34 Unusual Uses For Raw Honey

Honey has been used by humans for over 4,000 years – there are records from Cairo, Egypt, dating back to 2,400 BCE that talk about beekeeping.

Since then, many different cultures around the world have used honey both for nutritional and medicinal purposes, but as you’ll soon see, it has many other applications too, some which will probably surprise you.

But first, let’s cover some of the basics.

Honey comprises 70% – 80% sugar (mainly fructose, glucose, and maltose, but there can be up to 21 other sugars present too), water, minerals, and protein.

What’s important is the type of honey you buy, and there are two primary types – pasteurized and unpasteurized.

Much of the honey you’ll find in your local store (e.g. the ones in the bear-shaped squeezy bottles) will be pasteurized, which means it’s been heated to a high temperature, and that results in many of its beneficial components (e.g. enzymes) being denatured.

However, it’s not only a case of what is destroyed and damaged, because during the processing they may also add other ingredients that you don’t want, including antibiotics, corn syrup, and even heavy metals (perhaps not deliberately, but they can creep in). And these may be present even if the honey is labelled as being pure.

There may also be ethical concerns relating to the mass production of honey in terms of the manner in which the bees are treated.

On the other hand, unpasteurized honey, which is often also known as raw honey, is a better option.

Having said that, while raw honey should mean it’s unpasteurized, the reverse is not always the case.

This is one reason why you’re always better trying to buy your raw honey from a local beekeeper – somebody you can talk to about how their honey is made.

Alternatively, there are raw honeys that are available commercially (e.g. Wedderspoon‘s raw manuka honey, which is what I use, mainly as a sugar replacement in the herbal tea infusions that I drink).

So, why raw honey?

Well, It’s honey in its most pure state, and because it’s unprocessed (or, at least, minimally processed and never pasteurized), it confers all of the benefits that processed honey damages or destroys.

OK, let’s get on to some of the less common uses of honey, and in most cases, I would strongly recommend using raw honey over pasteurized, for the reasons given above.

Acid Reflux Relief

According to a professor’s report in the British Medical Journal, five millilitres of raw honey (which is just under one teaspoonful) can provide relief from the burning caused by acid reflux, which is because honey can coat the lining of the oesophagus.

Anti-Aging Agent

Honey has antioxidant properties, which can help reduce the oxidative stress and damage caused by free radicals.

It appears that darker honey has better antioxidant properties than lighter honey, but either can help.

Antibacterial Agent

Honey contains a compound called glucose oxidase, which is an enzyme that can create hydrogen peroxide that is well-known for killing germs – and one reason why it can help with skin issues (e.g. cuts, wounds, and even dry elbows).

So, for example, it can help keep your mouth free of unwanted bacteria and germs

Bathtime Treat

If you want the water you bathe in to have a slightly sweet aroma and to feel softer, try stirring in a few tablespoons of honey.

Blood Sugar Management

One of the benefits of using honey instead of regular sugar is that it has a lower glycemic index, which means it won’t create blood sugar spikes in the same way.

In addition, honey is typically sweeter than sugar, so you won’t need to use as much of it.

Cough Remedy

Honey is often an ingredient in commercial cough syrups and drops, but you can easily make your own DIY cough syrup at home.

All you need to do is dissolve two tablespoons of raw honey in one quarter of a cup of warm water and then add the juice of half a lemon.

Diaper Rash Treatment

A study conducted in New Zealand, home of manuka honey, found that it can act as a barrier cream, reducing inflammation, itchiness, and redness.

One suggestion then, to help prevent diaper rash, is to mix honey and your regular diaper cream in a 50:50 ratio and apply that to your baby.

Emergency Food

If you are the type of person who likes to have food stashed away in case of emergencies (such as the coronavirus pandemic, which is the case as I write this article) then honey makes a great item to include.

This is because of all the reasons listed in this article, and also because it never goes bad – archaeologists have even found honey in Egyptian tombs that was still edible (although I’m not sure I’d have wanted to be the guinea pig for that experiment).

Energy Boost

A study conducted in Memphis showed that honey can provide athletes with an energy boost.

Face Wash

Yes, some people use honey as a face wash instead of commercial products because it acts as a gentle cleanser without stripping your skin.

Some have also found that it can reduce acne and stabilize the production of sebum (i.e. the oily, waxy substance secreted by your sebaceous glands).

Fertility

There are claims, backed up by at least one study, that honey can increase sperm counts – but other studies say the opposite.

If you’re having trouble conceiving because of a low sperm count, then it would seem to be worth trying honey – it may help, and if it doesn’t, you’re likely no worse off than you were to start with.

Fruit Preservation

If you’re the type of person who likes to preserve fruit, then why not try using a honey “sauce” instead of your usual liquid – all you need to do is mix one part honey to ten parts of water, and then cover the jarred fruit with that.

Haemorhoid Relief

Piles are not fun – they can itch like crazy, cause pain, and they may bleed too – so it’s worth knowing that some people have found relief using a topical application of honey mixed with beeswax and olive oil.

Halitosis

If bad breath is an issue for you, you can try gargling with a mixture of water, raw honey, and lemon juice. (That’s a quarter cup of water to one teaspoon of honey to one teaspoon of lemon juice.)

You can also add one eighth of a teaspoon of cinnamon to the mix too if you want – because cinnamon also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties).

Hangover Remedy

If you wake up with a hangover, you can try spreading some honey on a piece of toast (or add it to your morning hot drink).

This apparently works because the fructose contained in the honey can help increase the rate at which you metabolize the alcohol in your body.

