
Both licorice and honey may help with coughing. Try these home made Licorice and Honey Cough Drops to help ease a sore throat, reduce coughing, and help fight respiratory infections.
Licorice and Honey Cough Drops – Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of raw honey
- 2 Tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp of finely grated licorice root
- 1 tsp of finely grated ginger root
- 1/4 cup of coconut oil
- 1/4 cup of arrowroot powder
- Tools: whisk, nonstick saucepan, candy thermometer, parchment paper, cookie sheet
Licorice and Honey Cough Drops – Instructions
- Heat all ingredients together in saucepan on high; whisking constantly, with candy thermometer measuring temperature.
- The mixture will begin boiling and foaming, whisk constantly until the temperature reaches 300 degrees. You may have to lift the pan off the heat for a moment to reduce foaming overflow.
- When the candy thermometer reaches 300, remove from heat for about 5 minutes, until it stops foaming.
- Place parchment paper over a cookie sheet. Coat the parchment paper with coconut oil to prevent sticking.
- Drizzle the liquid candy carefully onto parchment paper. Allow to cool and harden.
- Break the hardened candy into pieces, then toss in arrowroot powder to prevent sticking.
- Store in sealed glass containers.
- Adults – take one piece as needed to help with a cough and sore throat. Honey is not safe for children under the age of one year.
Some Research about the Ingredients
- Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice root) and Adhatoda vasica had an antitussive activity in mice comparable to that of codeine sulphate. From: Jahan, Y., & Siddiqui, H. H. (2012). Study of antitussive potential of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Adhatoda vasica using a cough model induced by sulphur dioxide gas in mice. International journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and research, 3(6), 1668.
- Glycyrrhiza glabra induced cough efforts in guinea pigs more effectively than codeine. From: Saha, S., Nosál’ová, G., Ghosh, D., Flešková, D., Capek, P., & Ray, B. (2011). Structural features and in vivo antitussive activity of the water extracted polymer from Glycyrrhiza glabra. International journal of biological macromolecules, 48(4), 634-638.
- Throat coat, a tea including licorice, slippery elm, and marshmallow, reduced throat pain in patients. From: Brinckmann, J., Sigwart, H., & van Houten Taylor, L. (2003). Safety and efficacy of a traditional herbal medicine (Throat Coat®) in symptomatic temporary relief of pain in patients with acute pharyngitis: A multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. The Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 9(2), 285-298.
- In a study of 105 children ages 2-18 years with nighttime cough, parents rated honey favorably in reducing the cough associated with respiratory infections. From: Paul, I. M., Beiler, J., McMonagle, A., Shaffer, M. L., Duda, L., & Berlin, C. M. (2007). Effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 161(12), 1140-1146.
- In a double blind study of 300 children ages 1-5 years, the three different types of honey tested reduced nocturnal coughing. From: Cohen, H. A., Rozen, J., Kristal, H., Laks, Y., Berkovitch, M., Uziel, Y., … & Efrat, H. (2012). Effect of honey on nocturnal cough and sleep quality: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Pediatrics, 130(3), 465-471.
- The antimicrobial activity of honey is reviewed. From: Molan, P. C. (1997). Honey as an antimicrobial agent. In Bee products (pp. 27-37). Springer, Boston, MA.
- The immunity boosting, antimicrobial actions of ginger were discussed. From: Shakya, S. R. (2015). Medicinal uses of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) improves growth and enhances immunity in aquaculture. International Journal of Chemical Studies, 3(2), 83-87.
- Ginger constituents may help relax smooth muscles of the throat related to asthma complaints. From: Townsend, E. A., Siviski, M. E., Zhang, Y., Xu, C., Hoonjan, B., & Emala, C. W. (2013). Effects of ginger and its constituents on airway smooth muscle relaxation and calcium regulation. American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 48(2), 157-163.
Click here to learn about more herbs to help with cough and congestion.
By: Kathy Sadowski
4/11/18