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Just drop us a mail via the contact form below if you would like to share your experience about the benefits of using honey or ask any question about honey and its use. We would also love to know the single most important topic on honey that you would like us to include and share with all. We value your comments and ideas!
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Benefits of Honey is a honey resource community that’s specially built for all the honey lovers and fans in this world. To find out more about the person behind Benefits of Honey, read “About Me, The Author”.
I don’t claim to be an expert in honey, bees, or beekeeping. I am a great honey fan and what I write are typically representations of my impressions, thoughts, opinions on the topics from a myriad of sources which include experimenting with honey, talking to friends, salespeople, exchanges with honey enthusiasts, and reading books and articles on honey and related topics.
As much as I’ll always try my best to ensure the accuracy of my writing, I still dare not guarantee perfection. So dear all experts (beekeepers, medical experts, honey connoisseurs…), if any of my content triggers your reaction in one way or another, please don’t shoot me down; gently share with me what you believe is right :).
I am constantly looking out for ideas on how this site could serve and benefit the honey community better or include any additional value-add information or any special topics. While I may not able to provide advice from a medical doctor’s point of view, I am more than happy to share with you what I know about honey and its invaluable benefits which I believe could bring many positive spin-offs in our everyday life. (Note: It usually takes about 1-2 days for me to respond, but sometimes longer when there is an overwhelming surge in the number of questions received.)
Appreciate it a lot and many thanks!
Honey Questions People Ask
As this website continues to grow richer in content, our number of visitors has also grown significantly. More and more visitors are starting to get Benefits of Honey through this page to help them with their questions related to honey.
Right here, I have selected some of these questions and organized them into key themes for your easy search. Click on the topics to check out if they answer your most pressing questions about honey. I will regularly update this page with more and more of these frequently asked questions, so do bookmark this page so that you can come back for more!
2) Raw Food Diet and Honey Q&A
3) Skin Treatment with Honey Q&A
6) Honey for Infection Treatment Q&A
8) Pollen Allergy Treatment Q&A
10) Honey Cures Q&A
We have also compiled some FAQs about honey and its nutritional value in a page, which would be useful for honey users. And of course, they come with the answers. Come on in, ask and find out more about honey FAQs!
Most Recently Asked Questions
Below contains some of the questions we have received recently. The older ones will be archived in the related topics listed above in “Honey Questions People Ask”. As far as possible we try not to share and upload repeated questions.
Question: Does honey help in repairing liver?
Reply: Yes, honey before bedtime is great for liver health. More in: Honey Diet
Question: What exactly is manuka honey and why is it so pricey?
Reply: Not all Manuka honey types are equal. The price range can be extremely big as the prices vary depending on the different certifications and brands. Refer:
UMF Manuka Honey And Its Big Price Tag
Question: Where can I purchase Sour Honey?
Reply: Almost all honey varietals are naturally sweet in taste, unless they have gone through fermentation, a process that will render them a sour taste. Otherwise, you may be referring to sourwood honey, which has a sour taste. It’s available in online shops such as Amazon.
Question: Is Manuka honey better than just plain ordinary honey. There seems to be mounting evidence for its health giving properties, but is this just clever marketing by the companies that sell it?
Reply: Honey varietals from certain species of Manuka bushes (and some other floral varietals as well) do contain higher levels of antibacterial properties compared to regular honey.
Not all honey varietals are equal. And similarly, not all Manuka honeys are equal. You may be interested to read these pages:
UMF Manuka Honey And Its Big Price Tag
Question: We import honey from Africa. Recently heated (lightly, to make it flow in cold weather) a barrel and stirred it up before pouring. Found some skin-like stuff floating around which does not seem to dissolve in hot water. What might this be?
Reply: We are not sure, but it could be beeswax. Some species of honeybees, for instance African stingless bees, produce a much softer type of wax, and what you saw might just be that.
Question: Any recipe recommended for smoking detox and preventing cold turkey?
Reply: Try taking a spoon of honey direct or mix it with a glass of water and a spoon of cider vinegar and take it as a drink when you feel like you are going cold turkey. The natural sugar in honey helps reduce the cravings for nicotine. Honey itself is known to be a great natural remedy for quitting smoking. Cider vinegar can help in the detoxing process.
Question: Is honeycomb geometry useful in our society?
Reply: The hexagonal geometry is the ultimate design for strength. Thus it is commonly used in design and construction. You may be interested to read the article: Hexagonal Honeycomb Pattern
Question: Can honey be stored into into aluminum containers?
