Honey Against Sore Throat

November 29, 2024 updated by: Ali Timucin ATAYOGLU, Medipol University

Symptomatic Relief of Sore Throat With Functional Honey: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the symptomatic efficacy of oral use of different functional honeys in patients complaining of sore throat.

Materials and Methods: In the preclinical phase of the study, a total of 1000 samples of honey were examined, and the honeys were subjected to physicochemical and microbiological analyses. Based on their functional properties, five different groups of honey were determined. These are thyme honey with high antioxidant capacity, Yüksekova with high antimicrobial activity, chestnut honey with high organic acid amount, linden honey with high enzymatic and pine honey with high anti-microbial, antioxidant and phenolic compounds and enzymes. In the clinical phase of the study, patients receiving conventional treatment were randomly assigned to receive either one of five different types of honey or a honey-like food product in addition to their treatment. They were instructed to use 15 grams twice daily for 10 days. Patients were assessed on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 10th days for symptoms and complaints such as sore throat, difficulty swallowing, sensation of throat swelling, weakness, and fatigue.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

282

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey
      • Istanbul, Turkey, 34810
        • Istanbul Medipol University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria: Adults presenting with sore throat symptoms due to an upper respiratory infection (URI) within the last four days were included in the study. A total of 300 patients over 18 years of age, who were prescribed necessary medication and exhibited signs and symptoms of sore throat, were enrolled.

Exclusion Criteria: Exclusion criteria included a history of diabetes, pollen or bee allergies, and aversion to honey. Participants were required not to use any additional products outside of those provided by the researchers during the study period. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants, who were then randomly assigned to either the study or control group.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: H1 Thyme honey group
The group who applied with the complaint of sore throat was cultured and given thyme honey in addition to drug treatment.
Dietary supplement: Honey
Functional content analyses were performed to identify the specific properties of the different types of honey used.
Other Names:
  • Thyme Honey
  • Southeastern Anatolia
  • Chestnut honey
  • Linden honey
  • Pine honey
  • sugar syrup
Active Comparator: H2 Yuksekova honey group
The group who applied with the complaint of sore throat was cultured and given Yuksekova honey in addition to drug treatment.
Dietary supplement: Honey
Functional content analyses were performed to identify the specific properties of the different types of honey used.
Other Names:
  • Thyme Honey
  • Southeastern Anatolia
  • Chestnut honey
  • Linden honey
  • Pine honey
  • sugar syrup
Active Comparator: H3 Chestnut honey group
The group who applied with the complaint of sore throat was cultured and given chestnut honey in addition to drug treatment..
Dietary supplement: Honey
Functional content analyses were performed to identify the specific properties of the different types of honey used.
Other Names:
  • Thyme Honey
  • Southeastern Anatolia
  • Chestnut honey
  • Linden honey
  • Pine honey
  • sugar syrup
Active Comparator: H4 Linden honey group
The group who applied with the complaint of sore throat was cultured and given linden honey in addition to drug treatment.
Dietary supplement: Honey
Functional content analyses were performed to identify the specific properties of the different types of honey used.
Other Names:
  • Thyme Honey
  • Southeastern Anatolia
  • Chestnut honey
  • Linden honey
  • Pine honey
  • sugar syrup
Active Comparator: H5 Pine honey group
The group who applied with the complaint of sore throat was cultured and given pine honey in addition to drug treatment.
Dietary supplement: Honey
Functional content analyses were performed to identify the specific properties of the different types of honey used.
Other Names:
  • Thyme Honey
  • Southeastern Anatolia
  • Chestnut honey
  • Linden honey
  • Pine honey
  • sugar syrup
Placebo Comparator: H6 Plasebo group
The group who applied with the complaint of sore throat was cultured and given plasebo in addition to drug treatment.
Dietary supplement: Honey
Functional content analyses were performed to identify the specific properties of the different types of honey used.
Other Names:
  • Thyme Honey
  • Southeastern Anatolia
  • Chestnut honey
  • Linden honey
  • Pine honey
  • sugar syrup

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical Symptome
Time Frame: 10 days

Symptom Evaluation: On days 3, 7, and 10, patients were assessed for throat pain, difficulty swallowing, throat swelling, and fatigue/malaise.

Throat Pain: Assessed using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) (0: no pain, 10: very painful).

Difficulty Swallowing: Assessed using a NRS (0: no difficulty, 10: very difficult).

Throat Swelling Sensation: Assessed using a NRS (0: no swelling, 10: severe swelling sensation).

Fatigue/Malaise: Assessed using a NRS (0: no fatigue, 10: severe fatigue).
10 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Medipol University

Collaborators

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 6, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

September 12, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 29, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 29, 2024

First Posted (Estimated)

December 4, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

December 4, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 29, 2024

Last Verified

November 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 10840098-604.01.01-E.29934

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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