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Can A Spoonful Of Honey Keep Seasonal Allergies At Bay?

More people are searching for natural remedies to seasonal allergies, such as honey, to try and alleviate those pesky coughs, sneezes, and sniffles. But why are allergy sufferers flocking toward this natural sweetener?

A nutrient-rich substance made to nourish bee colonies, humans have been harvesting honey for millennia. Many ancient cultures assigned myth and magic to the sugary treat's wound-healing properties, and today, the syrup is a well-known balm against a sore throat.

There are many other reasons why people champion honey as a solution to their physical issues—for one, many assume that since it originates from local flora, it can strengthen the immune system against allergies. 

Yet the actual role honey plays in bolstering the body's natural defenses against allergies and other immune illnesses is still relatively unclear. 

"There's not really great evidence to suggest that local honey can help seasonal allergies," says Priya Katari, a pediatric allergist and immunologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. "What evidence exists now really doesn't back up the claims." Still, honey has other, proven health benefits—if you're getting the right kind of honey. Here's what to know.

Honey and allergies

The idea that honey can be used to ward off seasonal ailments probably comes from the concept behind immunotherapy, which involves introducing very small amounts of an allergen over a prolonged period to aid an individual's immune system in tolerating it. 

In theory, consuming honey to relieve allergies seems like a plausible one. Unfortunately, pollen that typically causes seasonal allergies are wind-based, meaning it comes from trees, grass, or wheat, whereas bee's honey is made from pollen gathered from brightly-colored flowers—which doesn't contribute much to allergens in the air. Because of this distinction, it's unlikely that pollens found in local honey would lead to tolerance, says Katari.

Much of the current scientific consensus is that there hasn't yet been enough research done to definitively make the claim that honey can combat allergic reactions. There also isn't a scientifically recommended amount to eat per day either, as the quantity of pollen in one serving size of honey often varies as well. This means even if the honey did work, mass-produced bottles may not even reflect the sorts of allergens in your local environment. 

That said, individuals may have better luck wrangling their allergies by seeking over-the-counter or doctor-approved medicines.  

"People really want a natural remedy for things, but I wish more people knew that the medications that we prescribe for allergies are generally very safe, including for children, and well-tolerated," she says. "Sometimes natural remedies can be more dangerous and less effective than the treatments we prescribe."

Babies less than a year old, for instance, shouldn't be given honey, as it could contain bacteria called Clostridium that  is associated with infant botulism. Which can cause muscle weakness and trouble breathing. Other natural supplements like ginkgo and turmeric can increase the risk of  bleeding, says Katari.

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Although you shouldn't rely on honey alone to ease your allergies, there is growing interest in its potential applications in modern medicine. 

Ferhat Ozturk, an associate professor of instruction at The University of Texas at San Antonio whose research involves studying the medicinal benefits of honey, says that it is not just a food, but a nutritious pharmaceutical agent. 

"Honey was medicine for thousands of years," he says. "But with the advent of antibiotics and other modern medicine, honey has been put aside for a couple of decades." 

Used topically, honey can treat burns by hastening wound contractions, and has reportedly been used as a complementary mouth sore aid for cancer patients going through chemotherapy. 

When ingested, the substance has been shown to have important properties for tempering gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, constipation, and colitis. Because of these therapeutic uses, researchers also plan to test potential uses of other bee byproducts (like royal jelly, propolis, beeswax) in various clinical trials. 

Most of these healing effects stem directly from honey's antimicrobial and antioxidant potential, says Ozturk. When honey bees collect nectar from plants, they also pick up chemicals the plants produce to protect themselves from pathogens, natural compounds like phenolics, flavonoids and tannins which can have anti-aging, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory effects on the human body.

"Honey is helping our body to fight naturally with its own power," says Ozturk. These same curative chemicals are why plants tend to cut down certain incidents of chronic illness, including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. 

That said, not every honey on the market is created equal. "There's at least five times more antimicrobial potential in local beekeeper honey when compared to store honey," he says. 

One honey in particular—Manuka honey from New Zealand—is considered to be one of the best antimicrobial honey agents, says Scott McArt, an associate professor of entomology at Cornell University. This is due in part to the product's uniquely high levels of alkaloids, specifically one called methylglyoxal (MGO), a major antibacterial compound that makes it a top medical-grade substance. 

Although many individuals consume this expensive honey for its health benefits, "The scientific evidence that consuming high-MGO Manuka honey provides health benefits to humans is currently not quite as strong as its clear benefits for wound treatment," says McArt. 

Given the amount of people who swear by honey as a complete panacea, it's doubtful that rumors about its potential health applications will ever subside. 

But if you do plan to hunker down with a delicious jar of honey during your next sick day, Ozturk suggests sourcing honey collected by local beekeepers, both for the potential health benefits and to learn more about what nature's hardest workers have to offer. 

"Honey is something out there that has provided [a] benefit for almost every civilization on earth for thousands of years," Ozturk says. "So there is a lot to study about honey."

Experts, Beekeepers Weigh In On Local Honey For Seasonal Allergies

By Naomi DuBovisCronkite News

SCOTTSDALE – Allergy season is here, and some sufferers consume local honey to alleviate their symptoms. But the jury is still out as to whether it's a good strategy.

When it comes to eating honey for allergies, the evidence that it works is largely anecdotal, but beekeepers and experts agree local honey is both tastier and healthier than honey at the supermarket.

Arizona Honey Market is a vendor that sells local honey online and at farmers markets. One type of honey it sells is its Allergy Mix, which is made specifically to be a remedy.