Reply: You would need to make sure that the metal containers are coated with a food grade coating on the interior so that they do not react with the honey over time. In fact, in the market, a few honey brands come in aluminum containers.
Question: I understand that honey crystallizes. But why does my liquid honey form a solid-looking layer at the bottom?
Reply: Different honeys crystallize at different rate, some uniformly throughout, some beginning from the bottom. Also, honey types which crystallize slowly produce bigger and more irregular crystals.
Details in: Crystallization of Honey
Question: May I ask if the term “fresh” can be used to describe honey? If so what does it mean?
Reply: There are no legal consequences if a jar of honey is labelled “fresh” when it is actually not. “Fresh” is just a marketing term with no specific meanings or requirements of the manufacturer. You may be interested to read:
Natural Honey, Pure Honey, Raw Honey ~ Making Sense of Honey Labels
Did You Know Reading Food Label Can Be So Tricky?
Question: Do bees work at night or in the dark? I would link to use in a controlled environment such as a green house and would like bees to come in at night to pollinate tomatoes, okra, squash, beans, etc.
Reply: Bees work in the day and rest at night. They depend on the sun movement in their navigation and communicating with other bees during foraging. I am not sure how bees would respond or adapt in a green house environment though.
Ref: The Awesome Honeybee Dance
Question: Is honey harvested in the winter not as good as honey in the summer or spring?
Reply: It depends. Some people are wary about getting honey harvested during winter because there is a general lack of nectar source for the bees during this period. If the bees do not have enough food/honey to survive during the winter, some beekeepers even resort to feeding them with sugar solution. You wouldn’t want to eat “honey” produced by sugar-fed bees.
Question: Is honey good for auto immune disease of the gums?
Reply: You may be interested to read this article which suggests using Manuka honey for healthy gums:
Natural Gum Disease Remedy – Honey!
Question: I am type 2 diabetic and I would like to start using honey in my everyday life such as in my coffee and tea and cereal, etc. How much should I use for each of these? I bought some honey from a Mennonite store which is supposed to be home grown honey. So I would like to use honey instead of Splenda which I use now.
Reply: There is no hard and fast rule on dosage. Replace the Splenda or other sweeteners that you are currently using in your coffee, tea, cereal and etc. with honey. The idea is to substitute any sugars in the current diet with a more superior form of sugar such as honey, and not to introduce more sugar. If you have a special concern regarding blood sugar, you may want to start with small dosages, a teaspoon, then gradually increase to two, as you monitor your blood sugar. More on the application of honey for diabetics in: These pages may be relevant to you:
Is Honey Allowed in Diabetic Diet?
Best Sugar for Diabetes
Honey Isn’t Just Sugar!
Question: What happens to honey when it is mixed with a few water droplets and left for few days, does it spoil?
Reply: It depends on how much moisture the honey contains. Viscosity of honey differs depending on the floral nectar source and weather. (Read about honey viscosity in: Frequently Asked Information About Honey. Any additional moisture to the honey may lead to fermentation of the honey over time, that is, if the water content of the honey gets high enough, certain types of yeast can survive and create alcohol in the honey.
Question: Is it true that poly-floral honeys are less viscous than mono-floral honeys?
Reply: Viscosity of honey is determined by the type of nectar collected by the bees and the weather conditions of the place where the honey is harvested. Thus it does not always necessarily mean that poly-floral honeys are less viscous than mono-floral honeys. Read Point 13 in: Frequently Asked Information About Honey.
Question: My jar of honey exploded and blew off its cover. How did that happen?
Reply: These explosions are caused by the fermenting honey. High storage temperature (e.g. honey jars left in the car under the sun) could have accelerated the fermentation and build-up of carbon dioxide pressure in the bottle. A high moisture level in the honey could also be a factor. Moisture content in honey is determined by various factors, such as the source of honey (eg weather, humidity, rainfall) and harvesting process (e.g. extracting when honey is still not mature.), etc.
Question: Which honey is low in sugar index? And what is the index?
Reply: Honey varietals with relatively low glycemic index values include chestnut honey, tupelo honey, sage honey, and fireweed honey. The GI values for specific honey varietals are not available to us. They usually would have to be obtained from laboratories where contents of specific varietals are sent and tested.
Question: I have severe reaction e.g. vomiting when I take a tiny amount of honey. Is there a cure?
Reply: We wish there was a cure, but unfortunately, we have no idea how to treat honey allergy. (Similarly, there isn’t any cure for other types of food allergy eg beans, wheat, egg, shellfish, etc.) More in: Any Honey Allergy?
