Hi everyone,
I read somewhere that eating honey can be good for alleviating anxiety and depression.
I would like to hear from anybody who has tried this.
Thanks.
Printable View
Hi everyone,
I read somewhere that eating honey can be good for alleviating anxiety and depression.
I would like to hear from anybody who has tried this.
Thanks.
hi:)
havent heard this before about helping anxiety and depression .............but could be ............know it is very good for wound healing and general immune system boosting .think clinical trials have been done on this :yesyes:
It seems the best is Manuka Honey....dearer but very effective I am told.
my old mum took a spoonful of honey every day for years ...........for general health and particularly colds and flu . stirred into drinks when I was a kid.
it has a long history .
interested to know how you get on :hugs:
Sorry to drag up an old thread, but the posts above when I read them prompted me to start taking honey. This is because I had also read of its supposed health benefits, that it might help with my hayfever (as it is, my antidepressant medication has cured that due to an unexpected but welcome antihistamine side effect!) and on the basis, well it's honey it can't do any harm!
What I have been taken is called "Super Honey" and is a mix of normal honey and some strong antiseptic honey from somewhere or other. I have been taking a very bulging desert spoon per day, dissolved into a very large glass of hot white tea (Chinese tea, a bit like green tea).
Here are my thoughts...
The first time I took a dose I did feel a bit odd 30 minutes later. I thought this was strange as it's honey, not a drug. I just put this down to having a sharp ingestion of sugar or calories - remember this was dissolved in a hot drink so probably got into my system quite quick.
A couple of days after I started this I had some nauseous feelings in the evenings. I noted this in my mood diary and mentioned it to a friend as I had no idea what it was. In fact I was worried it might be a long delayed side effect of my actual antidepressants. My friend asked me if I'd changed diet or medications and I joked "No, the only change is I take a large spoon of honey each day". Then I thought, er, what if there is a link?
Now my friend said I should stop taking it but my argument was this: If I was feeling a little crap this could be a good sign, not a bad sign. It could indicate there was something in the honey that was actually strong enough to have an effect on my body, and like a medicine there was a period of side effects first.
So I stuck with it and a week after that these symptoms passed.
It is now day 23 - three weeks - and I have to say I feel brilliant. The anxious edge that life can have has gone. I had a particularly challenging experience last week that would have traumatised most people and I sailed through it. My mood has stabilised and I'm feeling on top of the world.
The best way I can describe this is I am starting to feel "normal" again.
Now, is this all linked to the honey? I am the world's biggest skeptic and will look for ways to debunk this. Namely:
1. My mood chart which I have been running for a year now shows numerous periods where my mood went up and stayed up, for long periods, without any apparent cause. So it could be coincidence.
2. I am now well into a long term course of Mirtazapine.
3. I do so much exercise now that must be having a real effect on my mind and mood.
4. It could be 100% placebo effect.
But I do feel less anxious. It's mild - subtle - but there.
I'd really like to hear other people's experiences with this or any links to any actual real world accounts of taking honey daily and how it helped people.
Is there anyone here who would be willing to take a desert spoon or tablespoon of honey each day for three weeks and see what it does?
Thanks for reading.
A fascinating detailed post Ingenious, thanks for that!
I've been thinking about pure organic coconut oil for similar reasons - plus it's anti-fungal, and I think I have a candida overgrowth (not thrush - the other meaning from alternative medicine). That nauseous feeling is absolutely what I've read about with people starting to take the coconut oil, so you might be spot on there!
I've been long interested in the medical benefits of honey too, and I understand the good stuff (especially raw honey - i.e. unheated, pure, unpasteurised, unprocessed) is also anti-fungal, so I'm game for trying it for a few weeks to see how I get on :)
I don't believe the supermarket stuff has any significant health benefits, so I'd pick up some Manuka from the health store later this week (might as well go for the very best!)
Where do you get yours from?
(Things are busy so if you post here but I don't reply then please PM me as a reminder!)
