Does honey benefit cough?

A 2018 Cochrane review of RCTs found that honey reduces acute (short-term) cough symptoms in children more than a placebo and by an overall similar amount to some over-the-counter medications (low to moderate quality evidence).^[1] A 2021 meta-analysis of studies done in children and adults had similar findings, reporting that honey improved upper respiratory tract infection symptom scores by a large amount compared to a placebo (1 study) and reduced cough frequency and severity by small amounts compared to the usual care (4–6 studies; overall moderate risk of bias in this meta-analysis).^[2]