When people hear about manuka honey’s exceptional antibacterial strength, their first reaction is usually amazement or skepticism. After that, it’s not uncommon to hear: “Is manuka honey safe?“
When I first heard about manuka honey, I had the same question.
This post will go over some of the common questions I see about the safety of manuka honey. I’m not a doctor though, so don’t take this as medical advice. This is the information that I’ve found while answering these questions for myself and I hope you find it useful.
1. Is manuka honey safe to eat?
The short answer is: Yes, Manuka honey is safe to eat.
The full answer is a bit longer.
The body of research around manuka honey is still growing. It’s growing quickly but there is still much we have yet to learn about manuka honey and how it interacts with our bodies.
With that said, there are a handful of studies that specifically seek to answer whether manuka honey is safe to eat. The most thorough one that I’ve come across was this study.
Participants in the study consumed 20 grams (about 1 tablespoon) of UMF 20+ manuka honey every day over a 4 week period. Researchers used UMF 20+ manuka honey because it is some of the highest quality manuka you can buy. They also ran the clinical trial with a multi-floral honey so they could compare the effect of manuka honey to a ‘regular’ honey.
Here was their conclusion:
Neither product changed the levels of IgE or CML or altered gut microbial profiles during the trial, confirming that UMF 20+ is safe for healthy individuals to consume.
In short, they found that the manuka honey didn’t reduce the level of good digestive bacteria nor did it have any other negative side effects.
Methylglyoxal in manuka honey
Some researchers have raised concerns over the methylglyoxal content in manuka honey. Methylglyoxal (MGO) is the substance that researchers hold primarily responsible for manuka honey’s healing properties. It can be found in different kinds of honey but can be over 100 times more concentrated in manuka honey.
Current research suggests that while MGO is toxic to some bacteria, there is no evidence that the MGO in manuka honey has a negative impact when it’s eaten or applied on skin:
…MGO can react relatively non-specifically with macromolecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins, and could theoretically be toxic to mammalian cells. However, there is no evidence of damage to host cells when manuka honey is either consumed orally or used as a wound dressing; indeed honey appears to stimulate healing and reduce scarring when applied to wounds. How it exerts this apparently selective toxicity to bacterial cells is not known.
All things in moderation
Even with the safety research that’s been done so far, it’s probably best not to go off and down half pound of manuka honey in a single sitting.
Despite it’s healing qualities, manuka honey is still honey and has a lot of glucose and fructose in it and we all know we’re supposed to limit the amount of sugar in our diets.
Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing.
2. Is manuka honey safe to put on wounds?
Dr. Peter Molan was considered the leading authority on manuka honey research before his death in 2015. He spent the majority of his life researching manuka honey and had been doing so since the 1980’s.
The guy knows his stuff.
Here’s what he has to say about using manuka honey on wounds. You can skip ahead to the 2:10 mark if you want to just get the the point.
In short, the only ‘negative’ side effect is that putting manuka on a wound might sting a little if the wound is inflamed. This is a result of the inflammation causing nerve endings to become extra sensitive and reacting to the acidity in the honey.
The stinging doesn’t mean anything bad is happening.
3. Is manuka honey safe for diabetics?
If you skip ahead to the 3:50 mark in the video above, Dr. Molan weighs in on diabetics using manuka honey.
Basically, the surface area on wounds is very limited compared to the stomach and intestines. This means that only trace amounts of glucose get absorbed.
They ran a trial and didn’t see any meaningful increase in blood sugar levels for diabetics even for fairly large wounds.
Eating it is different matter.
Manuka honey is honey and it’s packed with glucose. It’s best to avoid eating it if you’re diabetic or talk to your doctor first if you’re really set on eating it.
4. Is manuka honey safe for babies and toddlers?
Honey is normally a wholesome and healthy alternative to other sweeteners. It’s another story if you’re thinking about feeding it to a yound child.
Like other honeys, manuka honey has the potential to cary the spores of a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which can cause infant botulism.
While this isn’t a concern for adults, young children are still developing their digestive systems. They have lower levels of acidity in their stomachs and aren’t able to kill off this bacteria if it’s ingested.
Don’t feed manuka honey or any other honey to children under 12 months of age. Once they’re over 12 months it’s safe to allow them to eat honey.
There’s no research suggesting that manuka honey is or isn’t different from regular honey with respect to children. If you have any additional concerns, give your doctor a call and talk it over with them.
5. Is manuka honey safe to eat during pregnancy?
A common question for expectant mothers is whether or not it’s safe to eat manuka honey.
This is a pretty natural concern. After all, pregnant women are advised to avoid a number of different foods and the risk of botulism in infants also raises questions over whether honey is safe while pregnant.
The good news is that it’s totally safe for pregnant women to eat honey. There’s no risk of pregnant women contracting botulism by eating honey and passing it on to their unborn child.
There’s no evidence suggesting that manuka honey is any different, but I haven’t found any research that has specifically tested the effects of manuka honey for pregnant women.
It’s worth considering that the native people of New Zealand have been eating manuka honey for hundreds of years. I’m sure many of them were pregnant during that time!
Having said all that, we all want the best for our children and I’d recommend giving your doctor a call and asking if they have any specific concerns based on your specific pregnancy.
6. Is manuka honey safe for dogs, cats, and horses?
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence of manuka honey being used to treat wounds for dogs, cats, and horses. I haven’t found any reports of negative side effects for external use on animals.
I’ve seen numerous accounts of owners feeding manuka honey to their pets to treat digestive issues including ulcers and IBS. There’s no evidence that there is any problem with this. All the same, I would limit the amount of honey you give to your animal as their digestive systems aren’t as adaptable as ours are.
I’d talk to a vet to figure out a reasonable dosage based on your pet’s weight.
One other thing to consider is that it’s possible for dogs, cats, and horses to contract botulism. For the same reason you shouldn’t feed honey to infants under a year old, I would also avoid feeding it to your animal if it’s under a year old or speak to a vet before doing so.