Manuka - that's the one. Unfortunately it can cost up to £15 a jar depending on strength but the one I'm on is called "Supahoney" and is half normal honey and half Manuka - supposed to ease you into the strong taste of Manuka but more importantly Tesco sell it and it's a lot cheaper :) This is it (hope it's OK to post a link):
http://www.rowsehoney.co.uk/our-prod...ange=supahoney
Like you I wanted to stay away from standard supermarket stuff but Tesco also sell the various Manuka honeys from Rowse too. I did think about the pure Manuka but it's just a bit too pricey for me really.
Cheers for the link!
That stuff looks good, I'll check it out next time I'm in Tesco :)
Until then it's easier for me to get to the health store and get some Manuka. I'm not too worried about the taste as I think the way I'd like to take it is with hot water and slices of lemon (good for cleansing the system) in the morning, so it'll be very diluted.
Cost - if I'm getting the pure stuff I'll just take half the amount you did :)
So, you have a test-buddy if you want (but you might have to PM me like I said to remind me - lots on right now!!)
really interested in this :)
keep us posted ...........trials were done for wound healing in the health sector which were very promising ..know it isnt relevant here :blush:.......but think this may have excellent benefits for general well being . [trots off to well known super store tomorrow and will let you know how I get on in time ] xx
Well I was in the 'other' supermarket tonight, and Manuka (the same brand) is a few quid cheaper than in the health food shops, so I grabbed some...
They didn't actually have the half'n'half, so I took the plunge and went for the factor 15+ :shades:
It says take 25g in a cup of warm water, but I'll start off with 10ml I think and see how I go :)
I've been reading in a few places that heat destroys some of the good properties of the honey so that's why they say use warm water not hot.
I put one spoonful of Manuka honey in every tea I have! Haven't had a cold or cough for a very long time! Tastes nice even if there are no other benefits! X
Excellent, do keep us informed how you get on. I'm not sure what volume I take other than it's a very bulging desert spoon of the 50/50 honey as I mentioned above. I take mine dissolved into chinese tea (I add the honey after it has brewed, so the water is very warm but not boiling hot).
It will be interesting to know whether you feel anything, nothing, better or worse.
I tried it yesterday - about a teaspoon and a half in warm water. It's a really nice taste for me, not the strong medicinal taste I was expecting at all, but it is very sweet!
I felt nauseous for the whole day, but I do have stomach problems anyway (maybe it'll help?!) and I almost was expecting to after Ingenious' post:roflmao: I've gone for 10ml today and am enjoying it now...delicious :) I think I'll stick to that much because it's already so sweet. I worked out 25g a day is more than twice as much, and it'd cost about 80p a day :ohmy:
From what I understand there are two types of antiseptic/healing benefits in Manuka:
1) The antiseptic effect that all honeys have.
2) A special 'extra' in Manuka, because of the special plants the bees use
1) Is affected by high temperatures, but the special Manuka effect (2) isn't. I want to get both of the benefits from the honey so I'm mixing it in very warm but not hot water.
That's very encouraging to hear! I get loads of coughs and colds so I really hope to see this benefit :)
Thanks for the update :) Hopefully the nausea like feelings will ease over the next few days. Once that happens we can then see if you feel any different. Any calmer, less anxious, etc.
Shame about the cost really, I get through a jar of "Supahoney" in a week @ £4 a jar. But then assuming it is doing me some good, that's worth paying.
You never know it might simply be the effect of the sugars in it, might be something really simple rather than the extracts of some mysterious plant.
If anyone else is reading this who is willing to take part, re-read the thread from the top and then get some honey. The more people who try it the more opinions we can get. Just look at threads about 5HTP and St John's Wort for example, some people swear by these, others had no luck.
You're most welcome, thanks for inspiring me to at last try this 'healing honey' :)
I must admit, I'm actually as interested in its effects on my stomach troubles and general health as I am in its possible effects for anxiety and depression. I can only really find two reasons (so far) it might help with mood:
1) Blood sugar - if your low mood can be due to this. I've always struggled with blood sugar myself, how about you Ingenious?
2) The honey contains vitamins, minerals and amino acids (them again!) that we need to feel good.
