Manuka Honey vs Regular Honey: What’s the Difference?

It’s commonly said that honey provides benefits to our daily wellbeing, but with there being a plentiful supply of different types of honeys on the market, it can get confusing how to choose the one that best suits your needs.

If you’ve heard about the benefits of MANUKA HONEY, but aren’t sure what the difference is between that and ‘normal’, culinary honey, here is our handy guide:

The Differences Between Culinary Honey and Manuka Honey

As the majority of honey brands that you may see on a supermarket shelf will probably be intended for culinary use, they are usually pasteurised and filtered. Heated and treated, ‘culinary honey’ is always runny, in a golden liquid form and the heating process reduces the same beneficial nutrients as what are contained in unprocessed honey. Some of the nutrients that are stripped from unprocessed honey include vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes; key elements that may offer benefits to wellbeing.

UMF™ Manuka honey, on the other hand, is subjected to very little processing; from the hive to the cupboard, it’s carefully handled, monitored and tested in order to ensure its purity. Native to the rural splendour of New Zealand’s North Island, the Manuka flower naturally contains MGO, DHA and Leptosperin – the three chemical markers of genuine Manuka that have been studied to have positive effects on our wellbeing. As such, it has been suggested that unprocessed Manuka may provide helpful benefits to our daily wellbeing.

However, it has been a common occurrence for MGO to be added to honey after it has been harvested. Therefore, in order to ensure the genuine production and sale of Manuka, the UMF™ (UNIQUE MANUKA FACTOR) RATING SYSTEM was created. Awarded by an independent body (the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association) the UMF™ tests for those three specific markers of genuine Manuka. Not all harvested Manuka will be at the same level of potency – this is why UMF™-tested Manuka is accompanied by a number that grades its qualities; the higher the UMF™ number, the more potent the Manuka.