I truly believe this homemade medicine made with two simple, natural ingredients is a magical home remedy for colds, coughs and sore throats that works wonders on our kids and on us every time.
Magical Home Remedy
for Colds, Coughs and Sore Throats
Two years ago when I was still a working gal, my daughter started going to a new nanny. She received great care from her nanny and we all absolutely loved her. However, my daughter began to get sick much more often than she had with her previous nanny because she was around a lot more children.
As an elementary school teacher I know one thing that comes with being around a lot of children, germs.
You constantly have to remind kids to wash their hands, cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing, to not put things in their mouths, and so on and so forth. Even now that my little girl is 4 years old, I have to be on her about these things constantly.
So it was not a surprise to me, that being around a couple of school-aged children during her nanny days led her to more sicknesses. From October through April of that year my daughter was sick every single month. From ear infections, to colds, to terrible coughs my little baby could not catch a break.
She was prescribed a couple of rounds of antibiotics for some of her ear infections. As new parents, we just wanted our little girl to feel relief and if the doctor said it was with antibiotics then so be it.
However, we soon began to question the use of too much medicine. It was then we began to look for more natural alternatives.
The Search for a Natural Remedy
I did what I always do when I have a question about a natural remedy, I turned to my parents. I am so glad I did because they introduced me to this amazing, magical home remedy for colds, coughs and sore throats.
Coming from Mexico my parents acquired a lot of homeopathic remedies, remedies that have been passed down for generations and have proven very effective.
This magical home remedy for colds, coughs and sore throats has alleviated not only my children’s ailments but my husband’s and mine as well many times.
(Please keep in mind, it is always best to consult with your doctor before trying anything, especially with small children.)
What is this magical home remedy for colds, coughs and sore throats?
This homemade cold and cough syrup uses only two ingredients that you most likely already have in your home, red onion and honey.
Onions are great when making this syrup because they are a natural antibiotic and antiviral. Red onions especially have a high amount of antioxidants, with more nutrients than yellow or white onions.
Many doctors, my children’s pediatrician included, recommend using a spoonful of honey instead of cough syrup. Honey works better than cough syrup at soothing coughs and sore throats. Plus it has a great taste, there’s no risk of overdosing, and is a natural antibacterial. Keep in mind that honey should never be given to children under the age of one because it could contain botulism spores.
How do you make this natural homemade remedy?
This is so simple to make you will want to make it at the first sight of a runny nose, raspy throat, congestion or an annoying cough.
To begin, slice a whole red onion into thin layers.
Then, place the onion in a deep and wide bowl. You want to have as much of the onion exposed to be able to cover as much of it with honey as possible.
Next, pour a cup of honey over the red onion.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let it sit for about 2 hours.
After about two hours, you will notice a watery syrup at the bottom of the bowl. This is the magical stuff.
Give your kids one teaspoon of the syrup every 2-4 hours, like you would a cold and cough syrup. For adults, take a tablespoon every 2-4 hours. But honestly, you could use this every hour, especially if needed to soothe a cough.
Continue to use this magical home remedy for colds, coughs, and sore throats until the symptoms subside.
You may also transfer the whole mixture, onions and all, to a glass jar or other container with a tight lid so it can keep longer. Discard at first sight of spoilage.
The sliced onion will continue to create more syrup while it sits. This should last you the duration of your or your child’s illness. If you run out, it’s so easy to make again that it won’t be a problem.
Don’t worry about the taste, the syrup actually has a very mild and sweet taste. You will hardly notice a taste of onion. My kids do not mind it one bit (I think they actually like it).
Give it a Try!
I hope you give it a try and that it is as magical for you as it is for us.
Unfortunately, we have been using this a lot lately since it is that sickly time of the year. Thank goodness it is also cheap to make!
Do you have any home remedies for colds and coughs you like to use? Share them with me in the comments below.
