‘I had a spoon of Manuka Honey every day to help with hayfever – the results shocked me’

There are claims that Manuka honey and its antimicrobial MGO can help ease the symptoms of hayfever, but does it work? Editor Harriet Morphy-Morris tested it for 11 days

A blocked nose, headache and itchy eyes that swell in the morning – like millions of people in the UK – I struggle with these hayfever symptoms in the spring and summer. To see if it was possible to ease my symptoms, I tested out the Manuka honey theory.

Dubbed a solution to ‘help fight allergies and hay fever’, Manuka honey is being explored as a potential relief for symptoms. Although not a straight cure, the natural product is filled with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, which are said to help sufferers with their symptoms.

But how much relief does it give? Intrigued by the growing attention, I tried it out for myself. Taking a teaspoon of Manuka Doctor MGO honey every morning for 11 days – and I’ve been left shocked by some of the relief I’ve felt.

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Currently offering a discount in its ‘summer wellness sale’, Manuka Doctor has cut its honey price by as much as 65%. For those like me looking to try and relieve their symptoms this is a chance to get it for less.

I tried three different strengths of honey – a simple multifloral of 70 MGO, a premium quality 540 MGO one and a 1000 MGO Max Strength one. On sale as we speak, the 55 MGO honey is reduced from £34 to £11.60.

For a max strength and boosted chance to help with symptoms, the higher 640 MGO manuka honey is now £40.60 instead of its usual £116 price. It’s not only honey, Manuka Doctor also offers Allergy Relief Supplements for a much cheaper price – £6.30 for 30 capsules. Now, I haven’t tried these out for myself, but they could be an alternative for those who don’t like the taste of honey but still want the benefits.

The honey brand I used: Manuka Doctor

Harvested in New Zealand, their bee hives are lab-checked to meet standards and certified for hive-to-home use. The brand is reportedly backed by experts, including health professionals and doctors, including ITV’s Dr Hilary Jones MBE.

The key part of this is MGO—or methylglyoxal. Without going into too much scientific waffle, the molecule is vital in helping the body’s natural healing process and regulating its immune response. Of course, it’s not the only brand around. Holland & Barrett offers 70 MGO honey for £22.49. LookFantastic also offers a ‘Manuka Honey Blend’ with 30+ MGO for £9.50.

Four ways I added Manuka Honey to my daily diet

I took a teaspoon of the strongest 1000 MGO honey each morning, this way I kept it consistent and made sure I was having the same strength each day. But I did add in other doses with my meals.

My next favourite way of having it was for breakfast, drizzled over a yoghurt bowl or blitzed up in a smoothie. The latter was a simple way to mask the taste for those not keen on the flavour.

It was also simple to do during my lunches and dinners. Three or four times, I added a teaspoon of honey to homemade salad dressings. Keen cooks out there could also use it in a meat marinade. One of my favourite dishes was halloumi hot honey, to which I just added some chilli flakes.

How long did it take to feel hayfever relief?

At time of writing I’ve been having helpings of Manuka honey for 11 days straight. I started on July 13 and have consistently taken a spoonful of honey each morning (some neat, others added into my breakfast or morning cuppa).

By day eight, I could confidently say that I’d felt some relief in my hayfever symptoms, my itchy eyes had reduced, and I was sneezing less. The most improvement, which I started to feel on day three, was with my throat.

Dry and inflamed, hay fever has always given me a sore throat, but trialling the manuka honey has definitely helped. As well as the high MGO contents – I think that this is likely down to the simple fact that honey is soothing, and even shop-bought honey is a popular remedy for colds – like hot honey and lemon tea.

Is Manuka Honey enough to help ease Hayfever symptoms?

After 11 days, I have felt a huge lift in my symptoms. Mainly, the lack of blocked nose, itchy eyes, and sore throat. All of which have nearly disappeared.

However, it has not helped the skin symptoms I get with hayfever at all – which is puffiness around the eyes and rash. Another thing I noticed is the taste of stronger MGO honey is so different to the sickly sweet supermarket honey I am used to – the taste took getting used to.

This is where I agree that Manuka honey shouldn’t be seen as a cure but rather something to try to help ease the symtoms. And going forward I will start taking an antihistamine daily to help – like Allevia which is available at Amazon for £7.59 (please consult with your doctor first).