History of Honey in Medicine: From Sumerian Tablets to Today

Sumer and Mesopotamia

A 2011 review in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine notes that the first written reference to honey is a Sumerian tablet dating to about 2100 to 2000 BCE, which mentions honey as an ingredient in remedies and ointments. Mesopotamian healers combined honey with plants, minerals and oils.

Ancient Egypt

Egyptian medical papyri, such as the Ebers Papyrus from around 1550 BCE, include hundreds of preparations containing honey. Many were applied to the skin. Our article on honey in ancient Egypt covers honey's wider role in Egyptian life.

Greece and Rome

Greek writers, including texts attributed to Hippocrates, recommended honey in diets and remedies, based on the theory of the four humors. Aristotle described pale honey as useful for sore eyes and wounds. Roman authors such as Pliny the Elder and the physician Galen also discussed honey. These ideas came from a world without germ theory.

The Islamic world

The Quran describes honey as containing healing for people, and hadith record the Prophet recommending honey. Physicians such as Ibn Sina, whose Canon of Medicine was used for centuries, discussed honey in remedies. Islamic hospitals in Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo were among the most advanced of their time.

India and China

In Ayurveda, honey (madhu) is a valued food and carrier for herbs. In traditional Chinese medicine, honey (feng mi) binds herbal pills. Our articles on honey in Ayurveda and honey in traditional Chinese medicine explore these traditions.

Medieval and early modern Europe

Monasteries kept bees for wax candles and honey, and monks recorded remedies that included honey, wine and herbs. Oxymel, a mixture of honey and vinegar, was a common preparation from ancient Greece through the 18th century. Our article on honey in medieval Europe covers the period.

The decline of honey remedies

In the 20th century, as antibiotics and modern drugs arrived, honey largely disappeared from mainstream medicine. Scientific medicine required controlled trials, which most traditional remedies had never had.

Renewed scientific interest

Rising antibiotic resistance led researchers to look again at older substances, including honey. Laboratory studies, such as those summarized in the review How honey kills bacteria, examined honey's acidity, sugar concentration and hydrogen peroxide. Medical-grade honey dressings, sterilized and standardized, are now used in some clinical wound care under professional supervision.

What research supports today

A Cochrane review of six trials with 899 children aged 12 months to 18 years found honey may ease cough symptoms somewhat better than no treatment or placebo, with low to moderate certainty. Medical-grade honey dressings have some evidence for certain wounds. For most other traditional claims, strong evidence is lacking.

• Some evidence: cough in children over 12 months
• Some evidence: medical-grade wound dressings under care
• Limited or no evidence: most other traditional uses

Kitchen honey vs medical honey

Medical-grade honey is sterilized and made for clinical use. Jarred food honey is not intended for wounds. Never put kitchen honey on serious wounds or burns; seek medical care.

Safety reminders

Never give honey to babies under 12 months, as the CDC advises, because of infant botulism. People with diabetes should count honey as sugar. Do not use honey to replace or delay medical care.

Why history still matters

The long history of honey in medicine shows how people across cultures valued it, and it has inspired modern research. History tells us what people believed; trials tell us what works. Both are worth knowing.

The takeaway on history of honey in medicine

Honey has been part of remedies for more than 4,000 years, from Sumer and Egypt to Greece, Rome, the Islamic world, India and China. Modern research supports a few specific uses and leaves many traditional claims unproven.

Honey as a carrier for other ingredients

In many old recipe books, honey was not the main ingredient but the base that held herbs, spices and minerals together and made them easier to swallow. Its thickness, sweetness and long shelf life made it a natural binder. This role appears in Egyptian, Greek, Indian and Chinese texts alike, which is one reason honey shows up in so many historical preparations. The history of honey in medicine is partly a history of honey as a vehicle for other ingredients.

Reading old sources carefully

When you read a claim that an ancient healer used honey for some illness, remember that historical use is not proof. It records belief and practice at the time.

Raw honey for your pantry

Enjoy honey as a food with a long history. Find a jar in our shop.