Does Local Honey Help With Pollen Allergy Symptoms?

There is a popular claim by many who suffer from pollen allergies that eating honey from the local region helps reduce their pollen allergy symptoms. It said that the honey must be local so it will contain pollens from the local region. The theory goes that by ingesting small amounts of pollen from the surrounding area your body will build up a immunity to pollens so they will produce fewer allergy symptoms.

Honey has a long history of being used by ancient cultures. The Sumerians, Egyptians, and Babylonians all placed a great value on honey. Some cultures went so far as to use it as a currency. Despite the many positive properties that honey may have there is little scientific proof that honey reduces pollen allergy symptoms.

Much of the problem behind the theory is that bee's do collect pollen in making honey but the majority comes from flowers, but most pollen allergy symptoms are not caused by flower pollen. Flower pollen is heavy and is not spread in the wind very easily which is why flowers rely on the bee to help pollinate. Most allergies are caused by weed, grass or tree pollen which is lighter and relies on the wind to help spread their pollens and reproduce. The plants that spread their pollen this way are referred to as broadcasting.

If people find they experience fewer allergy symptoms when they ingest honey on a regular basis there could be other properties in honey that are responsible as there are many studies which have shown honey to have positive attributes. Of course the allergy relief could also be psychological.