Does Heated Honey Really Lose Its Nutrients? 4 Practical Honey Drink Recipes

Honey is beneficial for both cardiovascular health and blood sugar control. Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock

It is believed that honey loses its nutrients when heated, but according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), heated honey still provides benefits.

Raw or ‘Cooked’ Honey: Which Is Better?

Modern science has found that honey is a natural antioxidant rich in polyphenols and other antioxidant components. It exhibits a wide range of therapeutic properties, such as having anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-psoriasis, antitumor, and immunity-boosting effects, and it can also expedite wound healings.

The edible and medicinal value of honey has been known since ancient times, and it is still used in natural remedies today. It is recorded in the ancient Chinese medical book “Compendium of Materia Medica” that honey has the effects of clearing heat, invigorating the spleen, detoxifying the body, moistening dryness, and relieving pain. In addition, traditional Chinese medicine believes that honey can enter various meridians such as those of the lungs, spleen, and large intestine, so it is particularly beneficial to these viscera. It can nourish the lungs and relieve coughs, regulate the spleen and stomach, as well as loosen the bowels, and relieve constipation.

Honey used in TCM can be divided into raw honey and cooked honey.

Raw honey: honey that has not been heated; cool and cold in nature; its main function is to clear heat and detoxify.

The dryness-moistening effect of raw honey helps loosen the bowels and relieve constipation. Chia-Ling Li, director of Aroma Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic in Taiwan, pointed out that people with a red tongue, dry stool, and constipation tend to have excessive internal heat. They can consume raw honey to clear heat and promote bowel movement.

Wan-Yu Lai, director of the Division of Chinese Medicine Pediatrics, China Medical University Hospital, said that she would advise patients with chronic constipation to take medicine with honey water for better results. However, she mentioned that people who tend to have diarrhea should not consume honey, whether it is raw or cooked, due to its bowel-loosening effect.

In addition, drinking raw honey or applying honey can also heal mouth sores due to its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.

Honey can help prevent radiation-induced mucositis. The researchers randomly assigned patients receiving radiation therapy into two groups. One group took 20 ml of honey 15 minutes before and after radiation therapy, and then again 6 hours after radiation. Compared with the control group who did not take honey, the patients who took honey had a significantly lower probability of developing oral mucositis. It is estimated that consuming honey can reduce the risk of oral mucositis in radiotherapy patients by 80 percent.

The antibacterial activity of honey also makes it useful as a wound dressing and in the treatment of chronic wound infections.

Cooked honey: honey that has been heated; its nature changes from cold to warm; it enhances the effect of “tonifying” and is a good nourishment.

Li said that people with poor digestive system, as well as those who often experience abdominal bloating, heart palpitations or fatigue after eating, can consume cooked honey. When heating it, make sure that the temperature does not exceed 60 degrees Celsius, so that the honey does not lose its nutrients.

Cooked honey is often used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, because it can harmonize the medicinal properties of various Chinese medicines and also has antibacterial properties. It can also be used as an excipient to make pills or ointments together with Chinese herbal medicines, such as Chuanbei Pipa Gao (herbal cough syrup). Some bitter Chinese medicines that can cause an upset stomach are also mixed with honey. The tonifying properties of cooked honey, when added to the prescription for treating consumptive diseases, provide a synergistic effect.

Lai added that patients with chronic cold cough will produce thin and watery phlegm. They can eat cooked honey (such as Chuanbei Pipa Gao) to moisten their lungs and relieve coughs.

Clinical trials have shown that honey is effective in treating symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, especially coughs. In a comparative trial involving 139 children with upper respiratory tract infection, it was found that taking 2.5 ml of honey before sleep had the best effect on alleviating the symptoms of night cough. Moreover, the alleviating effect of honey is better than that of medicine.

In addition, raw honey has been found to be beneficial in improving cardiovascular diseases and lowering blood lipid levels in recent years. Cooked honey is suitable for people who are in poor health or have high blood cholesterol.

Li found that some patients were thin and weak, had poor digestion, and had little food intake, but they were found to have high blood lipid levels. These people can consume some cooked honey or honey diluted with warm water to nourish their intestines and stomach, and lower cholesterol.

4 Honey Recipes, With Ginger and Ginseng Enhancing Healing Effects

Honey can be consumed alone, but it can also be combined with some other ingredients to enhance its benefits. There are 4 honey recipes listed below.

1. Honey water

Recipe: Add raw honey to room temperature water.

In addition to promoting bowel movements, drinking honey water can also replenish physical strength.

When you are tired from work or have to do chores that demand physical and mental strength, drinking some honey water can boost your energy.

Lai reminded us that honey can loosen the bowels and relieve constipation, so it is not suitable for those who would experience diarrhea before exams due to nervousness.

2. Honey lemonade

Recipe: Add 2 spoons of raw honey and 1/4 spoon of fresh lemon juice to lukewarm water below 60 degrees Celsius.

Those who experience sore throat and inflammation after COVID infection can drink honey lemonade to improve the symptoms.

Alternatively, lemons can be made into honey lemon slices. Add honey to the peeled lemon slices and preserve them together. Soak a few slices in water when you feel like drinking it.

It can somewhat relieve fever and cold symptoms, as lemon peel contains limonene, which has antibacterial and antiviral properties.

3. Honey ginger water

Recipe: Cut 10-15 grams of ginger into thin slices, then soak them in 200 ml of warm water; or boil the ginger for a while, and then add honey when the temperature drops below 60 degrees Celsius.

If you catch a cold and do not have a sore throat, but experience symptoms such as headache, body aches, fatigue, runny nose, nasal congestion, cold intolerance and coughing, you can drink honey ginger water.

People who usually have cold hands and feet and often experience stomach ache can add a little cinnamon or star anise when drinking honey ginger water, as they can warm the stomach. In addition, ginger can eliminate dampness and help get rid of edema.

4. Honey Ginseng Tea

Recipe: Soak 1-3 grams of ginseng (American ginseng or Panax ginseng) in hot water, and add honey after it has cooled down.

Li said that honey can reduce internal heat and relieve upset feelings. You can drink some honey water when you feel irritable and unable to fall asleep. Adding different types of ginseng for different age groups can also enhance its benefits.

Young people tend to have excess heat, so adding American ginseng can invigorate their qi and reduce heat; whereas elderly over the age of 60 should add Panax ginseng because it helps strengthen the heart.

Some people are prone to tiredness and unable to sleep at night, so it is more beneficial for them to drink honey ginseng tea at night. However, they should drink it in moderation to avoid nocturia.