Question: I am allergic to be stings. Is it ok for me to enjoy honey?
Reply: People who are allergic to bee stings/venom may not necessarily be allergic to honey. Honey allergies are rare, however if you do not react well to bee pollen, you may want to be careful when consuming honey as well. More of our opinion in: Any Honey Allergy?.
Question: Is honey good for a sore throat?
Reply: Yes, honey has natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, so it helps in relieving sore throat. Ref: Honey the Tastiest Antibiotic.
Question: Is KFC’s honey packet any good for applying on the skin?
Reply: If you look at the ingredients of the KFC’s honey, the main content is high fructose corn syrup, honey only constitutes a minute percentage. They could be more honest by calling it corn syrup.
Question: Would honey cause allergy when consumed too much?
Reply: Honey allergy is rare. Details in: Any Honey Allergy?
Question: How is insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other harmful chemicals filter out of the honey bees collect?
Reply: Filtering generally removes only foreign particles, wax bit and bees’ parts from the honey. Ultra-Filtration or industrial filtration under pressure can remove certain chemical contaminants in the honey but it also means removing all beneficial pollen grains. Beekeepers are to ensure that their bees do not collect nectar from floral sources exposed to harmful chemicals. (Hence there are laboratories and institutions certifying the purity and organic quality of honey.)
Question: How much water should I be drinking a day?
Reply: How much water to drink would depend on your weight. Read on the formula in this page: How much water should you drink a day?
Question: I saw a honey mixture that claimed to remove facial hair. I can’t seem to find it. Any idea?
Reply: You can find it here: Ref: Honey Lemon Mask For Facial Hair Removal.
Question: Is the bee pollen capsule as good for you as the grain form?
Reply: Assuming the bee pollen quality is the same, both grain and capsule forms are fine. But do ensure that the capsules contain concentrated powdered granules. More details on granule and capsule forms of bee pollen in: Ref: Which Bee Pollen Capsules to Choose.
Question: Is it OK to put the bee pollen in the blender along with my coffee, cream, and almond milk and blend it all together?
Reply: Would recommend adding bee pollen to your drink last before consumption as you wouldn’t want to “cook” the pollen by directly adding boiling water to the mixture. Raw bee pollen is best. Ref: Bee Pollen’s Super Healing Power.
Question: Is it safe to eat honey from a collapsed bee hive? I was given raw honey from a back yard hive but I was concerned as her bees died off last year. Is there any evidence of honey being tainted by hives that have recently collapsed?
Reply: Only a lab test would be able to ascertain if the honey has been contaminated. You probably still have to find out directly from the beekeeper the cause of the beehive collapse. If her bees died of pesticides, you wouldn’t want to eat the honey taken from any of the hives.
Question: May I ask? Can pregnant women take honey? I saw from some websites that recommend taking pasteurized honey instead of raw honey to avoid “listeria” bacterial infection. Any advise on that?
Reply: Yes, it is safe to consume raw honey during pregnancy. Ref:
Warning on Honey and Infant. Read the 2nd half of the article. Woes in Pregnancy and Honey Remedies
Listeria bacteria can be found in any foods that is not prepared ore stored properly, and this will not just apply to honey. Pasteurization stops fermentation of honey (a harmless phenomenon actually) but takes away the extra goodness from the live enzymes in honey. People who have very weak immunity and are cautious about eating fermented food, dairy products or any raw foods may tend to shun from raw honey. All quality reliable brands or sources of honey (whether pasteurized or not) should be safe for any consumers and if raw food (food that are unheated or uncooked) poses too much concern or anxiety for those with weak immunity or weak stomach, then it should be naturally avoided.
Question: Can honey cure burned skin and scarring due to the use of peeling oil?
Reply: Raw honey is used as a facial or skin mask to treat damaged skin due to burns and reduce scarring. The effectiveness however depends on how long the scars have been there and how serious the skin damage is. More in: Honey as Miraculous Burn Treatment.
Question: Is it a fact that honey never spoils?
Reply: Yes indeed, honey if properly stored (sealed and kept in a cool and dry place), it will never turn bad. During storage, honey could lose some of its aroma and flavor but miraculously it doesn’t spoil (bacteria cannot thrive in undiluted honey).
Question: I am helping a young lady with her wedding. She wants to give 4oz. jars of honey as favors. My question is how to seal the jars. We are using honey from a local beekeeper.
Reply: Air-tight containers are good enough. Manufacturers use wax to seal their caps on the bottles or induction sealing, which are not expected to be found in the domestic setting.