Jonathan Young, a beekeeper for Arizona Honey Market, said the Allergy Mix contains pollen saved from the entire year and from sources all around the Phoenix area. It's not like most honey products, he said, because those only have one or two types of pollen. The idea is that exposure to pollen can help build tolerance to it.

"A regular honey would only be from a specific harvest period, and that harvest period is only going to have a specific type of pollen, whatever the bees are going to," he said. "With the Allergy Mix, we kind of broaden the spectrum a little bit. We also increase the pollen content in it, so you don't have to take as much of it."

Young said customers typically see results in a week if they eat it consistently and don't cook it using high heat.

Scientific research hasn't yet proven that eating honey helps allergies, said Dr. Julie Wendt, immunologist, allergist and owner of Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives in Scottsdale.

A 2021 mini review article published in Frontiers in Pharmacology looked at studies to gauge the efficacy of honey for allergy treatment, whether eaten or used in other forms such as salines and skin topicals. The review said while some research on eating honey offers promising results, more research needs to be done.

Some factors the review mentioned that can lead to differing conclusions include the type of honey used (like local honey or a type called Manuka honey, from Australia and New Zealand), dosage and chemical composition.

Wendt said that the type of pollen people are exposed to matters when they're trying to treat their allergies.

"The pollen in the air is windborne pollen. It's very small, tends to be from local trees, grass, weeds, ragweeds and so forth," Wendt said. "The pollen that attracts bees and moths tends to be sticky, bigger and (from) things like flowering plants. That tends not to be the problem for most people because it just doesn't get into the airways."

Wendt said the best way to prevent symptoms is to avoid exposure to allergens in the first place. She recommends closing windows, regularly changing air filters, washing pets when they come inside and showering at night to avoid getting pollen in bedsheets.

She said antihistamines should only be used as needed and that if patients are taking them more than a few times a week, other treatment options like allergy shots should be considered.

Despite the lack of scientific consensus on eating honey for allergies, Wendt said it doesn't hurt to try, especially if patients aren't interested in conventional medicine or allergy shots.

"When people ask about it … I say try it, give it a shot for a year and let's see how it goes, and if it's not adequate, think about coming back," she said.

Wendt also said she's hopeful that propolis, a resinous substance bees produce, can treat skin conditions like eczema. Wendt said she and two patients with eczema have seen improvement after using a propolis salve but that a large study is needed to say for sure that it works.

Regardless of whether someone muddles through seasonal allergies, Arizona beekeepers say buying honey locally is a better choice than buying from the grocery store.

Duane Combs, president of the Beekeepers Association of Central Arizona and owner of Arizona Beekeepers LLC, said most honey on supermarket shelves is doctored.

"They do two things to it: One is they pasteurize it so it has a longer shelf life. And when they do that, they kill the enzymes," he said. "Second, they import honey. And if you're getting honey … from China and India especially, it's going to be adulterated with some form of rice sugar or corn syrup or some other sugar."

Wendt said she gets her honey from local beekeepers for the taste.

"Local honey is just so much better. It's thicker, it's not processed," she said. "I almost can't eat regular honey at the supermarket because it seems watered down and thin."

She noted, however, that children under a year old should never eat unprocessed honey because of the risk of botulism.

Combs said he's had his share of people saying his honey helped with their allergies.

"Now, is that because of physically something of the honey or is that psychological? I don't know, and I don't care," he said. "I just am happy to sell honey."

Farmers Market: Hog Heaven Honey Also Sells The Bees

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 12:00 PM Updated Tuesday, May. 28, 2024 4:01 PM

Tina and Neil Sebestyen also remove unwanted bees

Tina and Neil Sebestyen's Hog Heaven Honey sell honey at the Durango Farmers Market. (Nick Gonzales/Durango Herald)

Nick Gonzales

For customers interested in beekeeping, or just looking to get rid of some bees, Hog Heaven Honey is a comprehensive operation.

Tina and Neil Sebestyen sell honey at the Durango Farmers Market, but Hog Heaven also specializes in raising bees – and removing them when they're unwanted.

"We sell honey and we also do bee removals from structures, when bees move into somebody's attic or soffit or whatever. We'll go rescue the bees," Tina Sebesteyen said.

Customers who want bees for the purpose of starting a colony can purchase both queen bees and nucs, which are special frames for starting a new hive.

Sebesteyen, who has been a beekeeper for 18 years, teaches classes on the subject and writes about bees for publications such as the American Bee Journal. That knowledge is on display as she sells her honey.

"A lot of people ask me for local honey for their allergies because there's an urban myth that local honey is great for your allergies," she said. "But the fact is that allergies are caused by wind-borne pollen, and bees collect nectar from plants that are not wind-borne; they're insect-borne. Totally different plants.

" … Raw honey really does help with your allergies just because it's such an amazing immune booster … it just doesn't have to be from right where you live."

Sebesteyen said Hog Heaven Honey is based halfway between Durango and Pagosa Springs, but has bees all over. As a result, the flavor of each batch of honey is unique.

"Most of my colonies are in alfalfa fields, and even the alfalfa honey from next year will taste different from this year's," she said. "You know the wine term 'terroir'? That works with honey, too. The sun is different, the rain is different. And every plant that the bees produce honey from is very different as well. … For instance, my alfalfa honey probably also has some apricot blossoms in it."

Sebestyen said she sold honey at the Bayfield Farmers Market last year, but this year was planning to focus on just the Durango Farmers Market.

"This is a really neat way to have something that is local, raw and real," she said.

ngonzales@durangoherald.Com

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