Manuka Honey and Testosterone: What You Need To Know

EDUCATION

7 minutes

Essential Takeaways

Studies have found that honey can help boost testosterone levels, which are important for maintaining good general health and wellness.

There is also evidence that honey eases the unpleasant symptoms of hormone imbalance, including during the menopause.

Manuka honey has the most beneficial compounds and is also the most regulated honey, so it’s always better to opt for manuka when performance matters.

Hormones are our body’s chemical messengers¹.

They affect how we feel, how we behave, how we grow, and how our bodies function. Even small hormonal changes can have a big impact.

Although more often associated with men, every healthy person produces testosterone.

And imbalances or low levels can cause big problems.

Is there a way to relieve hormonal imbalances naturally?

Is there any potential with manuka honey and testosterone?

Let’s find out.

In this guide to manuka honey and testosterone:

What’s the deal with honey and hormones?
Can you use honey for hormonal imbalance?
Can honey increase testosterone levels?
The best honey for testosterone and hormones
Ways to use manuka honey for testosterone

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What’s the deal with honey and hormones?

Testosterone is a hormone most commonly associated with men and sex drive, but it’s essential for general long-term health and wellbeing.

“Maintaining adequate levels of testosterone throughout the life span of males is very desirable, especially as it is now well-known that low levels of testosterone is associated with various aging diseases/disorders.”

Mechanisms of honey on testosterone levels.

And not just in men, either.

“Testosterone can be important in women for bone density and muscle mass, cognitive function, mood, sexual function, and energy. Adequate levels of testosterone are important for the maintenance of musculoskeletal health and possibly vascular and brain function.”

Testosterone for perimenopausal and menopausal women.

Testosterone is a hormone that every healthy person should produce.

It affects mental health, bone strength, muscle mass, and red blood cell production².

Low testosterone levels can be caused by a number of different things including chronic stress, alcoholism, and nastier diseases like cirrhosis of the liver.

Imbalances can lead to moodiness, low self-esteem, loss of libido, and less energy.

So, like all hormones, it’s important to keep healthy levels of testosterone.

With its millennia-old reputation for healing and wellness³, many have turned to honey for hormone imbalance, including for low testosterone levels.

Why?

Let’s find out.

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Can you use honey for hormonal imbalance?

Hormones naturally fluctuate with age, and imbalances can come and go on their own throughout our lives⁴.

But since it can cause undesirable side-effects, people have looked for their own natural remedies.

Some have turned to honey for hormone imbalance.

Although we don’t yet have the evidence to make a direct connection between honey and hormones, there is plenty to suggest that honey can ease the unpleasant symptoms often caused by hormone imbalance.

For example, oxidative stress is a destructive cellular state related to hormone imbalance⁵.

“Oxidative stress has been linked to many patterns of disease. The body's main antioxidant, glutathione, has an important role in preventing cell damage caused by oxidative stress and is able to maintain vitamin C and vitamin E, which also acts as exogenous antioxidants.”

Ginger honey affects cortisol, estrogen and glutathione levels.

Studies have found that honey can relieve oxidative stress and the inflammation associated with it.

“Available evidence suggests that honey may ameliorate oxidative stress by scavenging both free radicals… and non-free radicals. Evidence also suggests that honey may reduce inflammation… This is important because both oxidative stress and inflammation are interrelated.

Therefore, considering the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of honey, the use of honey might be more beneficial or advantageous than some of the previously investigated antioxidants such as vitamins C and E.”

Honey: a novel antioxidant.

So although using honey for hormones specifically hasn’t been investigated much yet, we do know that it may relieve the symptoms of hormonal issues.

Honey and the menopause

“Current evidence shows that short-term honey supplementation following surgical or physiological menopause exerts an oestrogenic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect on the female reproductive system.”

Augmentation of the female reproductive system using honey.

It’s no secret that the menopause causes hormonal changes that can be pretty unpleasant.

