Medical expert of the article
New publications
Milk with honey in pregnancy: for cough, sore throat, colds
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Honey and milk are two unique products that are recommended for almost anyone, especially for colds. However, many women wonder whether it is permissible to drink such a drink as milk with honey during pregnancy, so as not to harm the development of the fetus and the future baby. Such interest is understandable: any medicine or food product at any stage of pregnancy to a greater or lesser extent gets to the fetus and can affect it negatively.
Is it possible to drink milk with honey during pregnancy?
The undoubted benefits of both milk and honey do not mean that this tandem can be consumed by everyone at all times.
First: milk with honey should not be consumed under any circumstances by women who may have an allergy to bee products or dairy products. It is equally important not to abuse this combination of products - frequent consumption of the drink in large quantities can negatively affect not only the woman's well-being, but also the health of the child.
Second: to avoid harm, honey can only be added to warm milk (but not hot). The reason is that honey heated to 60 degrees produces a toxic substance - oxymethylfurfural, which is a clear representative of carcinogens. It is clear that the presence of such an unsafe substance in food is extremely undesirable, and even more so - during pregnancy.
The third rule: you should not even think about drinking milk with honey if you have a lactose deficiency, a tendency to diabetes, or kidney stones.
Milk with honey during pregnancy for colds
Milk with honey for colds is considered a classic of folk medicine - it is a very successful remedy for quickly getting rid of acute respiratory infections and coughs. Milk with honey has antimicrobial, enveloping, strengthening and anti-inflammatory properties. Such a simple drink will help no worse, or even better than any expensive drugs.
Milk should not be hot: if you have a cold, it will relieve a sore throat, and if you have a cough, it will soothe and improve the discharge of phlegm.
During pregnancy, milk with honey will help you bear a child without colds and acute respiratory viral infections, since the high content of natural nutrients and nutritional components will strengthen the immune system and ensure the proper development of the future baby. A mixture of milk and honey has a calming effect, smoothes out the effects of stress, improves mood and eliminates the feeling of fatigue.
Many women note that a serving of warm milk with honey taken shortly before bed can eliminate the main symptoms of a cold: the next morning there will be no trace of the disease.
Milk with honey for cough during pregnancy
Doctors warn that coughing during pregnancy can cause significant harm to the fetus: a strong and prolonged coughing attack can cause placental abruption and even stimulate the onset of premature labor. Therefore, it is better for a woman not to allow the disease to worsen, but to cure it in time. And, since it is not recommended to take medications in the form of tablets and mixtures during pregnancy, milk with honey comes to the rescue - the best folk remedy for cough.
If the cough is accompanied by sputum production, it will be useful to drink warm milk with 1 teaspoon of honey three times a day, between meals and closer to night.
If the cough is dry, it is recommended to add a little baking soda to the drink - no more than half a teaspoon per glass of milk, otherwise you may get digestive problems.
Milk with honey and soda during pregnancy will not only strengthen the immune system, but also improve the discharge of phlegm, thereby bringing recovery closer.
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to pay attention to the following important points:
- milk with honey and soda will become even more effective if you add a teaspoon of butter or cocoa butter to the mixture;
- It is better not to boil the milk, but just bring it to a boil, quickly removing it from the heat;
- You should not drink such a drink immediately after eating: it can disrupt the digestion process;
- Soda can be added to still hot milk, but honey can only be added to warm milk.
If the acidity of gastric juice is low, the amount of soda in milk should be less – about ¼ of a teaspoon.
General information of milk and honey
Before drinking milk with honey during pregnancy, you need to make sure that the milk is fresh and the honey is natural, without impurities. Only fresh natural products can really be useful during pregnancy.
Milk with honey and butter during pregnancy
In addition to the main components of the healing drink - milk and honey - you can add other ingredients. For example, adding oils - butter or cocoa butter - will bring undoubted benefit. Oils are added to warmed milk: such a medicine will relieve sore throat, cough and hoarseness.
- Butter contains more than just fat, as many people think. High-quality butter contains proteins, carbohydrates, cholesterol, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, mono- and disaccharides, vitamins A, D, E, PP, B and β-carotene, and a large number of minerals. Of course, you shouldn’t eat butter by the spoonful – in that case, it will do more harm than good. But ½-1 teaspoon of butter added to warm milk with honey is really useful, especially for colds.
