Will a sweet treat make cough retreat? In children presenting with acute cough due to upper respiratory tract infection, does honey treatment reduce cough severity?

Honey is a common remedy for sore throat and cough. A short systematic review was undertaken to evaluate whether honey administration was associated with a reduction in cough symptoms in children with upper respiratory tract infections, compared with no treatment, placebo or over-the-counter pharmacological treatments. After a literature search, we evaluated eight relevant randomised controlled trials, finding that honey appears to be associated with an improvement in cough severity and frequency.