What turmeric, ginger, and honey can really do for a winter cough

When a cough settles in for the winter, a mug of something hot, sweet, and spicy is often the first thing people reach for, and turmeric, ginger, and honey is one of the most popular combinations going.

Turmeric, ginger, and honey make a comforting winter drink, and honey has the clearest evidence of the three. A Cochrane review of six trials in 899 children found honey probably reduces how often a child coughs compared with no treatment or a placebo. Turmeric and ginger bring warmth and flavour, but haven't yet been properly tested for coughs.

Key takeaways

• Honey is the part of the drink with evidence behind it, and both NICE and the NHS include it in their self-care advice for coughs.
• Turmeric and ginger haven't been well studied for coughs or sore throats, so enjoy them for warmth and flavour.
• Never give honey to a baby under one year old.
• Honey counts as free sugar, so it's worth keeping to a teaspoon or two.
• Most coughs clear up in three to four weeks. See a GP if yours lasts longer.

What is a turmeric, ginger, and honey drink?

A hot drink of lemon, honey, ginger, and turmeric, built on the NHS's own hot lemon and honey suggestion.

A turmeric, ginger, and honey drink is defined as a mug of hot water with honey and lemon juice, warmed up with fresh ginger and a little turmeric. The base is one the NHS recommends for coughs, and the spices are there for the flavour and the ritual as much as anything else.

Does honey help a cough?

Yes, and it's the best-supported home remedy there is for one.

The NHS advice on coughs says a hot lemon and honey drink can have a similar effect to cough syrup, while noting the evidence is limited. NICE guidance on acute coughs lists honey, for people aged over one, among the self-care options with limited evidence of some benefit.

The research behind that is consistent. An Oxford University review of 14 studies found honey improved how often and how badly people coughed compared with usual care for upper respiratory tract infections. The Cochrane review in children found much the same, although most of its trials treated children for a single night, so it's best thought of as a short-term comfort.

Do turmeric and ginger help a cough?

The evidence is still developing, and for coughs specifically there aren't good human trials yet.

Both have been studied for plenty of other things, and our guide to ginger for a sore throat looks at what's known about ginger and the throat. But neither has the kind of cough trials honey has, so they're in the mug for their warmth, their fiery taste, and the pleasure of a drink that feels like it's doing you good.

That's no small thing. A hot drink you look forward to is one you'll actually sip through the evening, and rest and plenty of fluids are part of the NHS self-care advice for a cough.

How do you make a turmeric, ginger, and honey drink?

Start with the NHS hot lemon and honey recipe and add the spices.

For one mug you'll need:

• Half a lemon, squeezed
• A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, sliced or grated
• A small piece of fresh turmeric, grated, or a pinch of ground turmeric
• A pinch of black pepper
• One to two teaspoons of honey

• A mug of boiled water

• Put the ginger, turmeric, and black pepper in a mug and pour over the boiled water.

• Leave it to steep for five minutes, then strain if you'd rather not have the bits.
• Stir in the lemon juice and the honey once it has cooled a little.
• Sip it while it's warm.

Use fresh turmeric if you have it, for the brighter flavour. Ground turmeric works too, though a pinch of powder is there for colour and flavour rather than as your daily turmeric.

Who should be careful with this drink?

Babies, small children, people managing their blood sugar, and anyone on certain medicines.

Never give honey to a baby under one year old. The NHS guidance on foods to avoid giving babies explains it can occasionally contain bacteria that cause infant botulism. The NHS also advises against giving hot drinks to small children, so let it cool right down first. Our guide on whether children can have turmeric covers the spice side.

The NHS counts the sugars in honey as free sugars, the kind most of us eat too much of, according to its eight tips for healthy eating. A teaspoon or two in an occasional mug is fine for most people, but if you're managing diabetes, count it like any other sugar.

If you take medicines that affect clotting, such as warfarin, speak to your pharmacist or GP before having ginger or turmeric regularly, as both may affect clotting when taken in large amounts. Our guide to turmeric and warfarin explains why.

When should you see a GP about a cough?

When it lasts more than three weeks, or sooner if something feels wrong.

The NHS says most coughs clear up within three to four weeks. See a GP if your cough has lasted more than three weeks, if you're losing weight for no reason, or if you have a weakened immune system. Get an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if your cough is very bad or getting worse quickly, if you have chest pain, find it hard to breathe, are coughing up blood, or the side of your neck feels swollen and painful. For a sore throat, see a GP if it hasn't improved after a week.

Where does a turmeric shot fit through the winter?

As the morning habit, with the honey drink kept for the evenings you need it.

A mug of turmeric, ginger, and honey is a comfort when you're under the weather. A daily shot is a habit for the rest of the season. Raw Turmeric & Ginger brings the same pairing in one cold-crushed bottle, with ginger root and raw turmeric root at 15% each, alongside whole watermelon, pineapple, lemon, and pomegranate, plus added magnesium and vitamin C, and our trade-secret BioMax Uptake Blend®, which includes black pepper, at a 0.1% inclusion. There's no honey in it, so it's a different job from your evening mug.

For immunity specifically, we also make Raw Turmeric & Vitamin C & D3. Independent researchers at Nottingham Trent University gave it to 23 professional footballers once a day through a season, in a study funded from the university's own budget. Illness was recorded at 3.9 per 1,000 player days while the players were taking the shots, against 10.6 in the three weeks before they started. We supplied the shots, so we're clearly not a neutral party, and it was a small study in elite athletes.

The takeaway

Turmeric, ginger, and honey make a lovely winter drink, and the honey is the part with the evidence: NICE and the NHS both include it for coughs, and trials found it eased how often people coughed. The ginger and turmeric are there for warmth and flavour. Keep honey away from babies under one, keep an eye on the sugar, and see your GP if a cough lasts beyond three weeks.

For the rest of the winter, Raw Turmeric & Ginger puts the same two roots into one shot you can have every morning, no grater or kettle needed.

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