Easy Homemade Natural Cough Syrup With Honey and Lemon

Are you looking for an easy, natural way to relieve a cough or sore throat? This super-easy homemade cough syrup is natural, safe and effective! All you need is two ingredients and five minutes to help keep your family healthy all winter long.

DIYing is an excellent solution if you’ve been looking for natural ways to get rid of cough and cold symptoms without relying on store-bought medicines.

This homemade cough syrup is incredibly easy, economical, and downright delicious! Plus, it’s 100% natural, so you can be confident that no artificial ingredients are going into your family’s mouths!

This natural cough syrup recipe is made with only three simple ingredients – honey and lemon being the main two staples – it’s the perfect option if you’re aiming for medicinal relief while avoiding processed chemicals.

Not only is this syrup incredibly effective at calming a tickly throat or those pesky coughs and colds, but its sweet-tart flavour is one that even kiddos love!

Ditch the processed store-bought syrups and make this easy natural cough syrup recipe to stay healthy all winter.

Ready to get started?! Grab a jar, and let’s dive in on making your own homemade natural cough syrup!

Why You’ll Love This Natural Cough Syrup Recipe

There are so many reasons you’ll love this natural cough syrup recipe.

Here are just a couple of reasons why this is seriously the best homemade cough syrup! I’m sure you’ll add this to your go-to natural remedies and winter wellness kit year after year.

It’s 100% Natural

Did you know store-bought cough syrups are full of toxic chemicals that can cause severe health issues and even death?

That’s terrifying. As something that is frequently given to kids, this is inexcusable.

The World Health Organization actually conducted a study analyzing several over-the-counter cough syrups and found that they were loaded with toxic industrial solvents! Can you believe that?

Many over-the-counter cough syrup formulas also contain polyethylene glycol, often contaminated with ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol – both used as solvents in paints, plastics, and antifreeze for brakes…I’m serious.

Also, a common ingredient in store-bought cough syrup is dextromethorphan. It acts as a temporary cough suppressant.

Consuming this ingredient in higher doses or combinations can cause toxicity, resulting in a variety of health effects such as mild agitation, seizures, psychosis and coma.

So yes… over-the-counter cough syrup is quite scary.

Thankfully, this super easy homemade cough syrup recipe is made with 100% real, natural ingredients that are safe for your health and help ease a sore throat, soothe a cough, and speed up recovery from colds and flu.

No toxic ingredients. No processed chemicals. It’s just real stuff!

It’s Super Quick & Easy To Make

This recipe will take you less than five minutes, seriously! It’s the perfect natural cough syrup to make when you’re busy or in a pinch when that flu suddenly hits your whole family.

Technically, it’s a ‘one jar recipe’ because all you need is a glass jar and three ingredients, and you’ve got a safe, effective natural remedy.

It’s Inexpensive

Over-the-counter cough syrup can get expensive, especially during cold and flu season! Frequent spending on cough syrup can get pricey if you’ve got littles or just get sick more often.

This recipe calls for water, lemon and honey.

The most expensive ingredient likely being the honey, which you can often find at a great price at local farms near you. I strongly encourage researching because health stores and farmers’ markets are generally more pricey with honey prices.

It Tastes Oh-so Delicious!

This recipe is primarily honey. Sweet liquid gold.

Store-bought cough syrups are usually artificially flavoured and just so yucky. It’s honestly hard to take them without gagging.

This recipe is delicious! The kids love it, and adults love it too 🙂 It’s so good it doesn’t even taste like ‘medicine.’

It Really Works

Many people believe that anything from a store is guaranteed to work and that natural remedies don’t work. This simply isn’t true!

Some of the most powerful healing properties are found in nature! Many Western therapies and treatments are founded on natural concepts such as replicating various herbs and their mechanisms of action and making them into pills.

Over-the-counter cough syrups are designed to suppress symptoms, mainly cough.

Natural cough syrup effectively helps soothe a sore throat and alleviate cough, but it also helps speed up recovery and support health.

Honey is one of the oldest natural remedies used for centuries. It’s a potent antioxidant and antibacterial agent, making it the perfect ingredient to help with seasonal illnesses.

Natural remedies also tend to be safer and pose less health risk compared to Western medicines and products, such as cough syrup.

What does honey and lemon do?

Raw, unpasteurized honey is one of the most magnificent natural remedies in and of itself. It has antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties.

It is also a source of natural antioxidants supporting optimal health and well-being. This makes it the perfect natural ingredient for illness prevention and remedy for fighting off seasonal illnesses.

Honey helps soothe irritation and inflammation, reduce mucous secretion and alleviate cough.

