Local Honey for Spring Allergies: Does It Actually Work?

The idea is simple: bees collect pollen from local plants, some of that pollen ends up in raw honey, and eating a little every day is supposed to make you less sensitive to it. It is a popular folk belief, but it has a basic problem. Most spring allergy symptoms come from wind-borne pollen from trees and grasses, while bees mostly collect pollen from flowers that insects pollinate. So a jar of local honey may contain little of the pollen you react to, and nobody measures how much is in it. Fine filtering removes most pollen, so only raw, unfiltered honey from nearby hives carries local pollen at all. Spring varieties you can buy include wildflower honey ($13-24), clover honey ($9-15) and acacia honey ($9-16). Keep using the allergy treatment your clinician recommends.

Two small trials are the ones people cite, and they point in different directions. In a 2002 University of Connecticut trial, 36 people with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis took one tablespoon a day of local unpasteurized honey, national pasteurized honey, or corn syrup with honey flavoring. Neither honey group had more relief than the corn-syrup placebo group. In a 2011 Finnish pilot study, 44 people with diagnosed birch pollen allergy ate either honey with birch pollen added or regular honey every day from November to March, in increasing amounts, and 17 people on their usual medication served as controls. During birch season, the birch-pollen-honey group reported a 60% lower total symptom score and used 50% less antihistamine than the controls. The difference between birch pollen honey and regular honey was not significant, except that the birch-pollen-honey group used less antihistamine. The authors called the results preliminary. That study added a known pollen to the honey on purpose, so it does not show that ordinary local honey works. Neither trial supports a dose, a start date or a best variety.

No honey variety has been shown to work better for allergies than another, so choose by flavor, price and how close the hives are. Wildflower honey ($13-24/jar) comes from a mix of flowering plants and its flavor changes by region and season; look for "spring wildflower" or "spring harvest" if you want honey from spring bloom. Clover honey ($9-15) is mild and the cheapest everyday choice, common in the Midwest and Northern states. Black locust honey, sold as acacia honey ($9-16), comes from trees that bloom in late April to May; it is very mild and stays liquid for a long time. Orange blossom honey ($12-24) is harvested from citrus groves in warm states in spring and tastes floral and citrusy. Dandelion honey is an early-spring honey that is rarely sold commercially. Buckwheat honey ($9-23) is a dark, strong honey from a late-summer crop, so it is not a spring honey at all. If local pollen is the point, buy raw, unfiltered honey and ask the beekeeper where the hives are and when the honey was harvested.

Finding truly local honey, not just honey with "local" on the label, takes a few questions. The most direct route is a beekeeper whose hives are near your home. Start at your farmers' market: most have at least one honey vendor, and you can ask about hive locations, harvest dates and processing. Local beekeeping associations are another good resource; nearly every county or region has one, and many keep member directories or can point you to beekeepers who sell honey. Search "[your county] beekeeping association". Natural food co-ops often carry honey from named local producers, with the beekeeper's name and location on the label. Farm stands and roadside honey signs in rural areas are as direct as it gets. Be cautious with grocery store honey labeled "local": the word is not regulated and can mean almost anything. Questions to ask any seller: Where exactly are the hives? When was this honey harvested? Is it raw and unfiltered? Has it been heated or pressure-filtered? A beekeeper who keeps the hives will be able to answer all of them.

No. There is no established dose, start date or length of use for honey and allergies. The 2002 trial used one tablespoon a day during allergy season and found no benefit over placebo. The 2011 pilot started in November and increased the amount through March, using honey with birch pollen added, which is not what you buy at a market. Honey is added sugar: one tablespoon has about 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar, so count it like any other sweetener. Safety first: never give honey to a baby younger than 12 months, because of the risk of infant botulism. If you have severe pollen allergies or have ever reacted to honey, bee pollen or other bee products, ask your allergist before eating raw honey. For allergy symptoms that affect your sleep, work or breathing, see a clinician about proven treatment instead of relying on honey.