Why Some Honey Can Be Dangerous
Natural plant toxins in honey: An ignored threat to human health.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Even though honey is natural, it can sometimes be made from flowers that are poisonous. Bees can bring toxins from these flowers into the honey, which can make people sick if eaten.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 51 / 5
Evidence Score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Even though honey is natural, it can sometimes be made from flowers that are poisonous. Bees can bring toxins from these flowers into the honey, which can make people sick if eaten.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 51 / 5
Evidence Score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Publication
Authors
Yan S, Wang K, Al Naggar Y, Vander Heyden Y, Zhao L, Wu L, Xue X
Related Content
Claims (6)
Even though honey is natural, it can sometimes contain toxins from poisonous flowers that bees visited, and eating that honey might be harmful to people.
Even though some bad stuff in honey can make people feel similarly sick—like having nausea or dizziness—they might actually harm the body in different ways behind the scenes.
We need the same global rules for testing honey at borders using high-tech tools so people don’t end up eating honey that’s secretly poisonous.
Plants make natural poisons to protect themselves, and if we eat them, these can sometimes harm our bodies.
Eating honey that's been contaminated with natural plant toxins can make people really sick — with vomiting, nausea, and dizziness — and in some cases, it can even be deadly.