The good news is that honey isn’t hype. The CDC actually recommends using honey to soothe cough from a sore throat in adults and children at least one year of age or older. Never give honey to infants or children under one year of age. Honey can contain the bacteria that causes infant botulism. It’s safe for those older than 12 months. While honey may help with a sore throat, it won’t cure what’s causing it. If you have strep throat, you will need to take antibiotics to treat it. If you’ve had a tonsillectomy, honey may also help relieve pain. That’s according to a pilot study in Germany published in PLoS One. But experts won’t recommend it as part of pain management therapy after tonsillectomy until there’s more research to prove it’s effective.