Are cough medicines better than honey and lemon?

It's that time of year when winter viruses take hold, and a cacophony of coughs fill households, offices and public transport.

Often people turn to cough medicine for a fix. But does this work, or are homemade remedies like honey and lemon just as good?

Jacky Smith, a professor in respiratory medicine at the University of Manchester, spoke to Radio 4's Sliced Bread to unblock fact from fiction.

Most coughs come from colds, and cold viruses usually need to work their way through you naturally. Cough medicines can't treat the underlying virus but they can soothe your throat and reduce the tickly sensations that make you cough.

If it's a dry cough then choosing balsams or sickly-sweet syrup-based soothing agents like glycerol, can help "coat your throat" and protect against the dryness, says Prof Smith.