Using Honey to Ease Seasonal Allergies

Stuff, 7/14/2017

Dr Shaun Holt, who holds pharmacy and medicine degrees and lectures at Victoria University of Wellington, has long believed in the power of honey.

He co-founded Wellington's HoneyLab, which performs extensive research on bees and develops medical products from the insect. He has taken on the principal investigator role in more than 50 clinical trials.

While Holt has yet to explore honey's potential affect on seasonal allergies and asthma, he said it's a subject he's had a keen eye on for "a while now".

"It makes sense. In theory it should help," he says.

"It's similar to immunisation therapy. Allergy experts will give you a pollen injection but it's just expensive."

Holt said by consuming the bee byproduct, people were "basically building an immunity" by exposing the body to pollens without inhaling it and suffering symptoms.

Dr Shaun Holt, co-founder and scientist at Honeylab, says eating honey could potentially help build up an immunity to pollen without suffering symptoms.

And if patients were to visit him in regards to seasonal allergies, Holt said he would tell them to "give it a go".

"If it helps you, great. If not, then you just had a spoonful of honey a day."...