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The buzz: Eating honey could cut your cold time by up to two days
Honey can help reduce the duration of colds.
Two ounces a day reduces the length of the common cold by up two days, according to a new study.
In the trial, believed to be the first of its kind, men and women were recruited within 24 hours of catching a cold.
All 60 patients were given traditional therapies – such as decongestants and anti-pyretics (drugs to lower a temperature) – but half of them were also given a dose of honey – two ounces (around four tablespoons) – every day.
The researchers, from Jahrom University of Medical Science in Iran, monitored a range of symptoms including a runny nose, muscle pain, fever, coughing and sneezing.
The researchers did not know who had been given the honey.
At the end of the study, which was reported in the Archives of Medical Research, the researchers found a significant difference in duration of all symptoms, with the honey group faring much better.
It’s thought that this is due to compounds in honey such as phenolic acid and flavonoids.
It is not the first time that honey has shown beneficial effects against viruses. In a recent trial at the Dubai Medical Centre, 16 adults with a history of recurrent cold sores were told to apply honey within one hour of the first sign of a cold sore.
Patients firmly pressed the affected area with honey-soaked gauze for 15 minutes, four times a day, until completely healed.
Results showed that the length of an attack, pain and healing time were all reduced by two-thirds.