Testosterone levels can drop by half⁶, with common symptoms like a slower metabolism, difficulty sleeping, moodiness and even memory loss⁷.

But using honey for menopause symptoms has shown promise.

Honey may help with weight gain in menopausal women:

“Natural honey helps in improving the lipid profile [a measure for the risk of heart disease and stroke], fasting blood sugar level, blood pressure, weights and waist circumference of postmenopausal women and can be included as part or alternative remedies in management of postmenopausal conditions.”

Changes in lipid profile and some biochemical parameters in postmenopausal women treated with honey.

It may aid in better sleep:

“Honey may promote melatonin formation due to its possible tryptophan content (a precursor to melatonin) that both helps to initiate sleep as well as promote release of hormones that facilitate whole body recovery during sleep.”

Honey to improve sleep quality.

And even be good for the brain and memory:

“Raw honey possesses nootropic effects, such as memory-enhancing effects, as well as neuropharmacological activities, such as anxiolytic, antinociceptive, anticonvulsant, and antidepressant activities.”

Neurological effects of honey: current and future prospects.

So if you’re looking for a natural remedy for the varied symptoms of hormonal imbalances associated with menopause, raw manuka honey could be the perfect option.

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Can honey increase testosterone?

So what about manuka honey and testosterone, specifically?

Does honey boost testosterone levels?

Studies suggest that it can.

“The main stream of this specific research approach reveals that oral administration of honey enhances serum testosterone level in males. In addition, honey has been found to contain various bioactive compounds (e.g., phenolic acids) that may improve testosterone production.”

Mechanisms of honey on testosterone levels.

Honey has been found to contain bioactive molecules like quercetin, an antioxidant flavonoid, and chrysin, which have been linked to enhanced testosterone production.

And more testosterone can help improve other aspects of mens health.

“For male reproductive health, honey was found to protect rat testes from oxidative stress and maintain sexual behaviour in cigarette smoke-exposed rats. It also preserved the quality of sperm when used in semen extenders and served as a spermiogenesis booster.

This particular review looked at studies on both animals and people.

In the human studies, around 20g of honey was administered each day over 3-12 weeks.

So if you’re keen to try manuka honey for testosterone, a daily spoonful or two should give you the best chance of success.

How much honey is needed to increase testosterone levels?

A consistent daily dose of raw manuka honey should give you the best chance at boosting testosterone levels naturally.

In the studies mentioned, 20g was administered with some positive effects.

But there’s a sweet spot. More honey doesn’t necessarily mean more testosterone⁸.

The best way to find your optimal amount is to start small, and build over time.

And remember to always check with your doctor before using anything for medical purposes, even a natural product like honey.

The best honey for testosterone

The best honey to use for any medical purpose is raw manuka honey.

That’s because it has uniquely high levels of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.

It’s also the most regulated honey in the world, so you know that what you’re getting is the real deal.

Unfortunately, a lot of the pure honey you see on the shelves is not always authentic.

The UMF™ grading system of manuka honey is designed to give you the confidence that what’s in the jar has been independently tested and verified.

Shop the best honey for testosterone here.

4 recipes to make with manuka honey for testosterone

The best news about using manuka honey for testosterone?

You get to eat it!

So here are some great recipe ideas that combine manuka honey with other yummy foods believed to boost testosterone¹⁰.

1) A sweet and spicy fish marinade

Fatty fish is packed full of hormone-loving nutrients like vitamin D, zinc, and omega-3.

Simply combine manuka honey with olive oil, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and black pepper for a tantalisingly sweet marinade with a little kick.

2) A nutrient-rich green smoothie

Magnesium is an important mineral for maintaining testosterone levels in men¹¹, and dark leafy greens are packed full of it¹².

Why not blend yourself a delicious green smoothie with spinach, banana, cinnamon, and honey for an energy-fuelled start to your day.

Do you like cocoa?

Cocoa also contains magnesium and beneficial flavonoids that may boost testosterone, so why not treat yourself and substitute the cinnamon for some cocoa.