Onion syrup – homemade cough remedy

onion syrup

When I was little, I was sick a lot. I was treated with a mix of antibiotics and homemade remedies, and seriously I don’t know what was worse. One one hand there were big pills that I could barely swallow on the other hand there was an onion syrup. It was yuck! Stinky little thing.

Now I’m an adult, and I’m back to making my own onion syrup. How ironic it is?

I’m really fed up with over-the-counter remedies. It is easy to take them like candy with no thought what-so-ever what do they really do to my body. They often don’t even seem to work, or they are packed with sugar. And often we have brilliant remedies just sitting on the counter, so I’m turning into alternatives, learning about herbs and making my nightmare syrup.

So how does the syrup work?

You will only need three ingredients – onion, honey and lemon and 24 hours. Onion has been traditionally used for coughs for hundreds of years. It has expectorating qualities, and that means it helps you cough up phlegm. So you should use the syrup when you either have an unproductive cough (when your chest feels heavy, but you can’t cough out what’s there) or a productive cough (when you cough up phlegm, and the syrup will help you to do it more efficiently). Honey will soothe your throat, and it also has antiviral and antibacterial qualities. And lemon is mostly for flavor.

If you don’t like the smell just try to hold your nose when you taking it. And get better.

Onion syrup - homemade cough remedy


  • 2 onions
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 10 Tbsp honey


Prepare a clean medium jar.
Peel and roughly chop onions.
Mix lemon juice with honey and pour it over the onions. Close the jar and leave for a day in a warm place.
Pass it through a sieve.

Usage Drink one tablespoon 2-4 times a day.

Keep in a fridge.

onion syrup

Disclaimer: I’m not a healthcare professional. The post is intended for informational purposes only and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional. The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.

onion syrup