On a windy winter afternoon walk through a neighborhood park, I saw a beehive resting in an insulated wooden box amongst the plants. I could imagine the honeybee colony inside this warm shelter cozily clustered and happily eating the honey they stored throughout the season. This sighting instantly warmed my heart, so I decided to learn more about honey and blog about it. As usual, I researched honey’s benefits and gave you what you need to know to shop confidently and get your honey’s worth (pun intended!). Finally, GFL provides a short selection of honey brands to try.

Origin of the Honeybee (Apis Mellifera)

The western honeybee, apis mellifera, came from Europe in the 17th century and was brought by the colonists. However, according to new scientific data, the honeybee originated in western Asia about 7 million years ago. From western Asia, the apis mellifera spread to Africa and Europe. Because the western honeybee is highly adaptable to survive, they can thrive in tropical, arid, temperate, and cold environments.

Benefits of Honey

Aside from using honey as a natural sweetener to foods and drinks, the ancient cultures believed that honey was antimicrobial. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Chinese, Greeks, and Romans used honey as a salve for wounds and to treat gastrointestinal diseases. The ancient Egyptians also employed honey to embalm the dead. Hippocrates, a Greek physician, believe in this superfood wholeheartedly that he prescribed it for baldness, contraception, laxative, cough and sore throat, fever reducer, wound management, and treatment of scars. In Islamic medicine, honey was utilized to promote healthy cell growth, anti-diarrheal, and treat tuberculosis. In Ayurvedic medicine, honey treated digestive problems, skin disorders, cardiac and lung conditions, insomnia, and eye conditions such as poor vision and cataracts. 

To dispel centuries of folklore, over the last 30 years, scientists have studied whether honey is a superfood. This PubMed research has proven that honey is an effective antimicrobial against 60 species of bacteria that cause infections in wounds and urinary and gastrointestinal tracts. Honey has bactericidal (kills bacteria) and bacteriostatic (prevents the growth of bacteria) properties because of its chemical and physical properties. The chemical composition of honey helps dehydrate bacteria, and its acidity helps inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Also, hydrogen peroxide is produced when honey is oxidized. Honey is an excellent anti-inflammatory and promotes wound debridement because it has phytochemicals, beeswax, pollen, nectar, and propolis. Moreover, consuming honey frequently versus taking most conventional antibiotics prevents the development of superbugs resistant to antibiotics. The thickness and low moisture of raw honey will smother almost all microbes in it which makes it bacteriostatic.

Another study from the Mayo Clinic reports scientific evidence of honey as a superfood. For example, honey is linked to reducing the risk of heart disease. Eucalyptus and citrus honey may suppress cough and fight off upper respiratory infections. In addition, honey helps relieve diarrhea from intestinal infections and may be part of oral hydration therapy. Other studies support the benefits of honey as an antidepressant, anti-anxiety, anti-convulsant, and preventing memory disorders. Lastly, the research indicates that medical-grade topical honey can promote wound healing, especially in burns. However, Mayo Clinic points out that the results may vary since there are no standardized methods of producing quality honey. 

In another study, scientists found that if a person replaces table sugar, syrup, or another sweetener for a raw single floral source honey namely Acacia, Black Locust, and Clover, the participants had significant benefits for their cardiometabolic health. The benefits include lower fasting blood glucose, lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides, higher levels of good cholesterol, and lower inflammation. The median dose of honey used in these trials was about two tablespoons.

Yet, despite these successful convincing studies in support of honey as a superfood, more controlled research are needed to gain credibility in modern medicine.

Types of Honey

Read this informative article that talks about the different types  of honey. Did you know that there are more than 300 types in market today? Honey comes in complex flavors, unique colors, varying viscosities, different smells, and textures. The color and flavor of honey depends on the types of flowers that the bees forage and the season. The taste of honey foraged from the same flower in hot and low rainfall area will be different from that of a colder and rainy region.

Multifloral and Monofloral

Honeybees can collect nectar and pollen from multiple varieties of flowers and trees. Such honey will be labeled multifloral or wildflower honey. Or the bees can forage on a single flower species when the flowers bloom in season, which is called monofloral. Monofloral honey taste and smell are specific to the plant. It is challenging to produce because bees can collect nectar from other sources. However, if 50% of the nectar is from one particular plant, it is classified as monofloral and is more expensive. Examples of monofloral are Acacia, Linden, Blueberry Blossom, Orange Blossom, or Clover Honey. On the other hand, multifloral honey is easier to produce and cheaper in price.