- Cocoa butter consists of triglycerides - these are esters of glycerol and fatty acids. It also contains amino acids and a large number of minerals. According to English scientists, cocoa butter is the best cough remedy in the world: it contains the natural substance theobromine, which has a stimulating effect on the body. In order to get rid of a cough during pregnancy, you need to add 1-1/2 teaspoons of cocoa butter to a glass of warm milk, stir and drink. If you repeat this procedure three times a day, then very soon the cough will subside and the condition will improve.
Additionally, it is recommended to lubricate the nasal mucosa with cocoa butter - this will serve as a preventative measure against viral diseases and create invisible protection for the upper respiratory tract.
Hot milk with honey during pregnancy
Some families believe that milk with honey must be hot - only then will the drink help fight a cold and warm you up when you have chills. But making such a drink hot means ruining its valuable properties.
In addition, hot liquid can burn the already irritated mucous membranes of the throat, which will further aggravate the disease.
Adding honey to hot milk will destroy the fructose and glucose structures, as well as release the dangerous carcinogenic substance oxymethylfurfural. As a result, the drink becomes not only unhealthy, but also dangerous. After heating, honey is no longer a remedy, but an ordinary syrup, which also has carcinogenic properties.
In order for milk with honey to be truly beneficial during pregnancy, the honey must be dissolved in milk at a temperature of 40-45°C.
Milk with honey at night during pregnancy
Milk with honey before bed is offered even to small children - and this only proves once again that this drink is very nutritious and healthy. Milk is rich in proteins, easily digestible fats, and honey is saturated with vitamins and microelements.
Beekeeping products – and honey is no exception – are well received by the human body. Scientists have scientifically proven that regularly drinking a cup of milk with honey shortly before bedtime significantly strengthens the immune system, which is especially important during the off-season – the time of cold and viral infection epidemics. Milk with honey at night during pregnancy will help protect a woman from viruses and strengthen the body's internal reserves.
In addition to the above properties, milk with honey is a source of quality sugars that enter the blood slowly and gradually (which distinguishes them from glucose). This property helps maintain a balanced level of sugar in the bloodstream, which leads to a calming of the nervous system. As a result, an even, deep sleep is ensured.
Benefits
Milk is a valuable nutritious product that will benefit not only the developing fetus, but also the health of the expectant mother.
Milk is valuable due to the presence of such useful components:
- proteins are the basis for muscle development;
- amino acids are an important component of high-quality metabolic processes;
- fatty acids – take part in the development of the nervous system of the fetus;
- good cholesterol – stabilizes the production of hormones in women;
- calcium – plays a major role in the formation of baby’s bones;
- iron – helps calcium to be absorbed, increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood;
- other useful microelements (Mg, Na, K) take part in metabolism;
- vitamins (retinol, vitamins D and B group) strengthen the immune system and improve fetal development processes;
- lactose – qualitatively improves intestinal microflora.
Honey, in turn, contains a large set of useful minerals and vitamins, amino acids, providing restoration of damaged tissues and improving the functioning of all organs and systems. During pregnancy, doctors advise giving preference to dark varieties of honey, as their quantitative and qualitative composition is richer than in lighter varieties.
Combining milk and honey during pregnancy will help eliminate insomnia, get rid of anxiety and excessive nervous tension, as well as alleviate the symptoms of toxicosis and soothe heartburn.
Milk with honey during pregnancy is drunk not only to cure coughs and colds. The drink can be used as a preventive recipe during viral epidemics, or simply to normalize the function of the nervous system.
Honey is added exclusively to warm milk, stirring until it is completely dissolved. Drink the beverage between meals, without additional "snacks" in the form of cookies, buns, etc.
If you are lactose intolerant or have an intolerance to honey products, it is strictly forbidden to consume this drink during pregnancy, as it may cause an unpredictable reaction that is dangerous for both the expectant mother and the baby.
Milk with honey during pregnancy is a good way to strengthen the immune system and support the health of the expectant mother. If you drink the drink correctly and do not abuse it, then the benefits for the body will be undoubted and noticeable.
[ 1 ]