Warm liquids, honey-based drinks, and plain water are the most effective things to drink when you have a cough. They work by loosening congestion, coating an irritated throat, and keeping your airways hydrated so mucus doesn’t thicken and trigger more coughing. The best choice depends on whether your cough is dry and scratchy or wet and congested.
Warm Fluids for Loosening Congestion
Warm liquids are the single most practical thing you can reach for. Chicken broth, warm apple juice, and herbal teas all help loosen congestion and soothe irritated airways. The warmth itself matters: it increases blood flow to the throat, helps break up mucus, and provides immediate comfort that cold drinks don’t match.
If your cough is productive (bringing up mucus), staying well hydrated with any fluid helps thin that mucus so it’s easier to clear. When you’re dehydrated, mucus becomes thicker and stickier, which makes coughing both more frequent and less effective. Water at any temperature works, but warm fluids do double duty by also providing that soothing sensation on contact.
Honey in Warm Water or Tea
Honey is one of the best-studied natural cough remedies. Research has found it works about as well as diphenhydramine, a common ingredient in over-the-counter cough medicines. Its thick, sticky texture coats the throat and creates a protective barrier over irritated tissue, which calms the nerve endings that trigger coughing.
The simplest way to use it is stirring half a teaspoon to a full teaspoon into warm water or tea. You can also take it straight off the spoon. Honey dissolves well in warm (not boiling) liquids, and the combination of warmth plus the coating effect makes this a particularly effective pairing for a dry, scratchy cough.
One firm safety rule: never give honey to children younger than 12 months. Honey can contain spores of bacteria that cause infant botulism, a severe form of food poisoning. The CDC is clear on this, with no exceptions for honey mixed into water, food, or formula. For children ages 1 and older, half a teaspoon to one teaspoon is the recommended amount.
Ginger Tea for Airway Irritation
Ginger has compounds that help relax the smooth muscle tissue lining your airways. Research from Columbia University found that purified ginger components can work alongside standard bronchodilating medications to relax airway tissue. While that research focused on asthma, the same airway-relaxing effect is what makes ginger tea helpful for cough relief. When the muscles around your bronchial tubes are less constricted, you feel less urge to cough.
To make ginger tea, slice a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger and steep it in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. Adding honey amplifies the effect: you get the airway relaxation from ginger plus the throat-coating properties of honey in one drink. A squeeze of lemon adds vitamin C and a bit of acidity that can help cut through mucus.
Marshmallow Root Tea
Marshmallow root contains a naturally sticky, gel-like substance called mucilage that physically coats your throat when you drink it. This coating covers the inflamed tissue in the back of your throat and reduces the dry cough that comes from irritation there. A 2013 study found marshmallow root extract was effective for treating inflammation of the throat lining and the dry cough that accompanies it, particularly when delivered in a form that keeps the extract in contact with the throat.
Combining marshmallow root with honey extends how long that coating stays on your throat. A 2021 study found that honey helped prolong the protective layer marshmallow root creates. You can brew the tea by steeping dried marshmallow root in hot water, or add 30 to 40 drops of marshmallow root tincture to a glass of water. Several cups throughout the day provides the most consistent relief.
What to Drink for a Dry Cough vs. a Wet Cough
The type of cough you have should guide your choices. A dry, tickling cough responds best to drinks that coat the throat: honey in warm water, marshmallow root tea, or warm milk with honey. The goal is to calm irritated nerve endings and reduce the scratchy sensation that keeps making you cough.
A wet, productive cough benefits more from thin, warm fluids that help loosen mucus. Plain warm water, broth, and ginger tea are better choices here. You want to keep mucus fluid enough that your body can clear it effectively rather than trapping it with thick, coating drinks.
Drinks That Won’t Help
Alcohol genuinely dehydrates you and should be avoided when you’re coughing. It also disrupts sleep quality, which matters because coughs tend to worsen at night and your body does most of its healing during rest.
Caffeinated drinks are a different story. Despite their reputation, coffee and tea don’t cause meaningful dehydration. The fluid in caffeinated drinks offsets the mild diuretic effect of caffeine at typical intake levels. So if a warm cup of tea with honey sounds good, the caffeine in it won’t undermine the benefits. That said, very hot drinks can further irritate an already inflamed throat, so let your tea cool to a comfortable sipping temperature.
Dairy milk is often blamed for increasing mucus production, but the evidence for this is weak. What milk can do is make existing mucus feel thicker and more noticeable in your throat, which some people find uncomfortable during a cough. If it bothers you, skip it. If it doesn’t, warm milk with honey is a perfectly fine option, especially before bed.
Sugary sodas and fruit juices with added sugar offer no cough relief and can promote inflammation. If you want juice, warm apple juice is a better bet, both for the warmth and the lower sugar concentration compared to most commercial juices.
How Often to Drink
Sipping warm fluids consistently throughout the day is more effective than drinking a large amount at once. Aim for a warm drink every couple of hours when your cough is active. Keep water nearby at all times, especially at night when mouth breathing and dry air can intensify coughing. A warm honey drink right before bed can help suppress nighttime coughs long enough to fall asleep.