3) I just thought of this...honey is super-concentrated plant 'stuff' isn't it? Wonder how many of my five-a-day I'm having this way :roflmao:
Duerr’s Tineo & Ulmo Active 10+ honey retains natural active properties to kill
bacteria, fungi and viruses .... This is the honey i buy from Waitrose £5.99,its cheaper than Manuka but i believe its probably just as good..I have a spoonful in my green tea with some freshly squeezed lemon everyday.. Not sure about the anx/dep theory but i feel healthier for taking it..
Thanks Hopeless and that's given me an idea for my Chinese tea too - having a squeeze of fresh lemon :)
Thanks for posting this thread! I've heard of Manuka but didn't know it could help combat anxiety and depression. I'll have a look the next time I'm in a health food shop.
Best,
Graham .
Hi Graham, well it's only a theory really at this point which we're trying to test out, there doesn't seem to much on the web about honey for anxiety or depression.
I've stuck to my 10ml's a day in warm water. I reckon that should be enough, plus I don't think I could drink anything sweeter.
I felt a bit brighter the first few days of taking it. It could be all in the mind, or it could be the simple boost in blood sugar (I wrote about in my last post).
No other effects at present, though my stomach has seemed a bit more settled, which is very welcome. Hopefully it'll continue and I'll keep updating on here.
Since I last posted I have been doing some digging around the net for information about honey. I was surprised first of all to find that it contains (broadly speaking, each one is different) around 40% sugar, 30% glucose, 20% water and the rest is the "special" stuff like enzymes.
However it seems to be the case that heating honey to just 40C destroys everything except the sugar/glucose, and if you think by the time I add it to my Chinese tea that's still at least 60C. The composition of heated honey is apparently very similar to.... sugar syrup.
So this would strongly suggest that what I have been taking for the last month and more is nothing more or less than an instant hit of sugar and glucose :)
So from there we can maybe assume one of two things. The perceived improvement in my life, mood and wellbeing is simply a placebo effect. Or, there is a dietary element to this and the sugar/glucose hit is having a direct effect in me through those means (dietary and physical rather than mental).
It is normally the case I have a huge "dip" mid-morning when I get hungry and the main symptom of this is very high irritability until I have eaten. I always thought this was a "man thing". Since taking the honey each day - which I normally take during the morning - I don't recall ever having a day where I was in a bad mood because I was hungry. Maybe by removing that from my life the cumulative effect is increased wellbeing?
One thing to note though is even if I miss my honey in the morning, and have it later in the day, I still don't get that "dip" anymore in the morning. I can go all the way through from an early breakfast to a late lunch without getting that horrible dip, irritability and general horrible-ness.
Lots to think about!! I'd feel a right prat if it was so bloody simple that having a daily dose of glucose and sugar keeps me feeling great. But if it works who cares?
That's pretty much in line with what I've been reading Ingenious, except that the Manuka 'effect' isn't destroyed at higher heats (unlike the hydrogen peroxide anti-bacterial properties of 'normal' honeys).
I guess my warm water is around 40 degrees, I might have to check...
Do you have any links that the Manuka effect and enzymes are destroyed by heat? Pasteurisation is heating things to very high temperatures to destroy bacteria, and I'd guess all honeys from national shops/supermarkets are pasteurised unless they are labelled not to have been. This includes Manuka, and yet it still has the health claims attached, with research apparently behind it.
Do you have a large breakfast? Just ideas but you could experiment eating more at breakfast, maybe some slow-release carbs, maybe some added fruit.
:winks:I am a trained biomedical scientist, and Im also looking into the effects of manuka honey after reading your interesting post, anything that may help with my anxiety is worth a try.
I searched PUBMED a scientific medical research website where you can access a variety of scientific publications or soon to be published scientific journals on theory and research.
However I stumbled upon this article from :
REFERENCE
http://www.manukahoney.co.uk/article1.html
By Peter Molan, PhD
Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Director of the Honey Research Unit University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Approximately 50 reports in medical journals detail the effectiveness of honey as a wound dressing and as therapy for eye infections and diarrhea 1, 3.
