2-21-26 Honey + Coffee for Coughs? Putting the 2 Together for a Positive Outome

If you’re a healthy adult dealing with a lingering cough after a cold, a warm honey-coffee mixture is generally low-risk and inexpensive. 

When you’ve got a nagging cough that just won’t quit, you’ll try almost anything. Cough syrup. Drugs. Herbal tea. Steamy showers. Standing in the kitchen at midnight, questioning your life choices.

So, what if a friend says to take honey and coffee – what would you think? Are they crazy?

Well, it turns out there is actually research on mixing the two together for a soothing outcome.

Let me explain. Let’s look at Honey by itself first.

Honey: The Classic Cough Soother

You may have heard this one before: “Take a spoonful of honey.” Turns out, the person might’ve been onto something.

Several studies have looked at honey for cough relief, especially for coughs caused by upper respiratory infections (like colds). Overall, the research shows honey can:

• Reduce how often you cough.
• Reduce how severe the cough feels.
• Help kids (and adults) sleep better at night.

Some reviews even suggest honey works as well as certain over-the-counter cough suppressants.

So…why might it help? There are several possibilities:

• It’s thick and coats the throat, which can calm irritation.
• Its sweetness may trigger nerve pathways that reduce the urge to cough.
• It has mild antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

Important note: Never give honey to babies under 1 year old.

So, what about just taking honey alone? There’s pretty solid evidence for short-term cough relief.

Now, Why Would Coffee Help?

Coffee contains caffeine, which is chemically similar to theophylline, a medication that can relax airway muscles and is a mild bronchodilator.

Caffeine can slightly improve airway function for a few hours. It’s not a replacement for asthma medication or anything serious, but it does have measurable respiratory effects.

With both remedies taken separately, you may get short-term relief.

So, What Happens When You Combine the Two?

First of all, I’m not talking about having a cup of coffee and adding some honey. The researchers in this one study used 20.8 grams of honey combined with 2.9 grams of instant coffee. They combined the ingredients into a paste that they added to water.

The researchers did this in a randomized controlled trial published in the Primary Care Respiratory Journal

What were the researchers studying?

They looked at adults with a persistent post-infectious cough. The kind that sticks around for weeks after you’ve recovered from a cold.

The study included 97 adults who were divided into three groups:

1. A honey + coffee mixture
2. A steroid medication (prednisolone)
3. A placebo

Participants took their assigned treatment for one week.

The Results

Here’s the surprising part:

The honey + coffee group improved significantly more than both the steroid group and the placebo group. The honey + coffee group had a 93% reduction in their cough’s severity, while the prednisolone group only had a 20% reduction in their cough’s severity.

This is a big deal because steroids are often prescribed for persistent coughs and they have a long list of side effects.

So… Should You Try It?

If it works great and if it doesn’t, you’ll know very quickly that you’re not getting relief.

Or…as my grandmother would say (with an accent) – It can’t hurt!