, children were not given anything on the first night of the study and the researchers asked their parents five questions next morning about their children’s cough and sleep as well as their own sleep quality.   Then on the second night, the children were given either honey or artificial honey flavored DM or no treatment half a hour before bedtime. Then in the following morning, parents answered the five same questions again.

The medical staff and parents whose children received honey or artificial honey flavored DM did not know the treatment type, but the parents of children in the no treatment group were aware of their child's treatment group.

Overall, parents rated honey as significantly better than DM or no treatment in relieving of their child’s nighttime cough and sleep difficulty. But in a few cases, parents report mild side effects with the honey treatment such as hyperactivity.

“Our study adds to the growing literature questioning the use of DM in children, but it also offers a legitimate and safe alternative for physicians and parents,” said Paul, a pediatrician, researcher and associate professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Children’s Hospital.

“Additional studies should certainly be considered, but we hope that medical professionals will consider the positive potential of honey as a treatment given the lack of proven efficacy, expense, and potential for adverse effects associated with the use of DM.”

According to the Penn State press release, honey has been used for centuries in some cultures to treat upper respiratory infection symptoms such as cough, and is believed to be safe for children older than12 months old.

Honey has been better known for its well-established antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, which may be responsible for its wound healing properties. The cough-relieving effect may be due to the fact that it soothes on contact, the World Health Organization suggested, cited by the Penn State.

In traditional or folk medicine, honey is commonly used along with other foods or herbal remedies to overcome coughs.   It can be used together with spices like garlic and ginger or juices such as carrot juice and grape juice.

DM is, however, potentially dangerous for young children and may cause dystonic reactions, severe involuntary muscle contractions and spasms.

An early study published in 2004 by the same researchers demonstrated that neither DM nor diphenhydramine, another common component of cold medications, performed better than a placebo at reducing nighttime cough or improving sleep quality.

Although there is ample evidence that OTC cold medicines are ineffective and unsafe for children, consumers spend billions of dollars each year on those medications.