Overview

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Honey is a sweet fluid made by honeybees using the nectar of flowering plants. There are many different kinds of honey because there are many kinds of flowers. Honey can vary in color, smell and taste.

Honey is mostly sugar. People may use it to make foods sweeter. It has other ingredients that can help kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. Honey may help lower swelling and irritation, also called inflammation. People may eat honey, use it in a mouth rinse, or apply it as an eye cream or eye drop. Honey may be added to wound dressings, such as gauze.