Sneezing in South Brooklyn wrote:
Can local honey help with springtime allergies? If so, how does it work, how should it be used, and where can I find a good variety for my location?
Dear Sneezing,
The short answer, in language you would surely understand: fuhgeddaboudit.
Seriously, I checked with one of our consulting doctors and he said there’s no evidence that it works although it’s a charming myth. I also looked it up in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI–pronounced Jackie) and found no listings for it. You can find discussion of anaphylaxis to honey related to pollens in the honey itself and also possibly some components of bee venom, which is a very dangerous allergen, on the AAAAI website. Go to AAAAI.org and search for “honey”.
I did search for a local supplier and found one who produces from “sturdy Fort Greene bees” at BrooklynBee.com, although he is out of stock. However, I don’t know if Fort Greene is local enough for you even if it did work. I can only imagine that for bees to live in Brooklyn they would have to be very tough. Good luck.
Henry Ehrlich