Raw Manuka Honey & It’s Many Health Benefits

The benefits of Manuka Honey are endless! From boosting your immune system to improving sleep and digestive issues. Manuka is an all-rounder when it comes to boosting your health, inside and out. If you’re looking for a natural supplement to add to your diet, then Manuka Honey is what you need in your life!

Here are the top 10 benefits of Manuka Honey, along with how to use it, what to look out for when purchasing and even what it tastes like!

Manuka Honey Benefits – Quick Overview

• Boosting immune system
• Improves sleep
• Aids skin healing
• Acne & Eczema
• Skin Burns
• Wound Healing
• Reducing Acid Reflux
• Tooth Decay
• Gingivitis

What Is Manuka Honey?

The normally honey you see in supermarkets is created by bees feeding on pretty much any flowers they can find. Whereas Manuka Honey is naturally ‘grown’ or produced (in New Zealand mainly) by bees that pollinate from the Manuka bush.

Manuka Honey is one of the most unique and beneficial forms of honey in the world. It has so many fantastic natural uses that range from soothing and healing sore throats to curing infections and soothing burns.

What To Look For When Buying Manuka Honey

The main thing you want to look for when buying Manuka honey is it’s certification & origin. Look for labels that says it’s from New Zealand (NZ). In addition to this, make sure the Manuka honey jars have authenticity stamps that show it has been tested for unique compounds and pollen DNA. Also, if you can find Manuka honey in a glass jar, then that’s great. However, this will make it more expensive and with honey it doesn’t matter too much. It just depends on how you feel about plastic.

What you want…

• The UMF rating – the UMF rating measures the amount of NPA present in the honey
• A reference to “non-peroxide antibacterial activity (NPA) – this guarantees the unique healing properties
• Stick to brands that contain MGO – the unique antibacterial factor in Manuka honey

What you don’t want…

• Display vague descriptions – “Bio-active,” “Factor,” or “Total Peroxide Activity,” None of these are as reliable as UMF or MGO.
• Low MGO/UMF – Any Manuka honey that says it’s below MGO 80+ or UMF 5+. These are likely to be normal honey with a tiny amount of Manuka honey blended in. You won’t get any Manuka benefits from this blend and will be a very low potency.
• The price point – Manuka honey is a lot more expensive than normal honey. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to Manuka honey. So, if it sounds to good to be true – it is! For a good Manuka honey you will be looking at something like £25-30 for the lower potency and upwards of £100 for the highest potency.

Brands Of Raw Manuka Honey

Over the 15+ years I personally have been using Manuka honey, i must have tried most brands you can get here in the UK. From the cheap stuff, all the way up to the most expensive. Unless you have way too much money to spare, i don’t think you need to go for the most expensive. Go for something in the middle, making sure to look out for the points listed above.

The brand of honey I am currently using and love is Honestly Manuka. They are made up of a small team of beekeepers based in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Whose bees roam free in wild, remote places, gathering nectar from native Manuka trees. It ‘honestly’ is the best one i have tried so far. It’s sweet and smooth, not at all grainy like some Manuka honey can be. It is also very thick and a bit chewy – in a good way.

Their prices start at £34.99 for the MGO 350+ (their every day option) and goes all the way up to £64 for the 850+ (intensive option). Personally, I like to use their middle option of MGO 550+ which I do take every day in the cold & flu months throughout winter. One heaped teaspoon per day first thing in the morning is the best way to start my day!

Having just the 3 potency levels of honey makes it much easier to navigate, especially as a beginner. Plus, you know you’re getting good quality honey because they are certified and tested for potency.

Manuka Honey Nutritional Facts

Manuka Honey is different from normal honey due to where and how it’s created but also due to its amazing nutritional profile. Regular raw honey is widely known for its nutritional and immune boosting abilities but Manuka Honey is on a whole other level. It’s like normal honey on steroids! 

To give you an idea, regular honey contains: Amino acids, B vitamins, Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium and Zinc. Manuka Honey however has the nutritional content of up to 4 times that of normal honey. This is what is known as the Unique Manuka Factor. If you ever see UMF on bottles of Manuka Honey, this is what that is referring to. 

The UMF & MGO Properties Of Manuka Honey

The UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) properties of Manuka Honey is very stable in composition. Unlike in most normal honeys, it’s not easily destroyed by heat, light or enzymes in the body. The minimum UMF rating recognised is 5+ and would be taken on a daily basis. However, it’s not considered as medicinally beneficial under 10+. Anything ranging from 10+ – 15+ is beneficial to have all year round as a preventative measure. Especially if you’re prone to colds, infections.

Anything over 15+ is considered to be of a superior quality and must NOT be taken daily for long periods of time. Around levels 5 – 10+, you may not be able to taste the difference from normal honey. However, the higher up you go, the more medicinal it will taste. I tried 25+ once and it was like having a spoon full of medicine. It doesn’t taste like normal honey! Also, most Manuka Honeys will be quite grainy in texture. It’s not like the runny honey you’re used to!

However, more recently, you’re more likely to see an MGO (Methylglyoxal) rating on the label. This rating indicates the concentration of antibacterial compounds in the honey. The higher the number, the higher the greater the potency. So for everyday use, you might want to go for something around MGO 200+. Whereas throughout cold and flu season you might want something stronger like MGO 800+.

While UMF is a world-wide recognised marker of quality, in more recent years this certification has become very expensive (into the tens of thousands), which makes it almost impossible and impractical for small brands and startups like Honestly. So, as a result many producers of Manuka honey are choosing to step away from UMF. Instead, they’re demonstrating quality through transparent MGO results alongside other independent tests. The honey still gets rigorously tested, including checks for things like glyphosate residue, so you can still guarantee it’s great a quality product.

