Honey Comb

Honeycomb is a food first, so the questions our naturopaths ask in store are really about who's eating it and why.

A good fit if

• You want honey exactly as it came out of the hive
• You like chewing the wax, or you're happy to spit it out
• You'd like something for an occasional night-time cough in an adult or older child
• You eat it now and then rather than every day

Check with us first if

• You're managing diabetes or watching your blood sugar, because honeycomb is still sugar.
• It's for a cough in a child under two, where any cough use needs medical advice first.
• You've reacted to bee products, pollen or propolis before. Honeycomb keeps its pollen.
• The cough has lasted more than a couple of weeks, or it comes with a fever.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding and want to eat more than ordinary food amounts. That hasn't been studied.

• Honeycomb. Best known for: Honey exactly as the bees stored it, eaten with the wax. Absorption: There's no trial of honeycomb itself; the evidence comes from the honey inside. Typical use: Eaten straight, on toast or on a cheese board.
• Graded honeycomb (such as WA Marri, TA number). Best known for: A lab-measured activity number printed on the pack. Absorption: Marri honey's activity comes from hydrogen peroxide, and has only been measured in the lab. Typical use: When you want comb honey with a grade you can compare.
• Raw honey in a jar. Best known for: Unheated and unfiltered, but already out of the comb. Absorption: We couldn't confirm a legal Australian definition of 'raw', so it's the producer's word. Typical use: When you want minimal processing but need it spreadable.
• Plain or blended table honey. Best known for: Everyday honey for a cough or for cooking. Absorption: Usually heated and filtered; the cough trials used ordinary honey like this. Typical use: Stirring into tea, warm milk or baking.

Reference values. There's no Nutrient Reference Value for honeycomb or honey, because they're foods rather than nutrients.

Typical supplemental range. No trial has used honeycomb. The children's cough trials used honey, mostly as a single evening dose of about a household teaspoon, and one Italian study stirred 10 ml into warm milk on three evenings in a row.

Upper level. There isn't one. The limit that matters is sugar, and one large review found 10 g of honey a day had an unwanted effect on fasting glucose, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure in people with existing health concerns.

Worth knowing. Treat honeycomb as an occasional food. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Honeycomb itself: honey plus the beeswax comb it's stored in; there's no other food source

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• Babies under 12 months. Honey can cause infant botulism. Australian honey medicines taken by mouth must carry the warning (BABY2) 'Not suitable for infants under the age of twelve months'.
• Children under 2. Every approved cough and cold (URTI) claim requires medical advice before use in this age group.
• Allergy to bee products, pollen or propolis. Honeycomb still contains pollen, and pollen (item 3972) must carry a severe allergic reaction warning in medicines.
• Diabetes or metabolic concerns. Honey is sugar, and in one review 10 g a day had a negative effect on fasting glucose and systolic blood pressure.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Safety isn't established beyond normal food use.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or one of our naturopaths before you start.