This time of year, many of us suffer from allergy symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, runny nose, coughing from post-nasal drip and miserable nights.
The solution: Local Honey.

A friend of mine became a bee keeper this year and I bought some honey to put in my tea during the winter. Little did I know it was a medical treatment for allergies. It works very similarly to vaccines. For instance, if you get a flu vaccine, small particles of the virus is injected in your body to stimulate the immune system to make antibodies. If you come in contact with the real virus, your immune system recognizes it and battles the infection so that symptoms are minimal or avoided.

Well, the same holds true for honey. Honey is made when bees cultivate nectar from the same local plants that you may be allergic to. Pollen is collected as a food source, so honey made in the hive will also contain some pollen from these plants. So ingesting local honey triggers an immune response and reduces the bodies reaction to pollen.

One study conducted at the University of Connecticut showed a positive correlation between allergies and honey. The study showed a significant reduction in symptoms of seasonal allergies. There is very little research about honey’s allergy relieving properties, but regardless of the research, it’s made a believer out of me. The key is to use the honey BEFORE allergy season begins.

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