"Let food be thy medicine." - Hippocrates
Onion honey cough syrup is considered a timeless, natural remedy for minor coughs and upper respiratory tract infections. This easy (and affordable) recipe blends the soothing properties of onion and honey to create a natural cough syrup. Plus, we’ll explore how adding ingredients such as rosemary can boost this syrup's health benefits even further.
origin:
Since ancient times, people have been using honey to treat a wide range of health issues. The use of honey for treating sore throats and coughs dates back over 8,000 years.
Preparation of medicine from honey. This is from an Iraqi manuscript of Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica, 1224.
What type of honey can you use?
When preparing onion honey cough syrup, it is advisable to opt for locally sourced raw and unprocessed honey to maximize its potential health benefits.
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Raw Honey: Raw honey is unfiltered and unheated, which helps preserve its natural enzymes, antioxidants, and potential antimicrobial properties. These beneficial components may offer additional health benefits compared to processed honey.
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Local Honey: Locally sourced honey is often preferred due to its potential to contain trace amounts of pollen from local plants. Some believe that consuming local honey may help build immunity to local allergens, which could benefit coughs related to allergies. However, scientific evidence supporting this claim is limited.
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Medicinal-grade honey, such as Jelly bush or Manuka, is a more expensive option, but it possesses proven high levels of antibacterial activity attributed to compounds like methylglyoxal (MGO).
When selecting honey, ensure that you purchase it from a reputable source to ensure quality and authenticity.
Remember that while honey is a natural ingredient, it is still sweet and you should consume it in moderation, especially if you live with diabetes or metabolic disease. If you have any specific dietary concerns or health conditions, discuss them with a qualified healthcare professional.
Why add an onion to the honey?
Research supports the traditional use of onion to ease symptoms of respiratory tract infections. Onion has demonstrated antimocrobial activity as well as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-regulating effects. There is increasing scientific interest in the medicinal effects of onion on our respiratory system.
People across all cultures have used onion as a herbal medicine for thousands of years. Onions have certain properties that can help relieve a cough:
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Expectorant: Onions contain sulphur compounds and quercetin, which act as natural expectorants. Expectorants help thin and loosen mucus in the respiratory tract, making it easier to cough up and clear the airways.
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Antimicrobial: because of the presence of compounds like allicin and flavonoids. These properties can help combat bacteria and viruses that may cause respiratory infections and contribute to coughing.
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Antiinflammatory: Research has shown that onions contain anti-inflammatory compounds such as quercetin and kaempferol, which can reduce inflammation in the airways. By reducing inflammation, onions can help alleviate coughing associated with irritated or swollen airways.
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Soothing: volatile compounds released by onions can have a soothing effect on the throat. Inhaling these compounds may help relieve irritation and suppress the cough reflex.
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Immune system support: an excellent source of antioxidants and vitamin C, which can support the immune system.
(Allium cepa) Onion:
Honey:
Honey has shown to have anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory like effects. We sure do owe a lot to those adorable honey bees. Did you know that honey bees have a very sophisticated memory and brain function for being so tiny? Not only that but, their dedication to their craft, and loyalty to their queen is unmatched. It takes twelve worker bees to make one teaspoon of honey. With bees having a life expectancy of six to eight weeks. The 1/12 teaspoon of honey in six weeks is worth admiration, considering the very short lifespan of the bees. You can read more on the benefits of honey and how it may benefit you and your family
here.
What type of honey can you use?
When preparing onion honey cough syrup, it is advisable to opt for locally sourced raw and unprocessed honey to maximize its potential health benefits.
-
Raw Honey: Raw honey is unfiltered and unheated, which helps preserve its natural enzymes, antioxidants, and potential antimicrobial properties. These beneficial components may offer additional health benefits compared to processed honey.
-
Local Honey: Locally sourced honey is often preferred due to its potential to contain trace amounts of pollen from local plants. Some believe that consuming local honey may help build immunity to local allergens, which could benefit coughs related to allergies. However, scientific evidence supporting this claim is limited.
-
Medicinal-grade honey, such as Manuka, which is a more expensive option, but its proven high levels of antimicrobial activity attributed to compounds like methylglyoxal (MGO).
Energetics and the cough.
This is an extremely important step in making any cough syrup. To make it easy to understand, each plant has energetics. In herbalism we differentiate the plants by "hot", or "cold". If someone is experiencing a cough that is a hacking, thick, wet, cough we will want to use herbs that are drying in nature and help to expel mucus. If someone is experiencing a hot, dry, irritated cough, we will want to reach for moisturizing herbs that contain mucilage and "coat" the dry irritated tissues. Below are a few examples between the two energetics.
DRYING: elecampane, wild cherry bark, rosemary, thyme, peppermint, sage.
MOISTEINING: marshmallow root, licorice root, slippery elm is another great option, but is becoming endangered, please harvest responsibly.
example: Rosemary, drying.
Use this for hot, wet, thick coughs.
Rosemary contains cineole which is a medicinal compound. Research indicates, cineole may be beneficial when experiencing common cold and flu like symptoms. One clinical study indicates that cineole may be an effective remedy against coronaviruses, which you can read here, although more research is needed at this time.
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