Dr. Mercola
May 10, 2011
Many allergy sufferers believe that locally produced honey can alleviate symptoms. The idea is that bees become covered in pollen spores when the jump from one flower to the next -- spores which are then transferred to their honey.
It is thought that eating that honey, even just a spoonful a day, can build immunity through gradually exposure. However, one recent study seemed to show that the honey did not have such an effect.
The New York Times reports:
“In the study ... the scientists followed dozens of allergy sufferers through the springtime allergy season. The subjects were randomly split into three. One consumed a tablespoonful daily of locally collected, unpasteurized and unfiltered honey; another ate commercial honey; and a third was given a corn syrup placebo with synthetic honey flavoring. After tracking the subjects’ symptoms for months, the scientists found that neither of the honey groups saw improvements over the placebo group.”