Data story · Phenolics

The Absorption Gap

Dark honeys carry more phenolics than pale ones: in a Polish study, buckwheat averaged 182.6 mg per 100 g and linden 29.23 mg. How much of that reaches your blood has been measured for whole honey twice, both times with buckwheat. For single compounds, absorption runs from almost all to almost none.

Sources: Gheldof & Engeseth 2002; Puścion-Jakubik et al. 2022; Olthof et al. 2001; Walle et al. 2001; Manach et al. 2005; Gheldof et al. 2003; Schramm et al. 2003; Lotito & Frei 2004. Links in the sources list below.

Quick answer

No study has measured how much of each honey variety’s phenolics you absorb. Absorption of single compounds has been measured with pure doses: 95% of caffeic acid and 33% of chlorogenic acid in 7 people with an ileostomy, and very little chrysin. Whole buckwheat honey raised serum ORAC by 7% in 25 men. A gap between two honeys in a lab ORAC test does not predict the same gap in your blood.

3.1–16.3

ORAC, µmol TE per gram

7 floral sources, Gheldof & Engeseth 2002

6.2×

Buckwheat vs linden phenolics

49 Polish honeys, 2022

95% / 33%

Caffeic vs chlorogenic acid absorbed

pure doses, Olthof et al. 2001

+7%

Serum ORAC after buckwheat honey

25 healthy men, Gheldof et al. 2003

What the lab tests measure

ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) measures how well a sample protects a fluorescent probe from peroxyl radicals in a test tube. Total phenolic tests measure how much phenolic material is in the jar. Both are useful for ranking honeys against each other in one study. Neither says what fraction crosses the gut wall, survives the liver and reaches the blood.

Total phenolics by honey type, measured

Group means from 49 Polish honeys, each from a different beekeeper, in milligrams of gallic acid equivalents per 100 g. The swatch and the mm figure are the group’s mean colour on the Pfund scale. Source: Puścion-Jakubik et al. 2022, Antioxidants 11:1312.

Show the data table

Colour, total phenolics, FRAP and DPPH of 8 Polish honey types
Honey type	Colour, mm Pfund	Phenolics, mg GAE/100 g	FRAP, µmol Fe²⁺/mL	DPPH, %
Multifloral (dark)	124.4	187.6	0.218	56.7
Buckwheat	166.4	182.6	0.402	42
Heather	125.2	91.78	0.141	46.4
Honeydew	109.9	86	0.323	58.6
Nectar–honeydew	115.2	57.08	0.205	57.4
Rape (canola)	81.47	33.18	0.03	47.9
Multifloral (light)	33.3	32.04	0.052	45.3
Linden	43.5	29.23	0.083	58.6

Absorption measured in people (not from honey)

These studies gave pure compounds or coffee. They show how far apart single phenolics can be. They do not tell you which compounds are in a given honey or how much of them you absorb from it.

Compound	Result	Study design	Source
Caffeic acid	95 ± 4% absorbed in the small intestine	7 people with an ileostomy, 2.8 mmol pure caffeic acid	Olthof et al. 2001
Chlorogenic acid	33 ± 17% absorbed in the small intestine	Same 7 people, 2.8 mmol pure chlorogenic acid; most of it reaches the colon	Olthof et al. 2001
Chlorogenic acids in coffee	71 ± 7% of the dose reached the ileal fluid unabsorbed or as metabolites	People with an ileostomy, 200 mL instant coffee (385 µmol)	Stalmach et al. 2010
Chrysin	Peak plasma 3–16 ng/mL; most of the dose came out in faeces	7 volunteers, 400 mg oral dose	Walle et al. 2001
18 major polyphenols	0.3% to 43% of the dose recovered in urine, depending on the polyphenol	Review of 97 human studies, single doses	Manach et al. 2005

Whole honey in people: two studies

Gheldof et al. 2003. 25 healthy men drank 500 mL of water, water with buckwheat honey, black tea, black tea with sugar, or black tea with buckwheat honey. Serum ORAC rose 7% after buckwheat honey in water and did not change after the other drinks. Two other oxidation tests did not change after any drink. PubMed 12590505

Schramm et al. 2003. Healthy adults ate 1.5 g per kg of body weight of corn syrup or one of two buckwheat honeys (0.79 and 1.71 mg phenolic antioxidants per gram, against 0.21 mg for the corn syrup). Plasma phenolics and antioxidant capacity rose after the honeys. PubMed 12617614

Both studies used buckwheat honey, measured blood markers for a few hours, and measured no health outcome.

The in-vivo challenge: uric acid and the ORAC overclaim

In 2004, Lotito and Frei fed 6 healthy people five apples, a carbohydrate-matched meal of bagels, or the apples’ amount of fructose in water. Plasma antioxidant capacity (FRAP) rose after the apples, and plasma urate rose with it, from 271 to 367 µM after one hour. Fructose alone did the same. They concluded the rise came from the effect of fructose on urate, not from apple flavonoids. PubMed 15203196

Honey is mostly fructose and glucose, so the same caution applies to honey studies that measure blood antioxidant capacity: part of the rise may be urate, not absorbed phenolics.

