Raw Local Honey: More Than Just a Sweetener

When we think of honey, we often think first of its naturally sweet flavor. But honey has a long history of use in both food and traditional herbal preparations. At Nature’s Crossing, raw local honey is an ingredient we often pair with herbs—not only for sweetness, but also because of the role honey can play in preparations such as herbal teas and syrups.

But what makes raw honey different from highly processed honey? Does buying local really matter? And what does the research actually tell us about its potential benefits?

Let’s take a closer look at this familiar ingredient and separate traditional use from what we currently know through research.

What Is Raw Honey?

Raw honey is honey that has undergone minimal processing after it is removed from the hive. It is generally strained to remove pieces of wax and other debris but is not subjected to the same degree of heating and filtration often used in highly processed commercial honey.

Because it is less processed, raw honey can retain naturally occurring compounds found in honey, including small amounts of antioxidants and plant compounds such as polyphenols. The exact composition of honey varies depending on the flowers the bees visit, the season, and the region where it is produced.

Why Choose Local Honey?

Local honey is produced by bees gathering nectar from flowering plants in your surrounding region. This gives each local honey its own flavor, aroma, color, and character based on the plants growing nearby.

Choosing local honey can also be a wonderful way to support local beekeepers and the people caring for the bee colonies that help pollinate plants throughout the community.

You may have heard of people using local honey during seasonal allergy season. This traditional practice is based on the idea that local honey may contain small amounts of pollen from plants in the surrounding area. Some studies of honey and allergic rhinitis have reported improvements in symptoms, while other research has found little or no benefit. Research is still developing, but many people, including myself, continue to include local honey as part of their seasonal wellness routine.

Potential Benefits of Raw Honey

Raw honey has been valued for generations as both a food and a traditional natural remedy. Its unique combination of natural sugars, plant compounds, enzymes, and antioxidants has made it a familiar ingredient in kitchens and herbal preparations around the world.

Soothing the Throat and Cough

One of honey’s best-known uses is for soothing an irritated throat and calming a cough. Its thick texture coats the throat, while its natural sweetness makes it especially pleasant when added to warm herbal tea. Research has also found evidence that honey can help reduce cough symptoms, particularly in children over one year of age.

A Natural Source of Antioxidants

Honey contains a variety of naturally occurring plant compounds, including polyphenols and flavonoids. These compounds have antioxidant activity, helping protect cells from oxidative stress. The amount and type of antioxidants can vary considerably depending on the flowers and plants the bees visited.

Naturally Antimicrobial

Honey also has natural antimicrobial properties. Its low moisture content, acidity, high concentration of sugars, and other naturally occurring compounds create an environment that can inhibit the growth of certain microorganisms. This is one reason honey has such a long history of traditional use.

A Wonderful Partner for Herbs

One of my favorite things about honey is how beautifully it works with herbs. Honey can soften strong or bitter flavors and make herbal preparations more enjoyable to take. It can be stirred into herbal teas, incorporated into herbal syrups, or infused with herbs to create herbal honeys.

At Nature’s Crossing, honey is more than simply something we use to make an herbal preparation taste sweet. It is an ingredient with its own history, character, and place in traditional herbal practice.

An Important Honey Safety Reminder

As natural as honey may be, there is one particularly important safety rule to remember:

Never give honey to a baby younger than 12 months old.

Honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, which can cause infant botulism. A baby's digestive system has not developed enough to protect against these spores. Once children are over one year old, this particular risk is greatly reduced.

For everyone else, honey is still a concentrated source of natural sugars, so—as with many good things—it is best enjoyed thoughtfully.

Raw Honey vs. Regular Honey

Not all honey is processed in the same way. Raw honey generally goes through minimal processing after it is collected from the hive. It may be strained to remove pieces of wax or other debris, but it is not typically exposed to the same level of heating and filtration used with many commercially processed honeys.

Commercial honey may be heated and filtered to create a clearer, smoother product and to help slow crystallization. While it is still honey, additional processing can change some of the naturally occurring compounds found in it.

Raw honey may also look different from one jar to another. Its color can range from very light gold to deep amber, and its flavor can change depending on the flowers the bees visited. It may also become cloudy or crystallize over time.

Crystallization does not mean your honey has gone bad. It is a natural process that can occur in pure honey. If you prefer it liquid, placing the container in warm water can gently soften the crystals without subjecting the honey to excessive heat.

Bringing Honey Into Your Herbal Practice

Honey and herbs have been paired together for generations, and there are many simple ways to bring that tradition into your own home herbal practice.

A spoonful of honey can be added to a warm cup of herbal tea, blended into an herbal syrup, or combined with herbs to create an infused herbal honey. It can help balance bitter or strongly flavored herbs while adding its own distinctive flavor to the preparation.

One of the joys of working with local honey is that it can change with the seasons. Different flowers bloom, bees forage in different places, and the honey they produce can change in color, aroma, and taste. In that way, a jar of local honey can offer a small reflection of the landscape around us.

For me, that is part of what makes working with natural ingredients so special. We aren't simply using an ingredient—we are learning where it comes from, how it has traditionally been used, and how it can become part of our own herbal practice.

Nature’s Crossing
Nature is our medicine.