I get a lot of emails from customers. 

And seeing what they have to say about our lovely honeys is one of my favourite daily tasks.

But there’s one type that’s been landing more and more over the past couple of years:

“Tim, I started having a teaspoon of your raw honey every morning and my digestion has really improved. What’s going on?”

I had four or five of these last year alone.

From customers who weren’t even buying honey for that reason... they were just eating it and noticing something.

Now, I’m careful about health claims.

So I always reply the same way: 

I’m glad it’s working for you, but I can’t promise it will for everyone.

But those emails got me curious enough to go digging for a more “well thought out” answer.

And what I found genuinely surprised me.

The Thing Most People Get Wrong

Most people hear “honey” and think: sugar. 

Sugar feeds bad gut bacteria. 

So honey must be bad for my gut.

But raw honey doesn’t behave like refined sugar in your digestive system.

Not even close.

Because alongside fructose and glucose, raw honey also contains oligosaccharides.

Most people haven’t heard of them.

Which is a shame, because they’re the most interesting part of this story.

Oligosaccharides are complex carbohydrates your body can’t fully digest.

They pass through the small intestine largely intact, travel to your colon, and there they become food for your beneficial gut bacteria, specifically strains like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

The technical term is “prebiotic.” 

Not probiotic (live bacteria). 

Prebiotic.

The food that keeps your good bacteria alive and thriving.

A 2022 review in Nutrients confirmed regular honey consumption was linked to measurably increased populations of beneficial gut bacteria.

So honey is actively feeding the good guys!

The Clever Bit

Here’s where it gets remarkable.

Raw honey is simultaneously antimicrobial AND prebiotic. It inhibits harmful bacteria (including H. pylori, linked to stomach ulcers) while actively feeding the beneficial strains at the same time.

Most antibiotics can’t claim that.

They tend to wipe out good and bad bacteria alike.

(I’m not suggesting honey replaces antibiotics.

It absolutely doesn’t.

But as a daily habit, it’s doing something in your gut that refined sugar is most definitely not.)

Not All Raw Honeys Are Equal

Darker varieties (oak, chestnut, forest) carry higher concentrations of the phenolic compounds and flavonoids linked to anti-inflammatory activity in the gut lining.

Luisa’s Forest Honey from Spain and Thomas’ Mountain Oak and Greek Forest consistently test with high Active ratings.

The higher the number, the more bioactive the honey.

If gut health is the reason you’re buying, those are the ones I’d point you toward.

An Honest Caveat

Raw honey is not a medicine, and I’m not suggesting it as a treatment for any specific condition.

If you have a digestive health issue, please speak to your doctor.

What the research does support is that raw honey, in modest daily amounts (a teaspoon or two) does something meaningfully different in your digestive system compared to refined sugar or commercial processed honey.

Our customers are noticing it.

And the research seems to back it up. 

So you’re not imagining it!

__________________________________________

By the way: 

Start with a darker variety and look out for the Active rating badge on the product page. That’s the clearest indicator of bioactivity in the jar.

👉 TheRawHoneyShop.com/collections/active-honeys

Or give us a call on +44 (0)1273 682109.

Always happy to chat.

Tim

 

 

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Sources:

Samarghandian, S. et al. (2017), "Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research," Pharmacognosy Research

Guo, H. et al. (2022), "Prebiotic properties of honey oligosaccharides and gut microbiota modulation," Nutrients

Manyi-Loh, C.E. et al. (2011), "Honey: An overview of its antimicrobial activity and possible mode of action," African Journal of Microbiology Research

Daglia, M. et al. (2013), "Phenolic compounds as antimicrobials and antioxidants," Food Chemistry