Honey has an antibacterial activity, due primarily to hydrogen peroxide formed in a "slow-release" manner by the enzyme glucose oxidase present in honey, which can vary widely in potency. Some honeys are no more antibacterial than sugar, while others can be diluted more than 100-fold and still halt the growth of bacteria. The difference in potency of antibacterial activity found among the different honeys is more than 100-fold.
"Active manuka honey" (and its Australian equivalent) is the only honey available for sale that is tested for its antibacterial activity. It contains an additional antibacterial component found only in honey produced from
Leptospermum plants: "unique manuka factor" (UMF). There is evidence that the 2 antibacterial
components may have a synergistic action.
Unique manuka factor is not affected by the catalase enzyme present in body tissue and serum. This enzyme will break down, to some degree, the hydrogen peroxide which is the major antibacterial factor found in other types of honey. If a honey without UMF were used to treat an infection, the potency of the honey's antibacterial activity would most likely be reduced because of the action of catalase.
The enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide in honey is destroyed when honey is exposed to heat and light. However, UMF is stable, so there is no concern about manuka honey losing its activity in storage.
Honey with UMF is more effective than that with hydrogen peroxide against some types of bacteria. For example, active mauka honey with UMF is about twice as effective as other honey against Eschericihia coli and Staphylococcus aureus4, 5, the most common causes of infected wounds.
Which clarifies to some degree the impact of heat on the enzymes with manuka honey.
However anything thing that ends in ase is an enzyme and enzymes have a vary narrow temperature range at which they work!!!!!
Between 35 - 40*C is the optimum, the best activity temperature for generally most enzymes HOWEVER some enzymes like those found in hot springs work best at up to 100*C. Soo each enzyme has it's o specific optimum range.
As a rule of thumb, I think just to be on the safe side, not to heat or warm Manuka UMF any higher than 40*C.
Or the enzyme could break apart or become altered ( denature) and will not
work as well or will not work at all in extreme temperatures.
I'm sure that manufactures would be able to supply us with more in depth info if we needed it and its well known that individuals like to add honey to tea etc, so I'm sure this info as to heat or not to if it was honey to take for health benefits, woyld be stated on the container.
I would still be reluctant to heat it though, I think 40*c and below is best.
Hope this helps X
Great post Col, thanks :)
I think it's worth also just stressing that many of the claimed good properties of honey, particularly the antiseptic ones, relate to the external application to skin and wounds. Taking it internally is a different kettle of fish and and an area that is not well researched.
As regards temperature, I am sure from what I've read there can't be anything active left in my honey after being dissolved into fairly hot tea!! So what we need is two groups of guinea pigs, those who take the honey neat and unheated, and those who take it in a drink. Actually add a third group, one who just takes the equivalent amount of sugar and glucose ;)
Agreed, great post Col, many thanks, great to have you on board with us :)
Ingenious - again, do you have any links that say that UMF is destroyed by heat? Everything I've read says that it isn't - but then I do agree with Col that it's best to be cautious and not mix it with too hot a liquid (plus then you are benefiting from the hydrogen peroxide aspect which is destroyed by heat).
As Col states, enzymes will be active at different temperatures.
Manuka has been scientifically proven for wound-healing, but I'd personally say most of the talked about benefits of honey are indeed when it's ingested.
well i am not sure about it that eating honey can make us destress . i know that honey has anti-inflammatory nutritonal values . And that is Good for our health . i know about it because i am a patient of a chronic disease . and it helps me alots in managing my symptoms
Hi Michael,
Oh hope your ok. Yes I'm looking at that also, does it actually help anxiety and how why??
But my anxiety started off because I was sooo stressed ad soo run down and ill and now if I feel ill that triggers my panic. So for me to take honey may boost my immune system making me feel heather and therefore I'll feel more in control of my body and it might I crease my confidence.
