Honey (Including Buckwheat Honey) for Sore Throat Relief

Research suggests that honey, including buckwheat honey, may help relieve cough and related symptoms associated with upper respiratory tract infections, with support from a body of evidence that includes multiple meta-analyses, Cochrane reviews, randomized controlled trials, and narrative reviews involving both children and adults. Studies indicate that honey generally outperforms no treatment and, in some comparisons, performs similarly to or better than common over-the-counter cough medications such as dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine, particularly for reducing cough frequency and improving sleep quality in children. The overall direction of the evidence is supportive, though limitations are consistently noted across studies, including low-to-moderate certainty ratings, short treatment durations, methodological weaknesses, and limited high-quality placebo-controlled trials — and at least one randomized controlled trial in adults with acute bronchitis found no meaningful benefit compared to usual care. Reviewers have also highlighted that honey's proposed mechanisms, including its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and soothing properties, offer a plausible biological basis for its effects, but researchers broadly agree that more rigorous, well-controlled trials are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.