Honey
Why it’s a cold/flu fighter: Grandmothers may not be surprised by this, but a study, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, found that buckwheat honey may reduce cough by coating and soothing an irritated throat. Researchers compared the effects of giving children this dark-colored honey (1/2 teaspoon, ages 2 to 5; 1 teaspoon, ages 6 to 11; 2 teaspoons, ages 12 to 18), honey-flavored dextromethorphan (cough medicine), or nothing at
bedtime. Honey worked the best at reducing cough and helping their child sleep. How did the cough medicine fair? It didn’t work any better than using no treatment.

Note: Don’t give honey to children younger than age 1—it could lead to infant botulism, a rare but potentially fatal illness.

蜂蜜
很常见的一种食物。研究发现蜂蜜附着在咽部可以缓解咽部刺激引起的咳嗽。第一组儿童睡前服用蜂蜜，第二组儿童则服用蜂蜜口味的右美沙芬止咳药，第三组儿童什么也不用。结果表明：蜂蜜缓解咳嗽、帮助儿童入睡的效果最好。止咳药呢？和什么都不用的效果差不多。

特别提示：绝对不要给1岁以下的儿童喂食蜂蜜，因为蜂蜜中的肉毒杆菌毒素会引起婴儿中毒。这种情况很少见但很严重，甚至致命。