Onion and honey cough syrup is one of the simplest home remedies you can make: slice an onion, cover it with honey, and let it sit until the onion releases its juices into a syrup. The whole process takes a few hours and requires just two ingredients. Here’s how to do it, along with optional additions and practical tips for using it.
The Basic Recipe
You need one medium onion and enough honey to cover it. Raw, unprocessed honey works best. Manuka honey or other medicinal-grade varieties are ideal if you have them, but any raw honey will do.
Dice or thinly slice the onion and place it in a clean glass jar. Pour honey over the onion pieces until they’re fully submerged. Seal the jar and let it sit at room temperature for several hours, or overnight. The onion will release liquid into the honey, thinning it into a pourable syrup. You can strain out the onion pieces or leave them in. Store the finished syrup in the refrigerator, where it keeps for up to two months. Give it a stir or shake before each use, since the ingredients tend to separate.
Optional Ingredients to Add
The basic two-ingredient version works on its own, but you can boost it with other ingredients before pouring in the honey. Layer any of these into the jar alongside the onion:
- Garlic: 4 to 6 cloves, finely grated
- Fresh ginger: a thumb-sized piece, finely chopped
- Fresh thyme: a handful, roughly chopped
- Fresh sage: a handful, roughly chopped
- Turmeric and black pepper: one tablespoon of turmeric powder with half a teaspoon of ground black pepper (the pepper helps your body absorb the turmeric)
Add whichever of these you have on hand before pouring in the honey. They all have their own soothing or warming properties and blend well with the onion-honey base. You don’t need all of them. Thyme and ginger are especially popular additions for respiratory comfort.
Why Onion and Honey May Help
Onions are rich in quercetin, a plant compound that reduces the release of histamine and tamps down inflammatory signaling in the body. A CDC-associated study on dietary quercetin found that higher intake was linked to less acute respiratory illness and less chronic cough. Quercetin also has antiviral and immune-supporting properties, which is why onions keep showing up in traditional cough remedies across many cultures.
Honey, meanwhile, coats and soothes an irritated throat. Its thick consistency helps calm the cough reflex, and it has mild antimicrobial activity on its own. When the onion sits in honey for hours, the honey draws out the onion’s juices through osmosis, creating a liquid that combines the benefits of both.
How Much to Take
For adults, take about one tablespoon of the syrup as needed, up to several times a day. For children between 1 and 18 years old, a smaller dose of half a teaspoon to two teaspoons is appropriate. You can take it straight from the spoon or stir it into warm water or tea.
There’s no strict schedule. Most people take a spoonful whenever the cough flares up, or a few times throughout the day when symptoms are at their worst. Since the syrup is essentially just food, you have flexibility with timing.
Who Should Avoid It
Never give honey to a child under 12 months old. Honey can contain spores that cause infant botulism, a serious form of food poisoning. The CDC is clear on this: no honey in any form for babies, whether in food, water, formula, or on a pacifier.
If you have type 2 diabetes, keep in mind that honey is still a source of simple sugars and carbohydrates. It has a slightly lower glycemic index than white table sugar, but it will still raise your blood glucose. A 2021 review of clinical trials found that consuming too much honey can actually increase glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. If you use insulin or other blood sugar medications, factor the honey into your carbohydrate tracking. A tablespoon here and there for a cough is a small amount, but it’s worth being aware of.
Tips for the Best Results
Use a yellow or red onion rather than a mild sweet variety. The stronger the onion, the more sulfur compounds and quercetin it contains. Red onions tend to have the highest quercetin levels. Dice the onion rather than leaving it in large chunks so more surface area is exposed to the honey, which speeds up the process and creates a richer syrup.
If you’re short on time, you can gently warm the honey-covered onion on very low heat for 20 to 30 minutes instead of waiting overnight. Keep the temperature low enough that you can comfortably touch the jar. High heat breaks down beneficial compounds in both the honey and the onion. The overnight cold method produces a better syrup, but gentle warming works in a pinch.
Label your jar with the date you made it. Even refrigerated, the syrup loses potency over time, and two months is a reasonable outer limit. If it develops an off smell or any visible mold, discard it and make a fresh batch.