Does honey really help with hay fever?
Hay fever season is in full swing again, which means watery eyes, sneezing fits and itching. But according to some people, there’s a golden remedy: honey. A spoonful a day and you’ll be rid of your symptoms – or so they say. But is that really true, or is it simply a sweet myth?
The theory behind honey and hay fever
The theory makes a fair amount of sense. Honey contains traces of pollen collected by bees. By eating that honey, your body would gradually get used to the pollen and react less severely. A kind of do-it-yourself immunotherapy, but delicious. There are studies showing cautious positive signs, but hard scientific evidence is lacking. That means you can try it, but don’t expect a miracle cure. Some hay fever sufferers notice a difference, others don’t. It’s a bit like predicting rain in the Netherlands – you can never be completely sure.
Locally produced honey is supposedly the most effective, because it contains pollen from plants in your area. Sounds great, but there’s a catch: hay fever is often caused by pollen from trees and grasses, and those just happen not to be the flowers bees are attracted to.
Which honey should you choose?
There’s no fixed dosage, but if you want to try it, start with a teaspoon a day. Worst-case scenario: you have an excuse to add honey to your tea, yoghurt or pancakes more often. Supermarket honey is often processed and heated, causing many beneficial substances to be lost. Want to give yourself the best chance of seeing an effect? Go for raw, unprocessed honey from a local beekeeper. More pollen, more enzymes, more chance that it will do something.
Honey is delicious and certainly no punishment to eat, but as the solution to hay fever? The evidence is too weak for that. Still want to try it? Go ahead! In the worst case, it won’t work, but you’ll have a good excuse to drizzle extra honey over everything.
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Source: PureHoney
