Is Honey The Sweetest Cure For Hay Fever?

Pollen looks charming under a microscope – like pretty little spiky balls. Up the nose, however, it can be such a menace that a fifth of the population worries about the coming of summer.

Dry, sunny days when the pollen count in the air is high can make your nose run and your eyes stream.

Most of the remedies for hay fever aren't very attractive either. You can feel drowsy on anti-histamines or worry about what steroids are doing to your body...or just simply stay indoors.

So, why is eating a spoonful of raw honey a day growing as an alternative to the usual medicines?

Thousands of people swear by it, saying that a spoonful a day - preferably starting before the pollen season begins - has transformed their lives and eased all of their symptoms. 

The main principle behind honey's benefit is desensitisation through eating the pollen. Just make sure that the honey you take hasn't been too finely filtered. We 'coarse filter' our honey to 200 microns, so leaving all of that lovely wind-born pollen intact.

It doesn't matter too much if the hive that your honey comes from is on your doorstep or fifty miles away because our national flora is fairly similar across most of the country. Try and opt for multi-floral honey produced in this country (which Haughton Honey is, of course) as it will contain a good mix of pollens that you may be sensitive to. That's wildflower honey, not honey from one particular flower.

However, we don't want to make lots of extravagant claims and the medical evidence is anecdotal at the moment, but wouldn't it be nice if raw honey was an enjoyable, natural alternative to anti-histamine pills or nasal spray?