• Everyday – MGO 100-200+ / UMF 5-9+.
• Additional Health – MGO 250+/UMF 10+ or higher.
• Maximum Strength – MGO 850+/UMF 20+ or 1000+/UMF 22+ for significant support.

Manuka Honey Levels Of Strength

5+ – 10+
This is a maintenance strength you can take all year round and on a daily basis. 

10+ – 15+
Supports natural healing and bacterial balance. If you are prone to infections, this would be the strength you should take as your maintenance level.

15+ – 30+
Superior level of strength and of phenols that are highly therapeutic. This should NOT be taken daily and no more than 1 teaspoon at a time.

How To Use Manuka Honey

To make the most of the its benefits, you should take 1-2 tablespoons daily. If you’re taking the stronger levels, take it in the same way, just in a smaller dose. Just remember to read the label!

The simplest way is to have it straight from the spoon. However, if this is a little too sweet for you then you could add it to your mug of tea, yogurt, or on a savoury biscuit.

To maximise its healing powers, add a sprinkle of cinnamon to your spoonful each day. It takes the power of the Manuka Honey to a whole other level! Perfect if you have a sore throat, cold or if you’re fighting an infection of any kind.

What Does Manuka Honey Taste Like?

Of course this does depend on the brand as each tub will be slightly different. Manuka Honey tastes a lot like normal honey in many ways, however there are a few things to note if you are new to using Manuka Honey.

The lower the UMF value, the more like normal honey it will taste. However, the higher up you go, the more medicinal it will begin to taste. So, if you haven’t tied it before, maybe start on a lower UMF and see what you think first.

It can also taste quite grainy, especially when compared to the clear, runny honey. Manuka Honey is more similar in taste to the cloudy honey you’re probably used to.

The Benefits Of Manuka Honey

Manuka Honey has a plethora of health benefits – from helping to heal the skin, to improving sleep and boosting your immune system.

Here are the top 10 benefits Manuka Honey could give you if taken on a regular basis…

Low Stomach Acid, Acid Reflux

Due to Manuka Honey’s known natural anti-biotic qualities, it’s the perfect natural medicine for most bacteria related disorders. It’s beneficial in reducing acid reflux and balancing the acid levels in your digestive system.

Acne & Eczema

There have been so many reports of Manuka Honey working amazingly well for patients suffering with Acne and Eczema. Taking into account it’s packed full of anti-microbial and healing properties. It makes sense as to why it’s worked so well in the past. The best way to apply the honey onto your skin is by applying it on the affected areas for at least 5 minutes each time. Before washing it off with warm water. The longer you can keep it on and the more regularly you can do this each day, the better the results.

Burns, Wounds & Ulcers

By dressing wounds with Manuka Honey, it has been known to rapidly improve the healing process of many skin issues such as burns, wounds and ulcers.

This is because of its rich anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory characteristics. Manuka honey has even been known to prevent infections in people with venous ulcers. Is there nothing this amazing, natural ingredient won’t do??

It can be used for…

• Skin lesions like blisters or boils
• Bacterial-resistant wounds
• Stalled or non-healing wounds
• Eczema and cracked skin

Manuka Honey For Sore Throats & Immunity

Due to Manuka Honey having such amazing health benefits in it’s nutrient dense ingredients. It’s a fantastic way to get rid of viral infections such as colds and flus by building up your immunity. If you’re prone to catching the flu, the best thing you can do is take a maintenance level throughout the year. Keeping your immune levels high and then going up a level in the Winter.

The next time you have one of those annoying sore throats, simply put some on a spoon and take it directly. Sucking on the honey in your mouth for as long as you can. This will give you an almost instant relief and help build up your immune system.

Tooth Decay & Gingivitis

Scientists from the University of Otago discovered that by chewing or sucking on Manuka Honey reduced the amount of plaque by 35%. Not only that, they also saw that it led to a 35% reduction in bleeding gums in people suffering from Gingivitis. Who would have thought that by sucking sugar would actually HELP your teeth?!

Manuka Honey For Allergies & Sinusitis

There are many anecdotal accounts of people receiving allergy relief after eating honey are all over the internet. There is even a study with honey and birch pollen that had remarkable results. The participants were given regular honey. Honey with birch pollen added to it, and some used only their allergy medicines as a control group.

They also found that there was very little difference between the birch pollen honey users and the regular honey users! So, taking Manuka honey on a regular basis can really help your seasonal allergies and lessen your need for medications!

Beauty Treatment & Health Booster

Due to Manuka Honey having such a nutrient dense profile, it is able to boost vitality, give you a youthful energy and has also been known to improve the tone and texture of the skin, giving it a smoother, younger more glowing look and feel.

There are many ways in which you can include Manuka Honey into your natural beauty routine. One way is to make yourself a homemade face wash or facial exfoliant. You can also add a little to your shampoo or if don’t fancy that, then maybe as a hair mask before you wash your hair. This will give your hair a gorgeous shine. Or if you would rather take in internally to really make the most of it’s benefits, why not add it to your morning smoothie to give yourself a fantastic, natural boost of energy.

Improves Sleep

Manuka Honey is known to help to promote a deep and peaceful sleep as it slowly releases the glycogen needed for essential bodily functions during sleep. It may seem a strange thing to do but actually, by adding honey to milk at bedtime can help the body release melatonin into the brain which is necessary for a peaceful and deep sleep.

Manuka Honey Side Effects

The only side effect I know of is if you are allergic to bees, you should take caution when using Manuka Honey. Maybe put a tiny amount on the back of your hand first to see if you get a reaction and go from there. If you aren’t sure though, ask your GP who will be able to advise much better.