I know I sound silly saying Heath started my panic but what happened was, I was 20 when I had my first child, parents weren't happy 3 years later got married in secret, racial and cultural problems with mine and my husbands families, so much so my daughter didn't meet her grandparents on dads side for Nearly three years ( tore us apart) we bought and sold 2 houses tried to make it work couldn't! Secrecy lies and arguments because my parents couldn't understand it and put pressure on and arguments from
hell with my mother to the point of fighting. Mum and dad were separating then getting back to gather so I think my mum took her frustrations out on me and my dad also at times.
We eventually, married in secret though ( i never got the big fairytale wedding but least got my man) that same year mum and dad eventually split (4 good) another women etc.
Same year my mum got sectioned my younger brother moved in with my dad and eventually ended up not having anything to do with my mother,this was 2005 still doest have anything what so ever to do with her ( makes it difficult 4 me and my kids) we still see my mum , she's my mum after all.anyway whilst all this I was doing my college, foundation degree and then my BSc. Moved in ( ironically ) with husbands family they have a huge house but all I'm gonna say about that is I got essentially bullied ( hubbies got massive family 1 of 7) and coerced into doing XY and Z.
Very very very hard 5 years. Durring this time learnt to drive, worked and had another baby, very turbulent and distressing time. Anyway after looking for 5 years we finally managed to buy our own house and moved in last November. Money is soo tight and I thought about doing a PGCE to teach science, however this new year used to get to uni or go on placement and bid just stand there absolutely exhausted, disorientated and faint.
I suffered with migraines which were very scary as I felt weak enough, I'd be in the library all hours not really eating and not really having much time to sleep then I'd be back on school and nursery run. My hubby is amazing he'd do everything once he'd get in But still I was in every sense of the word exhausted.even my car being parked across the road I'd think how am I gonna manage walking across the road , that's how exhausted I was. To cut a very long story short That was it, complete meltdown, anxiety and panic. I've had an awful time of it for most of this year, I keep thinking god really doesn't like me as if I need this right now on top of everything I've been through BUT I keep counting my blessings at least my kids are healthy my hubby is soo lovely and I finally got my house.
So back to honey I think the stronger I physically feel the stronger I'll feel mentally ,also.
Sorry to rant :blush:
Ps had to stop my course that's how bad I got X
Well this is the whole purpose of this thread, to encourage people to at least try taking honey daily and see what it does. As it's a natural substance it's a healthy experiment to try - I know I feel so much better since taking it daily. It might be placebo, it might just be the sugar/glucose hit, it might be some mysterious substance in it, who knows? But the more people who try it, the more data we can get on whether it works or doesn't :)
Honey for anxiety/depression. I hope that's true cos if so i'm going to try it. if it works ill be the happyist man alive.
Hi jerryshudson
Have u got any info in terms of prof with regards to the benefits of honey and anxiety?
It would be great if u did, might settle a bit of skepticism surrounding this claim and might encourage people to try it!
Collette
I'm picking up on the inflammation thing, rather than the 'honey for anxiety specifically' thing.
I have a book by a psychiatrist (Dr David Servan-Schreiber, professor of psychiatry and neuroscientist) called 'Healing Without Freud or Prozac". He has looked into the clinical evidence for certain 'natural' approaches and supplements, and explains why they work in physiological terms.
In the chapter where he explains the importance of omega 3 fatty acids, he talks about inflammation and its possible link with depression. He says that depression is common in all inflammatory illnesses, arthritis, infections (flu etc), strokes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders. Whilst you could argue that these conditions would make anyone depressed (Mind-Body), he points out that depression often precedes these conditions. He then speculates that clinical depression is actually due to an inflammatory process and says 'this would not be much of a surprise, since we know stress in itself causes inflammatory reactions - which is the reason why it worsens acne, arthritis and most autoimmune disorders. As a period of stress often precedes depression, it way well be that depressive symptoms are caused directly by stress-related inflammation".
Regarding the inside of the body, Manuka Honey worked very well for my gastritis, which I guess is inflammatory. (I didn't have the H. Pylori bacteria.)
