Can you put honey in boiling water?

Honey is one of the natural remedies that people started using fifteen thousand years ago, back in the ancient Stone Age (Paleolithic). However, have we ever wondered how to properly drink beverages with healing honey? And can we put honey in boiling water or freshly brewed hot tea?

Does adding honey to hot drinks destroy its beneficial properties?

First, you need to understand the difference between raw and pasteurized honey. Pasteurization is a process that you are probably familiar with regarding dairy products, but most commercially available honey undergoes the same processes. Pasteurization is a process of heating food products, which, in the case of honey, is simply intended to make the texture consumer-friendly. It helps to make it more liquid and spreadable, despite the common belief that pasteurization is carried out to cleanse honey from harmful bacteria.

Processing honey in this way destroys many nutrients, so adding pasteurized honey to tea will not affect the benefits, as they are already destroyed. Honey is also a very popular ingredient in cooking, but high temperatures during cooking almost completely minimize any of its benefits.

However, honey can be added to tea and other beverages, preserving all its nutritional properties. Just wait a few minutes after brewing the tea, when the water has cooled down, and add the honey at this point. In this way, you will get a wonderful sweet taste and numerous health benefits associated with honey.

Is adding honey to hot drinks dangerous?

Many argue that heating honey in any way – in tea, for cooking – actually makes it toxic to the point that it can poison you. Again, the important distinction here is between raw and processed honey, as processed honey has already been heated once during pasteurization.

Of course, scientists recommend consuming only unprocessed honey. The harmfulness of the effects of boiling water and the formation of toxic substances in this case were studied only in rats, not in humans, but this does not mean that these scientific conclusions can be discarded. The study concluded that when processed honey is heated, HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural) is formed, an organic compound formed from reducing sugars and is supposedly carcinogenic to humans. Although no link between HMF and cancer in humans has been found, according to state standards, its amount in honey should not exceed 25 mg/kg, European standards allow 40 mg/kg, and honey from a tropical climate – 80 mg/kg.

What are the benefits of warm tea with raw honey?

All over the world, tea with honey is used as a remedy for sore throats. Regardless of the cause of the sore throat, whether it is a cold or even bronchitis, warm tea and honey can help soothe the throat, clear mucus and smooth out irritation.

Studies have shown that honey itself has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects. In general, it can improve the health of the oral cavity, reduce the risk of heart disease. And in combination with other substances, such as lemon juice, it can become a huge source of energy.

Returning again to the question of the benefits of raw and pasteurized honey, there is still debate about the presence of pollen in honey. Some suggest that raw honey has better nutritional properties due to the presence of bee pollen, which is lost during pasteurization. However, it is simply not present in large enough quantities to have any impact on the profile.

Now you can draw your own conclusions about whether you can put honey in boiling water and the benefits of drinking warm tea with honey.