Can A Spoonful of Honey Make Our Allergies Go Away?

Hii friends, you may have noticed, but I’ve been a bit backlogged this week – that is, I missed Tuesday’s column – and, no, I did not forget! I may be in my last quarter, but senioritis hasn’t made it so that I’ve confused the days of the week.

In my long-winded way, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time outdoors these days (Evanston is just now warming up!) and have learned that I’m rather allergic to a local strain of pollen. But it’d taken me a minute to realize this – like, my body had been waiting ‘til I inhaled a sufficient amount of pollen to throw up a defense – and I’ve only just put together the headaches and sniffles. So I’d spent Tuesday cooped up in bed. 

But it’s brought me to another wellness trend (life imitating art and all that jazz!): Can a spoonful of local honey treat allergic rhinitis (hay fever)?

Though I’ve repeated this holistic remedy to everyone and their mother, I've never been quite sure of the rationale. Having sourced the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI), I’ve learned that honey is thought to promote immune tolerance, as it may carry lingering pollen (from the bees!) and, in consuming honey, we’re “gradually exposed to allergens, potentially reducing [our] allergic symptoms.”

Apologies to everyone and their mother, but this just isn’t true. The pollen that causes rhinitis, the AAAAI continues, is wind borne, not pollinated. And, if the allergenic pollen were to be blown into the hive by chance, it would not be enough to build an immune tolerance. 

So, no, honey isn’t, actually, an effective allergy treatment.

Honey does possess very many health properties (read antioxidants and antimicrobial agents), but if you’d like to treat your seasonal allergies, you may be better off sticking to antihistamines. 

Photo Source: Yarn.