Manuka Honey Organic

Mānuka Honey and Allergies: What the Trials Show

By Bart Magera
Manuka Honey for Allergies: Things To Know

The popular "honey for allergies" claim, based on the idea that local pollen in honey desensitizes allergy sufferers, has been tested in actual randomized clinical trials. The picture is mixed and Mānuka-specific evidence is limited.

What the trials have shown

Saarinen, Jantunen and Haahtela (2011, International Archives of Allergy and Immunology) randomized birch-pollen-allergic patients to either pollen-rich honey, pollen-poor honey, or no honey for 5 months. The pollen-rich honey group showed reduced symptom scores during pollen season compared with the no-honey group, with intermediate results in the pollen-poor honey group.

Asha'ari, Ahmad, Jihan et al. (2013, Annals of Saudi Medicine) tested honey ingestion against placebo in patients with allergic rhinitis and reported improvement in symptoms in the honey group.

These studies typically used local honey rich in regional pollens, not Mānuka specifically. The mechanism (if real) is theorized to be low-dose pollen exposure.

Where Mānuka fits

Mānuka honey is monofloral from the Leptospermum tree, not from a wide pollen mix. It is not the variety the allergy-trials tested. The allergy-desensitization mechanism (if it operates) would not extend to Mānuka in the same way.

Mānuka's documented effect on allergies, separate from desensitization, would be via its broader antibacterial profile, which has no established direct link to allergic rhinitis severity.

What this means for buyers

  • If your interest is "honey for hay fever" via pollen exposure, Mānuka is not the variety the research used. Local raw honey from your region is the more research-aligned choice.
  • If you are managing seasonal allergies, established treatments (intranasal corticosteroids, antihistamines, immunotherapy) have far stronger evidence than dietary honey.
  • People with severe pollen allergies should be cautious about consuming raw honey containing pollen.

Sources

  • Saarinen K, Jantunen J, Haahtela T. Birch pollen honey for birch pollen allergy - a randomized controlled pilot study. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology. 2011;155(2):160-6.
  • Asha'ari ZA, Ahmad MZ, Jihan WS, Che CM, Leman I. Ingestion of honey improves the symptoms of allergic rhinitis: evidence from a randomized placebo-controlled trial in the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Annals of Saudi Medicine. 2013;33(5):469-75.