Pure, Raw, Unfiltered, and Organic

Honey is packaged using labels such as pure, raw, organic, and unfiltered. What do these terms mean exactly? Read this detailed explanation. However, briefly, here is the scoop.

• Pure means 100% honey without added corn or sugar syrup. Apparently, to increase the amount of honey produced by bees, the beekeepers feed syrup during honey harvest season. The honeybees cannot tell the difference between sugar or corn syrup and nectar. Honey produced using this method is not pure honey. The FDA (2018) has recently published rules about labeling honey that has added ingredients. For example, the bottle label should state “Honey with a blend of corn syrup.”
• Raw honey is pure honey that is not pasteurized. Sometimes raw honey is strained for impurities, but this is different from undergoing pasteurization and processing. Science research proves that raw has more antioxidants than the honey which is processed by undergoing pasteurization. This high heat process reduces the bee pollen which provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Pasteurization destroys the propolis with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, and other beneficial elements such as enzymes and amino acids. Processing is done to make the honey appear smoother.
• Unfiltered means slightly heating the honey to become more liquid and make the bottling process easier. Most of the nutritional properties are maintained.
• Organic means that the bees foraged from pesticide free plants. To be certified organic, the bees must be flying within a 2-mile radius and collecting nectar and pollen from organically grown plants. However, organic honey may also undergo pasteurization and filtration, so it is important to read the label.

Local Apiaries

You might be surprised that there are local apiarists in your area that sell honey in farmer’s markets and supermarkets. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, eating pure, raw, and unfiltered honey produced within a 50-mile or less radius within your area is comparable to getting a natural allergy shot.

However, a Mayo Clinic publication states that scientific studies on the effects of honey in people with seasonal allergies have been inconsistent and the comparison of honey akin to a natural allergy shot is purely anecdotal.

Also, doesn’t it feel good to support local farmers? If you’re interested in local beekeepers, go to localhoneyfinder.org and click on the state you live in.

Medical Grade

Manuka

Manuka honey is made by bees pollinating and foraging nectar from the manuka bush native to certain parts of New Zealand and Australia. This Cleveland Clinic publication states that Manuka honey has 100 times more antibacterial strength than traditional honey because it contains methylglyoxal. Manuka honey is very expensive because the season for the bees to pollinate the manuka plant is about six weeks per year. To guarantee authenticity and quality, manuka honey goes by a Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) rating. To learn more about UMF, read this comprehensive article. In gist, the UMF is an international quality trademark of Manuka honey. See below what the numbers mean.

• UMF 5+ to 9+ means it has low antibacterial properties and is best used as a sweetener. 
• UMF 10+ to 14+ can treat a minor cold or fever. 
• UMF 15+ to 25+ can be used for multiple issues such as heartburn, painful sinusitis, high cholesterol, skin breakouts, and more. 

A UMF 15+ means that the honey contains 15% of phenolic acid, which gives the honey therapeutic properties such as fighting pathogens, decreasing inflammation, and promoting healing. The higher the UMF, the greater the therapeutic effects. And the higher the UMF, the honey gets older and darker. 

If you plan on using manuka honey for its medicinal properties, it is best to seek professional medical advice. However, consuming one to two tablespoons of raw manuka honey daily is the standard recommendation. 

Propolis

Honeybees collect sap from poplar, willow, birch, elm, alder beech, conifer, and horse-chestnut trees, to name a few. The honeybees combine the plant sap with their saliva and beeswax to make propolis. Propolis is like a sticky glue to build their hives. It hardens the cell wall and ensures that the hive has an aseptic internal environment. Propolis has compounds, like flavonoids and phenols, to facilitate healing. Therefore, according to this this research article, it is touted as anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and anesthetic. Also, propolis has been used to treat skin conditions, including burns and ulcers, sore throat, mouth sores, gingivitis, gynecological problems, and neurodegenerative diseases.

However, the composition of propolis could vary by region and what the honeybees are foraging. In addition, the diversity of the flora of geographical location affects the flavonoids and phenolic composition. For example, propolis from Brazil does not have the same chemical structure as propolis from Europe. For this reason, there isn’t a certified system of quality control of propolis; thus, without standardization, scientists cannot make general conclusions about its efficacy in modern medicine. However, propolis can be used as an alternative treatment. It is noteworthy that the FDA does not regulate propolis, and individuals taking propolis for certain conditions must speak to their healthcare provider.

