Honey

Traditional Uses & Why Herbalists Value It

Household herbal traditions mix honey with teas, syrups and pungent botanicals for sweetness and a soothing throat feel. It also helps carry stronger flavors in compound preparations. Ordinary food honey and prepared medical-grade dressings serve different purposes.

What Modern Research Has Found

Some clinical trials found improved parent-rated nighttime cough and sleep with honey in children older than one year; another syrup-placebo trial found no advantage. Separate wound-care studies use medical-grade preparations. Do not give honey to infants under 12 months.

Food Form, Processing & Natural Constituents

Honey is mostly sugars and water with smaller amounts of organic acids, enzymes, minerals and plant-derived compounds. Heating, drying, granulation, storage and floral source can change its composition, flavor and physical behavior.

Honey in Formulae

Crystal Honey is a granulated honey sweetener. A granulated honey product should not be assumed to have the same characteristics as raw liquid or medical-grade honey.

Products Containing This Ingredient

• Crystal Honey 12 oz

Sources & Further Reading

• Systematic review of honey for upper-respiratory symptom relief
• PubChem reference record for honey
• Randomized honey and nocturnal-cough study
• Honey trial with syrup-placebo comparison
• CDC: Honey and infant feeding