Safety and side effects

Honey is likely safe for use as a natural sweetener, cough treatment, and product used to treat minor sores and wounds.

Avoid giving honey, even a tiny taste, to babies under the age of 1 year. Honey can cause a rare but serious digestive condition called infant botulism. Raw honey may have cells in it that bacteria use to make more bacteria called spores. The spores can grow and multiply in a baby's gut. They can make a harmful toxin that can make a baby ill. The spores don't seem to affect adults or children in the same way.

The most common side effects from honey include:

• Nausea.
• Belly pain.
• Vomiting.
• Stinging after putting honey on the skin.

Some people are sensitive or allergic to honey. Honey may have bee pollen in it. Bee pollen allergies rarely can cause serious reactions. Symptoms may include:

• Wheezing and other problems breathing.
• Dizziness.
• Weakness.
• Sweating.
• Fainting.
• Irregular heart rhythms, called arrhythmias.