Propolis is available in health food stores as supplements in raw form, tablets, capsules, or tinctures. According to Medline, adults have used between 400-500 mg of propolis as an oral supplement for up to 13 months. 

Royal Jelly

Another superfood made by honeybees is royal jelly. Royal jelly has been used in traditional medicine and has made its way into modern medicine realm. It is a jelly-like substance from the worker bees to feed the queen bee and her larvae. The active compound royalactin is believed to promote the queen bee’s longevity. Royal jelly is purported to have antibacterial, anti-tumor, anti-allergy, and anti-inflammatory properties. One small scientific research showed that after royal jelly supplementation, children with systemic lupus erythematosus improved their clinical severity score. As mentioned before, seek medical advice if you are using royal jelly as a treatment. And, in the small body of research available, using 50-300mg dosage proved to have possible benefits. 

Royal jelly is available in its raw form, capsules, and topical creams. It can be purchased online, in health food stores, drug stores, and high-end grocery stores. Buyers beware of companies that market royal jelly honey as a sexual enhancement drug. The FDA has issued warning letters to four companies whose products contained Cialis and Viagra. 

GFL Top Picks

Winnie the Pooh said, “A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.” Obviously, I love my friends, honey and Winnie the Pooh. So, without further ado, GFL’s short list of honey picks is below. Sweet!

• I highly recommend trying Andrew’s Honey. This NY local apiarist has beehives specifically in Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island neighborhoods. There are also other products sourced locally outside of Manhattan. Check out the website to browse or go to the Union Square Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
• Highland Valley Apiaries Local Raw Honey is another favorite that I use as a sweetener for tea and hot lemon water. This comes from a small family business in Pennsylvania, and they are producers of quality honey for northeast PA, NJ, and NY. I bought a bottle of this amber-colored multifloral honey from Trader Joe’s. 

• Another go-to honey is McLure’s Orange Blossom, which is a monofloral honey with a mild citrus flavor and the distinct scent of orange blossoms. I drizzle this honey on toast or pancakes and use on marinades. McLure’s is a New England company that produces quality honey sourced in the United States, Brazil and Mexico. However, the company produces honey that is True Source Certified. This means that McLure uses honey suppliers that can prove the authenticity of the honey right down to the hive. And this certification guarantees that the production of the honey meets U.S. standards and international trade laws. I purchased McClure’s Orange Blossom at Whole Foods.

• Wildflower Raw and Unfiltered Honey from Local Hive is in my pantry right now. Wildflower is a multifloral honey sourced from beekeepers across the United States. The honey is strained, and the color is medium amber with a robust flavor. I can eat this honey alone or use it to replace maple syrup. Local Hive also bottles honey from specific states and regions with names like Nor-Cal Blend, So-Cal Blend, Northeastern Blend, Mid-Atlantic Blend, and more. 

• At the start of winter, I have been eating a tablespoon of Happy Valley Raw Manuka UMF 15+ honey daily. I use it to flavor hot tea or hot lemon water during winter to stave off the common cold. However, I am unsure if avoiding the common cold is because of eating manuka or other health habits. Since I am a firm believer in manuka’s anecdotal and scientific benefits, I will continue consuming it for its anti-infection properties. Besides, I enjoy the taste. I have to admit that it imparts a medicinal flavor. It is thick, like caramel, and very sweet. My finicky daughter and husband are not big fans of the taste; still, they take it daily. So far so good!

Always consult your healthcare provider before using honey to treat conditions or if you have allergies to pollen and bee products. And remember that no raw honey should be given during the baby’s first year because of the risk of infant botulism.

Before your next buy

Read the label, and go for raw, strained, or unfiltered honey to reap its beneficial properties. Buy pure honey not adulterated with corn, sugar, or synthetic sweeteners. Look for the True Source Certified trademark. Choose opaque honey, a good sign that the pollen has not been removed. Pasteurized honey is clear, and the pollen has been stripped off. Support local beekeepers and buy locally sourced honey when you can. As for medicinal-grade honey, remember that the FDA has not evaluated the therapeutic claims because these are classified as food products and not medicines. Therefore, you must educate yourself about the products. I hope this was insightful. Comments are always welcomed below.