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The health benefits of eating local honey

Natural, delicious, and sweet – who doesn’t enjoy a bit of honey? But whether you like to slather it on your morning toast, cook with it, or simply add a drizzle to your cup of tea, honey is so much more than just a natural sweetener. The saccharine golden substance has long been used to combat certain conditions and allergies as a folk remedy passed down across generations and more recently vindicated by academic research demonstrating many of honey’s therapeutic properties. taste.blas spoke to beekeeper Wendy Cooper of Hedgerow Honey in North Wales to get a bit more information on the topic.

From soothing coughs and sore throats, to skincare applications, to easing the symptoms of hay fever – the health benefits of local, minimally-processed honey are numerous. As Wendy Cooper explains, “The most common use in health for local honey is for hay fever. As I write this, I am surrounded by fields of bright yellow oil seed rape which have left me with streaming eyes, coughing, and running to the honey pot!” This particular use for honey has been researched in a number of different scientific studies. One study from 2011 demonstrated that, as a treatment for birch pollen allergy, honey offered participants 60% more effective relief than conventional medicine (i.e. antihistamines). The symptoms of the group who ate local honey were less severe than those who used over-the-counter medicines, and honey group also enjoyed a higher number of completely asymptomatic days over the course of the study.

But to get the full benefits, Wendy says, you would be well-advised to steer clear of the cheapest squeezy bottles of honey that you find on supermarket shelves. These are often made up of a blend of EU and non-EU honeys, and may contain little or none of the type of pollen common in your area. By contrast, eating local honey introduces small amounts of local pollen into your system, helping your body to build up a certain level of immunity to it. Wendy says: “It is believed that the least processed honey that you can get, ideally cut comb which includes the wax cappings, is the best for hay fever treatment. It is also thought that local honey is needed all year round so that pollen immunity is built up ready for the hay fever season.” The treatment of minor coughs and sore throats is another common health application for honey. Often combined with lemon in a hot drink, honey has long been used as a natural remedy to relieve the irritation of the throat and larynx caused by the common cold and other similar illnesses. Wendy pointed us in the direction of a 2007 study conducted by researchers at Penn State University, which demonstrated honey to be more effective at relieving the symptoms of upper respiratory infection in children than dextromethorphan – a cough suppressant commonly found in over-the-counter cold and flu medicines.

Now for some of lesser-known uses for honey. Wendy explains that honey possesses antibacterial properties due to its ability to attract water molecules: “The honey molecules join with the water and leave no water for the microorganisms to attach to, giving them nothing to survive on.”

Whilst perhaps not the most widely known of honey’s medicinal qualities, the antibacterial properties of the substance have been scientifically established for well over a century. Honey’s antibiotic properties were demonstrated by Dutch scientist Bernardus Adrianus van Ketel as far back as the 1890s. Research into honey’s usefulness in treating bacterial infections has gained renewed interest from researchers in recent years, following the rise in antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as MRSA. Due its microbe fighting capabilities, honey is thought to be useful as a topical application for certain skin conditions, and may play a role in easing the symptoms of certain digestive and gastrointestinal upsets.

Another often overlooked benefit that comes with indulging your sweet tooth with a spoonful of honey is its ability to soothe hangovers. Wendy explains: “Honey provides the body with sodium, potassium, and fructose which all help hangover recovery. It acts as a sobering agent because the fructose speeds up the alcohol oxidation in the liver.”

So, next time you are in the mood for a sweet treat, why not add a jar of local honey or some honeycomb to your shopping list? In addition to Hedgerow Honey’s various honeys, which utilise the pollen of different types of flower and wildflower, they also sell bee pollen granules which can be taken as a supplement or added to food, plus various balms, creams and moisturisers utilising beeswax from their own hives.

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