"Many families are going to relate to these findings and say that grandma was right."

So says lead author Dr. Ian Paul of Pennsylvania State University’s College of Medicine after a study found that honey did better than cough medicine or no treatment in a three-way comparison of 105 children.

The story explains that federal health advisers have recently warned that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines shouldn’t be used in children younger than 6, and manufacturers are taking some products for babies off the market.

Three pediatricians who read the study said they would tell parents seeking alternative remedies to try honey. They noted that honey should not be given to children under age 1 because of a rare but serious risk of botulism.

The research appears in December’s Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.