Note that, since I stopped drinking alcohol back in 2005, I cannot testify as to whether this works or not – but at least it’s an excuse to have some honey. 🙂

Herpes Treatment

One study found that topical application of honey can be effective for healing lesions caused by herpes (both genital and oral) and can lessen the severity of any itching.

Insect Bite Relief

Two tablespoons of raw honey mixed with the juice of one lemon and then applied to insect bites can provide relief from the itching and help the swelling to go down faster.

Insomnia

If you frequently wake up during the early hours of the morning, then a teaspoonful (or less) of salted honey can help you get back to sleep.

Kidney Cancer Management

One study undertaken in Iran back in 2011 found that honey can help prevent cancer cells from multiplying as rapidly in cases of renal cell carcinoma.

Having said that, more research is clearly needed before firm conclusions may be drawn.

Lip Balm

Honey, mixed with almond oil and beeswax, can make an effective lip balm that will probably cost you a lot less than commercial products.

Make-Up Removal

You can create your own make-up remover by mixing baking soda and honey together to make a paste, and then adding a few drops of tea tree oil.

Once you’ve made it, you should apply it using a warm washcloth, gently rubbing using a circular motion, before rinsing with warm water.

Memory Improvement

One study found that giving postmenopausal women honey treatment, over the course of several weeks, improved aspects of their memory to the same degree that hormone therapy can.

Others reported that a similar effect can be achieved with menopausal women.

Morning Sickness Relief

A warm “tea” made using ginger and honey can help relieve the symptoms of morning sickness.

You’ll find more information about popular herbal tea infusions here.

Nail Health

Brittle and weak nails can be strengthened, over time, by soaking your nails once a week for about ten minutes in a mixture of one tablespoon of honey with a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar – but don’t forget to rinse your nails afterwards

Nutrition

Honey is a great source of fructose and glucose, various minerals (e.g. calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphate, potassium, and sodium chlorine), as well as several of the B vitamins (e.g. B1, B2, B3, B5, B6).

Prebiotic

While not a probiotic, honey can have prebiotic properties, which can help ensure your microbiome (i.e. the colonies of “good” and “bad” bacteria in your gut) remain healthy and in balance.

Check out this article for more information about what prebiotics and probiotics are, and why they are important.

Psoriasis Relief

If you suffer from this irritating condition, which can cause blisters, itching, lesions, and redness, then you may be used to taking corticosteroid creams, or perhaps vitamin D.

It turns out that the same topical application that I mentioned above for haemorrhoids can also provide (often more effective) relief for psoriasis.

Seasonal Allergy Relief

This ons is still debatable, but some people have found that honey made using the plant to which you are allergic (e.g. beech, cedar) can help relieve your allergic symptoms.

However, this needs to be a local honey, and the reason it works, so people claim, is that the honey will contain tiny amounts of the pollen that is causing your allergies.

So, if you suffer from one of these allergies (I may be affected by the cedar trees that grow near me) and you can find a locally made raw honey that uses that triggering plant as its main ingredient, then it’s definitely worth a try.

Shampoo

Sometimes referred to as Honey Poo, a mixture of honey and apple cider vinegar can easily be turned into a DIY shampoo, as you can see in this short video:

Shaving Cream

If you want a home-made shaving cream, which is suitable for both men and women, that won’t cost a fortune, and that you can put together quickly and easily, then try this: whisk together half a cup of oil (e.g. almond, grapeseed, olive, preferably organic and virgin where applicable), a quarter cup of honey, a quarter cup of liquid castile soap, and, if you want a pleasant aroma, about ten drops of your favourite essential oil (but this is not necessary).

All you need to do then is transfer the mixture to a pump / squeeze bottle, and use it in place of your regular shaving cream.

You will only need a tiny pea-sized amount, and it will last a long time (thanks to the fact that honey doesn’t go off).

Soothing Burns

People have been using honey to help heal burns for millennia, and studies have found that using it as a salve can reduce the time it takes to heal. It also makes any wounds sterile in less time than other treatments, and it can even leave less scarring.

Note that this applies to sunburns too.

Weight Loss

While eating honey isn’t going to help you shed all that excess weight just by itself, using it instead of regular sugar can help – provided you use it in moderation, of course.

Wound Healing

The verdict is still out on this use of honey, even though people have been using it to dress wounds for centuries, maybe longer.

Some say it can sterilize wounds faster, stimulate healing, reduce pain, lessen any unpleasant smells, and minimize wound size, while others say this may only work on shallow wounds (because with deep cuts, honey can actually slow down the healing process).

Yeast Infections

There is some evidence that applying raw honey in and around your vagina can assist in eliminating yeast infections.

After applying it, you need to wait 30 minutes before washing it off, either in a bath or in the shower.

Conclusion

While (raw) honey has been called a superfood, and perhaps rightly so, its uses and benefits extend much further than being a healthy food item, so it makes sense to keep some in your home at all times.

The downside, if there is any at all, is that genuine raw honey is typically more expensive than the commercially manufactured processed honey – but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

With pasteurized honey, you may be getting the sweetness and texture, but you’re also getting those unwanted ingredients I mentioned and few to none of the health-giving compounds.

At least with unpasteurized, raw honey, you’re not getting any of those additives and you are getting as many of the benefits as possible.

And while it may appear that I’ve forgotten to talk about honey as an ingredient in many baking and cooking recipes, partly as a way to replace regular sugar with something that can be better for you, and partly because of the taste and texture of it, I wanted to focus on the primarily non-food uses of it in this article.

Lastly, don’t forget to check out the recipes I’ve collated that feature honey.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Apple Cider Vinegar
2. Liquid Castile Soap
3. Salted Honey
4. Tea Tree Oil
5. Wedderspoon’s Raw Manuka Honey