Honey ORAC Antioxidant Index

Two measured datasets, no estimates. Part 1: the ORAC range per serving from the one US study that tested honeys from 7 floral sources. Part 2: total phenolics for 8 Polish honey types, 49 honeys.

ORAC in your serving

65–342 µmol TE

21 g × 3.1–16.3 µmol Trolox equivalents per gram, the lowest and highest honeys in the 2002 study. The darkest honeys, such as buckwheat, were at the top of that range. The study's summary does not give a value for each honey, so this tool does not either.

ORAC is a test-tube assay. It measures how well a sample slows a chemical oxidation reaction in the lab. In June 2012 USDA removed its ORAC database, saying the values have no relevance to the effects of specific bioactive compounds on human health (report). Use these numbers to compare honeys, not to plan what you eat.

Measured phenolics, 8 Polish honey types

Total phenolic content, mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE). Group means from 49 honeys, each from a different beekeeper. Tap a bar for colour and the two antioxidant tests.

Tap any bar for colour, FRAP and DPPH values

Colour tracks phenolics, mostly. Across the 49 Polish samples, darker honey had more phenolics (Spearman r = 0.77) and higher FRAP (r = 0.68). DPPH scavenging did not track colour. Buckwheat was the darkest group, but dark multifloral honey had slightly more phenolics, and heather, as dark as dark multifloral, had about half as much.

Why there is no 16-variety ranking. An earlier version of this chart ranked 16 varieties by ORAC per 100 g. Those values were not in the studies it cited, so we removed them on October 21, 2026. Manuka, clover, tupelo and acacia are not on the chart because neither study reports a measured value for them.

FAQ

Which honey has the most antioxidants?

Darker honeys tested highest in both studies this chart uses. In a 2002 US study of honeys from 7 floral sources, ORAC ranged from 3.1 to 16.3 µmol Trolox equivalents per gram, and the darkest, such as buckwheat, scored highest. In a 2022 Polish study of 49 honeys, dark multifloral (187.6 mg GAE/100 g) and buckwheat (182.6) had the most phenolics of 8 honey types; linden had the least (29.2). These are lab tests; they do not show an effect in the body.

Does Manuka honey have high antioxidants?

Neither study this chart uses reports a measured value for Manuka, so it is not on the chart. Manuka is graded and priced by its MGO (methylglyoxal) content, and methylglyoxal is not a phenolic compound.

How do I embed the honey ORAC antioxidant chart?

Paste this snippet where you want the chart: <iframe src="https://rawhoneyguide.com/tools/honey-orac-widget" width="100%" height="860" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" title="Honey ORAC Antioxidant Chart"></iframe>. A dark-theme variant is available by appending ?theme=dark to the src URL. The widget requires no account, no tracking, and no external dependencies.

Sources: Gheldof & Engeseth 2002, J Agric Food Chem 50:3050–3055 (ORAC range); Puścion-Jakubik et al. 2022, Antioxidants 11:1312, Table 3 (phenolics, colour, FRAP, DPPH). Tablespoon = 21 g (USDA FoodData Central 169640); teaspoon taken as one third. Updated October 21, 2026.

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