This is the website linked to the book: http://www.nofreudnoprozac.org/. You can buy it on Amazon. I have to say, I am usually pretty sceptical regarding 'natural approaches', but after 20 years of anti-depressants, loads of therapy and trying 'everything', I found this book to be really really good. I guess because I needed to see the physiological, clinical proof, rather than thinking I would be relying on the placebo effect.
Dahlia, thanks a lot for that fascinating post and link. I've been on the honey for a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd post my initial conclusions here, but your post has made me think quite a lot about my experience so far. Of course, that's just one theory, but it's an interesting one by an expert on the subject, and other people have recommended that book, I must read it!
(It appeals to me a lot because I've always thought the problem with Western medicine is that it only treats symptoms, but generally not the underlying problems, which I don't think have really been understood yet.)
The first few days taking Manuka I felt a bit brighter, but that could be anything from placebo to a blood sugar boost (which I'm really sensitive to so I'm sure that was part of it).
Other than that I've been quite down the last few weeks, so it certainly hasn't given me any short-term relief from depression like 5-htp and St John's Wort have in the past.
Anxiety-wise I have seemed a bit calmer somehow, but it's not enough to put my finger on, so I have no idea if it's placebo or something else (the weather, my surroundings, the football season approaching - could be anything).
I've decided to carry on taking it at 10ml a day for now (it costs about £4 a week, so quite expensive!) though because I am really interested in its healing and anti-inflammatory properties. Since I started on it my stomach problems (retching/being sick and nausea in the mornings) haven't happened nearly so often. At the same time though I've had another, different, sort of 'strange' (don't know how to describe it!) stomach feeling - not discomfort exactly, but almost.
I like to think the Manuka's healing my gastritis (inflammation of the stomach!) and from all I've read I've every hope about that.
My appetite (rotten all year) has improved :)
The other thing that struck me about your post is that my immune system has always been very weak, and particularly for the last few years (serious anxiety and depression doesn't help).
Now, this summer I've had cold after cold after cold - and one or two really nasty ones. I'm not surprised really (always expect the worst like this - ha!) but I've always known when I was sick and the times when I was clear of cold. Since I started the honey, I've had a cold non-stop - constantly feel muddled in the head, bunged up, coughing and spluttering etc etc. It's not like a 'normal' cold where you feel worse then get better, it's constant! So, something is going on there I think, and I think back to Ingenious' post about a dramatic healing effect, and now putting that together with your post Dahlia I'm wondering (and hoping, and praying) that that's what's happening.
So, that's my 'mid-term report' (certainly long enough for an essay!! :footy:)
To summarise:
Anxiety - I'm not sure, but it may be subtly helping, and steadying out my mood.
Depression - It hasn't helped so far, but Dahlia's post makes me think (if that particular theory is correct) that it could take much longer, if it can even help in that way at all.
General health, and specific health concerns - I'm very very hopeful and encouraged here, and wouldn't give up the honey for anything at this point.
I'll post if anything changes, would love to hear more from others and any reactions to my experiences so far :)
Great post eight days a week, thanks for that.
It's interesting to read your comment about the effect on anxiety being subtle as this is my experience too, it seems to help in some way but nothing you can nail down.
My own update is to say I am now in my 7th week taking honey daily. In that time I've been doing really well, little in the way of anxiety or depression and stable mood. A lot of this must be to do with a lot of exercise I am doing and of course I am on a daily dose of Mirtazapine. Having said that this was the case in the months before starting honey and I wasn't as stable as I have been since starting the honey. As posted before, I do think a lot of this could be to do with the daily "hit" of sugar and glucose from the honey.
I`m very interested in this too , I have started having Rowse Manuka honey , about a teaspoon and a half every other day , I have the 10+ activity rating stuff , and yeah it is a bit pricey , I find it has helped a bit with my GAD and HA , but i think like most things we eat these days , it still boils down to a healthy lifestyle /eating etc , which I am working on !!
Interesting to hear other opinions on it though , cheers guys !
Ok am I being stupid but......UMF and activity rating are they the same thing??????
I think they are but why have they changed the labeling?????
I've finally saved some extra cash to buy top notch honey and every large supermarket it says on the label activity rating and no sign of UMF.
