You may already know that raw, local honey can reduce allergies, but here’s why.

Unprocessed honey, which contains bits and pieces of bee pollen and honey (and sometimes even the honey comb, as well as propolis and live enzymes) is a super immune system booster.

The reason local honey is particularly effective is because the bees are collecting pollen from the very same plants that you are exposed to, and it will be present in the honey. Though it may sound strange that the very same pollen that causes problems for our bodies with direct exposure can also be the antidote to allergies reactions after it is processed by bees, but it is true. Apitherapy (medical treatments derived from bee products) goes back 5000 years to China and the Middle East.

This good effect works best when honey is taken a little bit (a couple of teaspoons) each day for several months prior to the pollen season.

Now, the other day I was walking through my local flea market, and passed a booth where a woman was selling seasonal local honey! This was the first time I had seen this and I was delighted! The beekeeper explained that she bottles the honey just as she takes it out of the hive. Of course, bees would produce honeys with different pollens and different flavors throughout the year because different plants are producing pollen in different seasons. In our consumer world where most everything is produced for uniformity, this seasonal difference is eliminated. But here it was, in glass jars right in front of me.

These bees pollinate strawberries and blueberries in the winter, citrus in the spring, watermelons in summer and many other plants. The strawberry honey I tried tasted vividly of strawberries. It was delicious!

So look for local honey at your farmer’s market, flea market, and natural food stores, and see if you can find some that is also seasonal.

Here’s a seasonal honey from New England: Carlisle Honey.

Advance: Researcher studying honey as possible allergy remedy
Local Honey and Allergies

NOTE: Some people can have allergic reactions to the honey itself, so proceed with caution if you are very sensitive.