This season we have been using honey and cinnamon at the first sign of a cold to end it quickly, and it has worked quite well!
One of my readers, Lori, told me about this remedy,
Did you know that a teaspoon of honey (raw is best) and a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon will usually knock out a cold within a day or two? Take twice a day for 3 days for best results. My small grandson, age 3 loves this combo (I mix it in a small bowl and then feed it to him on a spoon, having a glass of water for him to drink down with it). We’ve used this for the past two years to knock out colds. It is best to take with first sniffles as it will usually take away all vestiges of the cold within 5 hours. This information is easily found on the web. We tried it and couldn’t believe how fast and well it worked. It has helped to keep us cold-free for more than 2 years.
Oh, and in case some of you don’t know why these work~both honey and cinnamon have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties. I know colds are viruses and the honey and cinnamon goes after the virus. How does it work? I’ve no idea! I just know it will knock out 9 colds out of 10.
We’ve all used this remedy now a couple times and it has worked! I’ve used echinacea in the past, but with the honey-cinnamon remedy, I can really feel it working right away. I usually stir my honey cinnamon mixture into tea, and the children use theirs as dip for fruit. I love having something that can work on that dreaded ‘I think I’m getting sick’ feeling.
Honey and Cinnamon Cold Remedy:
- 1 teaspoon honey (purchase organic raw honey here)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix. Take this amount every few hours as soon as you feel a cold or other illness coming on. After initially trying it with only one ‘dose’ and seeing the immediate effects, I now mix up a small bowl full of honey and cinnamon and spoon it into hot drinks or dip fruit into it all day long. I find that with young children it’s easy to just treat the whole family with this simple yummy remedy upon the first sign of a sniffle from anyone.
As with all home remedies, your mileage may vary and please do not substitute this for proper medical advice!
Raw honey is most beneficial when found locally, but if that’s not an option you can buy it online here.
Another Natural Remedy: Homemade Humidifier Additive using Essential Oils
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Thank you. This is great timing, as my daughter is sick today and I am feeling a lot lost on what to do for her. This is the first time of my kids getting sick since I started reading and researching Nourishing Traditions, and GAPS, which was only 2 months ago.
That’s awesome! I have a sage honey syrup I use but this sounds way tastier. Thanks! I just found you through Nourishing Cook – so glad I did. New subscriber!
I hate to be the Debbie Downer here but I started putting honey and cinnamon in my Yerba Mate when I first started sniffling but my cold has progressed anyway. I may not have taken enough, though. I’ll increase my dosage and see if that helps. I’ve also been taking high dosages of vitamin C and using Elderberry Extract. I’ve just started coughing this morning. Hopefully my efforts will at least lessen the duration of this crud.
Hi Cheri,
No worries! I love to hear other’s experiences, even if it didn’t work. I try to take the honey/cinnamon mixture three times a day, and it really seems to work best before the cold has progressed at all.
Definitely going to try this one! Is it safe to give under 2 year olds honey? I thought that it wasn’t.
I believe that it’s only the children under 12 months that you’re not supposed to give honey to.
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/infantbotulismhoney.htm
I wonder if for the little ones, something with coconut oil and cinnamon would be effective, and just a dab? Coconut oil is also antimicrobial.
I believe it’s the under one crowd who shouldn’t have honey.
My daughter is feeling soo much better this morning when she woke up, dare I say 100% better? She has no fever, and is eating and happy!
That’s great Joan! I posted this yesterday because my nearly 2-year-old woke up with just a little bit of a runny nose, so I had him dip his fruit in the honey/cinnamon mixture and his nose didn’t drip again the whole day. This morning he sounds congested, but he’s already had his honey/cinnamon mixture (from a spoon this time) and now he’s nursing.
I’ll definitely have to try this. We put in a beehive last month, but don’t have any bees yet. Lucky for us, a neighbor across the street has several hives and he’s given us a bit of his raw honey. Wonderful stuff.
:]
I’m almost certain my mom is the one that passed this info along. Glad its helping everyone, certainly is nice and cheap!!
This sounds much tastier than our usual, garlic
However, if the cinnamon doesn’t seem to be doing the trick, freshly crushed garlic might take care of it. It’s a little harder to get into the kiddos so I’m going to make some garlic honey and see if they’ll take it that way.
WOW!! I’m definitely going to keep this in mind for the future. Thanks!
Hi,
I’m glad taking this in hot drinks works for you, but I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be more beneficial if the honey was kept cool? I read any temps over 105 (which is any tea that’s not luke warm) kills the enzymes etc. that make raw honey, raw. For the one who said it was not working for her I wonder if this might help, as well as making sure she is not consuming sugar or caffeine (which I’ve heard depletes the body of vitamin C). Just my 2 cents
Blessings…
You can place 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in baby’s applesauce or oatmeal to get them to ingest it when they are too young for the honey.
Be careful not to overdo it with the cinnamon (all ages) as it can cause stomach upset ~moderation in all things.
I would be more apt to take the honey and cinnamon cold ~mixed together on toast, or as I do, just down the hatch! Heating does destroy enzymes.
It is good on fruits, but to make sure kids are getting what they need~ you might have them eat it on toast or take all at once for best results.
Everyone is different and some viruses may not work with this remedy, but the majority of them will.
The honey and cinnamon (one tsps honey with 1/4 tsp cinnamon)can be taken daily as it will not harm you and will help to ward off colds and other viruses. Make sure everyone is getting enough vitamin D as this is necessary.