I have done this for years and love it. I put mildly chopped garlic in as well to infuse into the syrup. It has powerful antibacterial effects and opens the blood vessels. It doesn’t change the taste much either. My grandchildren take it without problem.
Hi Tina, I haven’t tried it with garlic. I am going to have to do that, anything that can help speed up the recovery process. Thank you!
Can I use yellow onions instead?
Yes you can, onions in general are a natural antibiotic and antiviral. However, red onions have a high amount of antioxidants, with more nutrients than yellow or white onions.
My cold just started to act up today and I have always been dead set on not taking medicines unless it’s really serious. Goes the same for going to the doctor. I only see myself going once a year. I look to using only homemade, natural remedies and what I remember from growing up that my mom did whenever I got sick as a kid.
Will try this since I haven’t heard of this before and I just bought a tub of honey so I should be good. Thanks for sharing!
I hope it works out for you. It works wonders for my whole family and it is so easy to make.
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Wow I have never heard of this but it is definitely worth a try! Will have to do this next time one of us is sick.
It is a great remedy and so easy to do. I hope it works for you!
This sounds like a great idea! And so much better than all of the chemicals than in the over the counter remedies.
Yes so much better to try a natural remedy and avoid all those chemicals for sure.
This is so helpful! My daughter has had a cough for the last couple of weeks. I hate onions, but definitely want to try this!
I know I really can’t stand raw onions, but the flavor really mellows out in the syrup and it just ends up tasting sweet.
I found this post just in time. We are all coming down with a cold and I always like natural remedies over any over the counter medicines. And these are ingredients I already have in the house, which is a bonus! Thanks for sharing.
Cold and flu season is the worst! It is great to have some home remedies to turn to instead of over the counter medicine. I hope this works out for you!
Wow, I’m going to try this. My kids are going to a new school this year and it’s a whole new set of germs. My youngest is a bit more sick than usual.
Oh no, I hope your little one gets better soon. This is a great and easy remedy to turn to.
I love finding natural solutions to problems, so I am very excited about this option. I have onion and honey in the house at all times, so knowing that I have the ingredients for this syrup at the ready is a great relief. Thank you for sharing!
I always have honey and onions too, that’s one of the reasons I love this remedy so much. Hope it works out for you!
I make a lot of homemade medicines for myself and my kiddos. I have not heard of doing this and I’m genuinely interested in checking it out. I also pinned this for later!
Oh good, it is such a great one and so simple. Hope you like it.
Gemma! I couldn’t have found this at a better time. My husband is so sick right now, and I know I’m going to come down with it any day now. I can’t take most medicine since I’m nursing. I’m going to try this if I catch his sickness. You’ll be my HERO if it works!
Glad you saw this and hope it works out for you. It is a lifesaver for us whenever we get sick. Hope you don’t get too sick, my husband is who brought it home to us this time too. Argh!
I’ve never heard of this remedy but I’ll definitely try it next time our family gets sick! We started taking elderberry gummies this year, and they’ve seemed to help prevent the really bad colds so far.
Oh good, glad I could offer a new remedy for you and your family. I will have to check out the elderberry gummies.
So excited to try this tonight!! My little Stella has been sick the last week thanks to her wonderful cousin Ryne LOL!!! Thanks!!!
Let me know what you think. I don’t say it’s magical for nothing, it really does wonders! Just make sure to give it to her often so it is effective. Poor Stella, I hope she feels better soon.
Thank you so much for posting this. My daughter has been sick from Oct- Jan and it’s also her first time in school. Never been to preschool etc. So it’s been rough and she has been of course passing it to her little sister 🙁 thank you for expressing how you daughter also got sick often and helped me understand it’s do to the grade school kids which made
Me feel like okay this is what happens. I will definitely try this!
Hi Farrah, oh no! I know exactly what that’s like, it’s finally gotten better for my daughter this year now that she’s in kindergarten. However, now she brings the germs home and my son gets sick, but this always ends up being my first line of defense. I hope this remedy helps and I hope your daughter gets better.