Now I've saved enough extra cash I want to make sure I buy the right thing!
I had a few days off the honey, but feel a bit better somehow on it, and it definitely has helped my stomach and another health issue, so I picked some more up :)
UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) is the official testing, I've no idea why Rowse and some other honeys don't use it. I'd been guessing that the 'activity' rating was the equivalent, but I've had a quick google and it seems there's no way to be sure...the activity 15 Rowse stuff from the supermarket is cheaper than than UMF 15 stuff from the health store, but I'm going to get some UMF stuff next time and see if it's any different. (I saw Holland and Barrett had a deal on it a couple of weeks ago so will look tomorrow when I'm in town.)
Here are a couple of interesting articles I found on it. The second comment underneath this article says Rowse doesn't contain the UMF!
http://www.eatingbritain.com/the-mir...-manuka-honey/
And this one from the Daily Mail says UMF may be unreliable anyway!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...rth-money.html
I'll report back when I've compared the UMF stuff to Rowse - my head's in a spin now!
Shopping update!
Right I've been out shopping for honey today (and pure unrefined organic coconut oil, but that's a different topic I think :roflmao:).
I had a good look in Holland and Barrett. They have quite a few honeys. Some are labelled 'UMF' and some as 'active'. Their 'own' brand - New Zealand Pure Gold - is the one on offer, 3 for the price of 2. On the leaflets about it the picture says 'UMF' but on the same place on the label on the actual jars it says 'active'. The assistant told me it's the same thing, but I'm not convinced. I can only think that either their honeys no longer pass the UMF test, or that they are saving money by not having it officially tested because people don't know the difference anyway. Either way, it doesn't seem guaranteed to me that it's as good as the UMF, so I shopped around and got UMF 10+ 500g for £12.50 at Julian Graves (25% off).
If anyone's near the the Chatham Docks Julian Graves shop they're shutting down by the way and everything's half price from tomorrow till the 17th - I'm half tempted to do a 'honey run' down there and buy up all the Manuka :roflmao:
Still on the honey, still enjoying it, it seems to do me good but is very hard to put your finger on. It's been absolutely brilliant for my stomach (gastritis and IBS) :yesyes:
I emailed Holland and Barrett customer support about the 'factor' versus 'UMF' thing (their own brand used to be UMF but is now factor rated). That was weeks ago, and they haven't replied since their initial 'we'll look into it and get back to you' reply. That may just be that H&B customer support is useless, but for now I'm sticking with the official UMF stuff.
For general health I have also started oil pulling (google it if interested and be amazed!) and invested in some pure organic non-GM coconut oil. One of the most delicious things I've ever tasted, and can be used as moisturizer, hair conditioner, aftersun lotion etc. Amazing stuff.
Now, if only I could give up the beer and kebabs I would be covered on the health front I think :doh: :roflmao:
Yes me too, still on a generous desert spoon a day (dissolved into some Chinese white tea). I'm currently on "Supahoney Lemon" which is 49% honey, 49% manuka honey and 2% lemon (from concentrate). I doubt the lemon has any health benefits as it is such a small amount and from concentrate, but it does make the honey very runny, and it dissolves so much better in warm tea.
I do think though it is the sugar/glucose boost that has worked for me rather than any other secretive effect, especially as I take it mid-morning, a time when I'm usually a bit hungry and grumpy :) Whatever the reason, it still seems to help, and I intend to keep taking it.
Wow! I checked back here today and never thought there would be so many replies.
Im glad the honey seems to have helped people with both physical and anxiety issues. As has been noted, there has been much research into the physical benefits of honey and not so much of the mental benefits. My view is that it won't do any harm to try it, and so what if it is just a placebo effect as long as it helps. And no, in response to some posts, I don't think that everybody should use honey as a replacement for anti anxiety/depression medication if it needed, Im not that daft, and I know it isn't likely to be a mircle cure lol. But I do believe in complementary treatments, such as the food we eat, can help long term.
I will keep checking back on this thread and will be interested in reading about any developments and people's experiences.
Thank you for your responses.