Honey is appreciated the world over as one of Nature’s most delicious foods, but did you know it may have potent anti-flu activity as well? A fascinating new study published in the Archives of Medical Research titled, “Anti-influenza Viral Effects of Honey In Vitro: Potent High Activity of Manuka Honey,” reveals that honey may actually provide a natural drug alternative to anti-flu drugs, but without the notorious side effects associated with this drug class which includes Tamiflu. The study tested a commonly researched H1N1 influenza strain known as A/WSN/3, infecting MadineDarby canine kidney (MDCK) cells with the virus, and then exposing them to various forms of honey, including manuka (L. scoparium), soba (F. esculentum; buckwheat), kanro (honeydew), acacia (R. pseudoacacia), and renge (A. sinicus). Honey’s Potent Anti-Viral Properties Against Influenza The anti-influenza virus effects of the honey samples were evaluated by growing MDCK cells in 48-well plates and infecting them with influenza virus …