Honey has been used medicinally for centuries. Its antibacterial and antiviral effects are well-studied (particularly in manuka honey).
But can honey relieve pain? Is it shown in research studies to have an anti-inflammatory effect? What was our experience testing this effect? And which honey brand is our top pick?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze research studies on honey to give our take on whether or not it can reduce pain, and which type of honey may have the strongest effect.
We'll also share our experience testing honey for pain relief.
Key takeaways:
- Honey is clinically shown to relieve pain
- Manuka honey has even more potent effects
- Manukora MGO 1000+ is our top medicinal honey pick
What Does the Research Say?
Honey has been studied in many clinical trials for its effects on pain.
A 2022 clinical trial found that raw honey applied topically caused significant pain reduction in patients with a chronic skin condition:
"Raw natural honey might be a promising efficacious and cost-effective alternative to advanced anti-inflammatory products."
A meta-study published in the Nutrients journal analyzed data from tens of clinical trials on honey and human health.
In two of the three clinical trials that assessed pain scores, pain levels decreased significantly.
These effects make sense based on our nutritional understanding of honey.
Honey is clinically shown to contain a variety of anti-inflammatory compounds, including polyphenols and flavonoids.
Is Manuka Honey the Most Potent?
We consider manuka honey to be the best honey for medicinal effects, and it may have unique anti-inflammatory action compared to regular honey.
Manuka honey is a type of honey sourced from New Zealand which contains a comopund called methylglyoxal (MGO).
Dietary intake of this compound has been shown in clinical trials to have anti-inflammatory effects.
A 2022 clinical trial reported that dietary intake of MGO was associated with lower levels of inflammation in the body.
A more recent clinical trial published in the Redox Biology journal reported that MGO "inhibited inflammatory cell accumulation in the spinal cord" of mice.
Overall, we consider raw manuka honey likely to have an anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effect.
We Tested Honey for Pain
As the author of this article, I wanted to test manuka honey myself to share whether or not it relieved my pain.
I do not suffer from regular pain, but I do transiently experience exercise-induced pain.
I took a spoonful of Manukora 1000+ MGO manuka honey on a day after I worked out hard and was experiencing muscle pain. I did notice relief within 30 or so minutes.
I much prefer to use natural treatments to pharmaceutical treatments where I can, personally, so I plan to keep some manuka honey on-hand to use as needed.
It will also be useful to have a jar of manuka honey on-hand incase I feel myself getting sick, because it has potent anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, as we documented in our is AriZona green tea healthy article.
Our Top Manuka Honey Pick
Manukora MGO 1000+ is our top medicinal honey pick.
This manuka honey is raw, unpasteurized, pesticide-free, and third-party tested. MGO 1000+ is Manukora's most potent manuka honey product.
The product title stands for a gradation of its MGO value.
"1000+" means that Manukora MGO 1000+ contains a minimum of 1,000 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of MGO.