What this does NOT mean

It does not mean honey phenolics are never absorbed. Schramm et al. measured a rise in plasma phenolics after buckwheat honey.
It does not make ORAC useless. It is still a fair way to compare honeys tested in the same lab.
It does mean a lab antioxidant score is not a health number.

Practical guide: which honey, and when, if antioxidants matter to you

Goal	Choice	Why
More phenolics per gram	Buckwheat or a dark wildflower honey	Highest group means in the Polish study: dark multifloral 187.6, buckwheat 182.6 mg per 100 g
Phenolics for the money	The darkest jar you like at a price you accept	No study links price to antioxidants; see the antioxidant value index and the price comparer
Manuka	Buy by MGO or UMF grade	The grade comes from lab tests for methylglyoxal and other manuka markers, not antioxidant tests
Context	Honey is a sweetener	A 21 g tablespoon is 65–342 µmol TE on the 2002 ORAC range, and about 17 g of sugars (USDA)

What this data story does NOT claim

It does not say honey prevents or treats any disease.
It does not give absorption by honey variety, because that has not been measured. The compound figures come from pure doses and coffee.
It does not cover stingless-bee honey. None of the studies above tested it.

Frequently asked questions

If ORAC doesn't translate to in-vivo benefit, why does it matter at all?

ORAC compares honeys within one lab study. In 2002, honeys from 7 floral sources scored 3.1–16.3 µmol Trolox equivalents per gram, and ORAC tracked their phenolic content (R² = 0.95) (Gheldof & Engeseth 2002). It does not tell you how much reaches your blood: absorption differs from compound to compound, gut bacteria break down what is not absorbed, and fructose raises blood urate, which itself reads as antioxidant capacity (Lotito & Frei 2004).

Which honey compounds are best absorbed?

Measured in people, with pure compounds rather than honey: in 7 people with an ileostomy, 95% of a caffeic acid dose and 33% of a chlorogenic acid dose were absorbed in the small intestine (Olthof et al. 2001). After a 400 mg dose of chrysin, a flavonoid also found in propolis, peak blood levels were 3–16 ng/mL and most of the dose came out in faeces (Walle et al. 2001). No study has measured absorption of these compounds from honey.

Does pasteurization destroy honey antioxidants?

We found no study that measured phenolic or antioxidant loss under the short heating commercial packers use, so we give no figure.

How does honey's antioxidant content compare to fruits and vegetables?

Honey is a sweetener first. Per 21 g tablespoon, the 2002 ORAC range works out to 65–342 µmol Trolox equivalents. Swapping sugar for dark honey adds some phenolics: in one study, buckwheat honey carried 0.79–1.71 mg of phenolic antioxidants per gram against 0.21 mg for corn syrup (Schramm et al. 2003). Whether that changes health has not been tested.

Is heather honey high in antioxidants?

In a Polish study of 49 honeys, heather honey averaged 91.78 mg of phenolics per 100 g, half of dark multifloral honey of the same colour (187.6 mg) and below buckwheat honey (182.6 mg) (Puścion-Jakubik et al. 2022). How much of it you absorb has not been measured.

Does the honey matrix affect antioxidant absorption?

Not known. The absorption figures on this page come from pure compounds and coffee. The two honey studies in people measured blood antioxidant capacity and total phenolics, not single compounds, so no one has measured how honey itself changes absorption.

Which honey varieties offer the best bioavailable antioxidant content?

No study has ranked honey varieties by absorbed antioxidants. In the jar, the Polish study measured dark multifloral honey at 187.6, buckwheat honey at 182.6, heather honey at 91.78 and linden honey at 29.23 mg of phenolics per 100 g. In people, only buckwheat honey has been tested: in 25 healthy men, serum ORAC rose 7% after buckwheat honey in water (Gheldof et al. 2003).

Sources and Updates

Updated October 21, 2026: An earlier version multiplied per-variety ORAC values (buckwheat 796 ... acacia 55 µmol TE/100 g) that are not in the studies it cited by absorption rates it assigned to each honey, and reported a 14× ORAC gap shrinking to about 11×. Absorption has not been measured honey by honey, so we removed that math and kept only measured numbers.

Keep reading

Antioxidant Value Index

What has been measured on honey antioxidants, and how to use it when you buy.

Polyphenol Bioavailability

Where honey phenolics come from and what is known about absorbing them.

Honey Color Science

The USDA Pfund grades and how colour tracks phenolics in measured honeys.

Antioxidant Calculator

Interactive serving-size calculator.

Antioxidants and GI

The honeys with a measured glycemic index, and the one ORAC range.

Research Methodology

How we build data stories. Sources, assumptions, and per-story exclusion lists.

RHG

Edited by Sam French · Raw Honey Guide Editorial Team

Source reviewed against primary literature and official guidance where available. Health content is educational, not medical advice, and does not replace a licensed clinician.

Source reviewedHealth disclaimerEditorial Policy ↗

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Last updated: October 2026