Honey and Reduced Pain Intensity

Research synthesisLow evidenceModerate effect3 studies · 2 beneficial · 1 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 3 studies, 2 reported beneficial moderate-sized effects of honey on reducing pain intensity, while 1 found no significant benefit. The most robust evidence comes from a meta-analysis of 710 children following tonsillectomy, showing a moderate effect. Evidence is strongest for topical honey application in pediatric post-surgical populations.

Studied populations: children following tonsillectomy

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. The single neutral study in chemotherapy patients suggests effect may not generalize to all pain types. High heterogeneity (I²=92.5%) in the largest meta-analysis indicates variability across included trials.

Generated Jul 10, 2026

Time to effect

Median: 11 days · IQR 9 days–12 days · Range 7 days–2 weeks — Reported in 2 of 3 studies

Safety in these studies

adverse eventsNo significant difference
No significant difference was observed in adverse events (AEs) rates between the natural therapy and acyclovir groups.
from: Superiority of propolis and honey over topical acyclovir for herpes simplex: A meta-analys

3 of 3 papersPopulation:

Local Application of Honey for Postoperative Pain Management and Associated Outcomes Following Tonsillectomy in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- 2024-12-27
- Meta-Analysis · n = 710
- Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery 50(3)
- - Seyed Javad Hosseini
  - Seyed Reza Hosseini
  - Amirreza Jamshidbeigi
  - Gholam Reza Mahmoodi-Shan
  - Fatemeh Hajiabadi
  - Masoud Abdollahi
  - Mahbobeh Firooz
- PubMed: 39730193
- DOI: 10.1111/coa.14276
4 Insights on
- Reduced Pain Intensity
- High evidence
- Children
Pooled effect size showed a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity in the honey intervention group compared to the control group (WMD: -0.90, 95% CI [-1.32, -0.48], p < 0.001, I²: 92.5%)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Superiority of propolis and honey over topical acyclovir for herpes simplex: A meta-analysis.
- 2026-01-06
- Meta-Analysis
- International journal of STD & AIDS 37(5)
- - Nurdjannah Jane Niode
  - Paulus Mario Christopher
  - Trina Ekawati Tallei
- PubMed: 41496519
- DOI: 10.1177/09564624251413431
6 Insights on
- Reduced Pain Intensity
- High evidence
pain intensity (MD: -6.53; p = 0.0002)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Effect of honey-ginger mouthwash on oral mucositis in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
- 2025-03-25
- RCT · n = 70
- Journal of immunoassay & immunochemistry 46(3)
- - Fatemeh Sadat Razavi
  - Hania Zokaee
  - Mojtaba Sehat
  - Mohsen Taghizadeh
  - Hossein Motedayyen
  - Elaheh Ghasemzadeh Hoseini
- PubMed: 40134126
- DOI: 10.1080/15321819.2025.2484645
2 Insights on
- Reduced Pain Intensity
- High evidence
- Clinical
no significant difference was observed in pain intensity between case and control groups during these 14 days
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No

Honey and Reduced Pain Intensity

Local Application of Honey for Postoperative Pain Management and Associated Outcomes Following Tonsillectomy in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Superiority of propolis and honey over topical acyclovir for herpes simplex: A meta-analysis.

Effect of honey-ginger mouthwash on oral mucositis in patients undergoing chemotherapy.