Myths and Facts about Honey

There have been a lot of claims made about the benefits of honey, but how many of them are true?

For one, honey can definitely work as an antiseptic, according to pharmacy student Larry Springsteen. "All honeys have a high ozmalarity, they'll draw water into them, which helps the flow from a wound or a burn," says Springsteen. Registered Dietician Lisa Ginsburg agrees, but she says more studies need to be done before the use of honey as a topical treatment can be applied to clinical use.

One local beekeeper, Lloyd Spear, says if you consume honey made locally and produced from the plants that give you allergies or hay fever, the honey will help relieve you of thos symptoms. unfortunately, this is one claim that has no medical facts to back it up.

Manuka honey is made from tea trees found in new zealand. According to some, a spoonful of manuka honey can ease heartburn and indigestion if taken before a meal. But, once again, there is no clinical evidence to prove whether this claim is true or false.

Honey can be good for your skin though. Ginsburg says "they do say that honey is good for hydration on the skin, it's good for retaining moisture." Springsteen agrees, he says "I've read about how honey can cleanse the skin, can be used to prevent or treat acne."

 And if you've got a sore throat, there's nothing like honey to help ease the pain. However, its not necessarily the honey itself, as much as the texture of something smooth and sticky coating your throat.

The bottom line on honey is: while it may be great for sweetening your tea, it's definitely not the miracle cure some make it out to be.

Fallon Wellness Center in Latham, the Honest Weight Co-op and Dean's Natural Foods in albany all have plans to carry manuka honey, but none of the stores have it in stock.