Lemon (Citrus limon) is a great source of vitamin C, which has been found to help shorten the duration of colds. It also effectively thins and loosens mucous, making it easier for the body to expel.

This can help speed up the duration of an illness and recovery. Lemon is also a natural anesthetic which can help soothe throat pain associated with coughs, colds and flu.

What You’ll Need To Make This Homemade Natural Cough Syrup Recipe

old fashioned cough syrup recipe with honey and lemon

Ingredients:

Raw Honey – Any type of honey (wildflower, buckwheat, manuka) works for this recipe; just be sure it is raw and unpasteurized.

Generally, most honey sold in grocery stores is pasteurized and highly processed – it lacks the natural nutrients and medicinal properties needed for the recipe. You can find raw honey in health stores, organic sections of grocery stores, farmers markets and local farms.

Lemon – Any fresh lemon will do!

Water – Preferably non-chlorinated water. If you live in a large city, I would suggest using filtered or spring water.

Supplies:

Small Glass Jar – This recipe makes enough syrup to fill about an 8oz jar. I highly recommend using a glass jar as it is safer and healthier, but plastic is okay if you don’t have glass.

Ensure you thoroughly clean your jar/container and let it air dry.

How To Make Homemade Natural Cough Syrup

To make this homemade cough syrup with honey and lemon:

Combine 3 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice (4-5 mL), 1 cup of raw honey, and 1/4 cup of warm water in your jar. Close tightly and gently mix the ingredients.

That’s it! It’s ready to use.

FAQs About This Homemade Natural Cough Syrup

Does honey and lemon stop a cough and break up mucous?

Yes! In several studies, researchers found that taking honey was far more effective in reducing cough frequency and severity than over-the-counter syrups and other cough therapies.

Honey possesses antioxidants, helps reduce mucus secretion, and relieves irritation and inflammation, all of which help alleviate and soothe cough.

Lemon is great at helping break down and thin mucous, loosening it so that it is easier for us to expel it. This helps speed up the length of an illness and the recovery process. Lemon is also a natural anesthetic which can help soothe throat pain associated with coughs, colds and flu.

What type of honey is best for cough?

All types of honey are beneficial for cough. Each type of honey is unique in its nutrients and medicinal properties depending on what type of flowering plant the nectar is collected from.

All types of honey possess antibacterial and healing properties. Some varieties just have higher concentrations than others.

This recipe will work well with any type of honey, such as wildflower, clover, buckwheat, manuka, alfalfa, eucalyptus – you name it! Just be sure that the honey you use is raw and unpasteurized.

Some special mentions: Manuka honey has especially high concentrations of antibacterial ingredients, and buckwheat has higher amounts of antioxidants than lighter honey varieties.

Eucalyptus honey, produced in Australia, may have menthol-like qualities, which are great for soothing sore throats, coughs, colds and upper respiratory infections.

But any honey variety that you can get your hands on is great!!

Can I use store-bought honey for cough?

Technically, yes and no.

Store-bought honey is pasteurized and processed. It’s heated to very high temperatures to rid the honey of beneficial and naturally occurring bacteria and yeast. After this long process, honey sold in stores is mostly just sugar.

So, it may temporarily soothe an itchy throat or cough with its viscous texture. However, you are seriously missing out on all beneficial bacteria, antimicrobial ingredients, antioxidants and other health-promoting compounds!

In the big picture, raw honey, generally not found in generic grocery stores, is much better for coughs, sore throats, colds, and flu.

How long does this homemade natural cough syrup last, and where should I store it?

This homemade natural cough syrup recipe will last for up to 3 months. Seal it tight when not in use and store it in the refrigerator.

So, how should I take this natural cough syrup?

This homemade cough syrup is super easy to take. Just take it like you would any other syrup! You don’t need to mix it with anything or dilute it – it’s ready to use 1-2 Tbsp as needed.

It’s important to note that any honey product should not be given to infants under one year of age.

Can kids take this natural cough syrup?

Absolutely! This is the perfect cough for kids because it tastes naturally sweet. You’ll not have trouble getting your kids to take this homemade syrup recipe.

This natural cough syrup recipe is 100% natural and free of any dyes, preservatives, artificial flavourings, or toxic ingredients, so you can be sure your kids are safe.

It’s important to note that no honey product should be given to infants under one year of age.

More Homemade Remedies You’ll Love

If you loved this homemade natural cough syrup, check out these easy natural remedies to add to your winter wellness kit!

Resources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538502/#:~:text=Depending%20on%20the%20dose%20and,due%20to%20altered%20mental%20status.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264806/

Easy Homemade Natural Cough Syrup With Honey and Lemon