If you are diabetic and worried about taking honey daily, then the cinnamon on back of tongue washed down with some water will also do the trick most of the time. I do this when I am in a hurry; just don’t breathe in or you will seriously cough!
Such a simple remedy~I wish I had known about this when I was a child!
So glad that this is helping so many people! I love to pass on these tried and true remedies!
If you want to get this into your child and they are under 1 year old, then just add the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon into baby’s applesauce or oatmeal.
I would not exceed 1 tsp. of cinnamon per day as it can lead to problems: (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cinnamon-side-effects.html)
Too much of a good thing can turn bad.
When we have a cold we take this remedy up to twice a day for 3 days to make sure it is gone(when it is a super bad cold). I have even been known to take just the cinnamon on the back of my tongue when I am in a hurry (don’t breathe in when you do this!!!!!) and it works fine.
If pregnant, look into this before using.
Though something is natural does not mean it cannot have contraindications with other medications or health issues. Always research what you are using so you know the safety and efficacy of the product you are using. We’ve all grown up ingesting cinnamon, but there can be circumstances when its use should be limited or discontinued.
I love cinnamon! I don’t love honey. But I use both for medicinal and food purposes all the time.
I didn’t realize the first post posted~sorry for repeating myself!
One thing I noticed for myself when using the Honey/Cinnamon as an apple dip, it felt like I had burned my mouth afterwords(it was a mild sensation. my daughter also complained of her throat hurting later in the day. I would just watch for the fact that cinnamon is spicy and I agree that this remedy is better used at the very earliest onset of illness and even before.
Thanks for posting this Cara! I always give Eve honey and lemon, but hopefully the cinnamon will help it fight better. Remind me to ask you where you get your local honey.
Farmer’s market- there’s a whole honey booth there! Or Montana Harvest has some from Laurel I think
thanks for the info. we are all sick at our house, despite trying to eat right and taking good supplements, including echinacea. i’m excited to try this on all of us, but certainly realize that it works better when you catch it at the first sign of sickness. can i mix up a weeks batch without it loosing it effectiveness, do you think?
Susan, I think you could mix it all up at once without any trouble.
I have to try this!! I want to make some of these home remedies before we get colds.
My allergies have been crazy bad suddenly (we moved and am more stressed and tired than usual), I know honey is good for seasonal allergies so I am going to give this a try for it….even though I don’t have a cold, something is telling me it will work. Thanks for sharing, will keep this tucked away for winter colds too. Orange Yerba Mate with honey and Vietnamese cinnamon is added to my menu today
my nana used to make a different version; she used ground black pepper, ground ginger and lemon juice along with raw honey and cinnamon. try it also; works like a miracle! tho i’m sure this would work too, besides it tastes good
we just tried it. I have a stomach ache now, but Im not sure if its the store bought hummus (we’ve been on full gaps for two months now) or the cinnamon. Ugh. Wishing I hadn’t tried either. However, my son, who is just starting a cold, also took the cinnamon and honey and he doesn’t have a stomach ache.
So. Its probably the hummus. I must be allergic to one of the preservatives or something.
I started getting a cold on 3 days ago….I immediately started using 1 tsp of raw honey and 1/4 tsp organic cinnamon about 3 or 4 times a day….
Low and behold, my symptoms have not progressed. I feel a little sniffly and my throat seems to want to be sore, but it just isn’t happening.
So if this is all I’m going to get, I’ll take it. I can function and I’m not all gross and sneezing everywhere….
I will continue to take the remedy until all my symptoms are gone.
Thanks for the post….found you on Pinterest.
This sounds like a great idea! We have tried so many natural remedies and our favorite has been the hydrogen peroxide in the ear (by cotton swab if they can or just a few drops in each ear) and gargling salt water. If you catch it right away it works! But I love having new ideas to try especially one that is so tasty!
This looks great. There are lots of other uses for honey listed here http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/honeyandcinnamon.html
The other thing you can do with this is spread on a slice of toast (almond or coconut bread for GAPS). That’s pretty much our routine: got a cold? have some cinnamon toast! We have always used butter on the toast but coconut oil might give a better therapeutic effect. It might also help those who feel it’s too spicy or upsetting to the tummy. I would caution against putting it into tea though, if you want the benefits of raw honey.
Can i use just regular honey that comes in the little bear?
Most store bought “honey” has a high fructose corn syrup content. Be sure to read the labels and look for raw, organic, unfiltered honey, best if locally grown but if not, stick to the ingredients I just listed.
I do this often, but I recently wondered if the cassia sold as cinnamon works as well. I’m not quite sure what I’ve been using.
Hi there! I found this post through Pinterest! Just wanted you to know that I mentioned it in a post on my blog, Mindful Momma! I hope you don’t mind that I used the photo – I credited you of course!
http://mindfulmomma.typepad.com/mindful_momma/2012/01/green-healthy-roundup.html
Hope you have a green & healthy weekend!
Micaela
Thanks so much for sharing this! I”ve never tried this before, but my throat is getting scratchier as the day goes on and I can feel the sniffles coming on – I’m mixing up a batch of this as soon as I get home to try! I’ll let you know how it works!
My mom has had the worst cold and nothing was making her feel better. I found this linked on Pinterest so told her to give it a try. All natural, so it can’t hurt, right?! She started coughing up stuff and her nose was running like crazy the next day. She’s feeling 100% better and is calling all her friends to tell them! Thanks so much for sharing!