Finding relief from shingles with Manuka Honey

New Zealand Honey Co. customer since October 2024

Age: 67

Location: Arizona, United States

Health concern: Shingles I Immunity

Manuka Honey: New Zealand Honey Co. UMF™ 28+ | MGO 1450+

Manuka Honey has helped me recover from shingles and become a part of my daily routine. I’ve seen its benefits firsthand, and I even recommend it to people I talk to, as I believe it can support health and immunity. For me and my husband, it’s been a great addition to our wellness journey.

— Sue

Shingles - a viral infection that can affect anyone.

• Shingles, or herpes zoster, is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, which lies dormant in the nervous system after a person has had chickenpox.
• When the virus reactivates, often due to a weakened immune system or aging, it leads to a painful rash, usually on one side of the body or face.
• While shingles is more common in older adults, it can occur at any age, especially in those with weakened immune systems.
• Symptoms include intense pain, itching, and blisters. Though not directly contagious, the virus can spread to someone who hasn’t had chickenpox, causing them to develop it.
• Shingles is commonly treated with antiviral medications to reduce severity, but pain management is also important, as some people experience lingering pain even after the rash heals. For some people, nerve pain (postherpetic neuralgia) can persist for weeks or months after the rash itself has cleared, which is why clinicians often emphasise early antiviral treatment and ongoing pain management alongside any home comfort measures.

Because shingles is caused by a virus rather than bacteria, it's worth understanding upfront that most of what is well-documented about Manuka Honey relates to its antibacterial and wound-supportive properties, not to viral infections specifically. We'll come back to that distinction below.

A natural way to ease shingles symptoms and feel healthier

When I got shingles three weeks ago, I decided to try applying New Zealand Honey Co.’s Manuka honey to the affected areas. I had researched Manuka Honey and learned about its benefits for overall health, which led me to believe it might help. Every night, I would put a layer of honey directly onto the shingles. By the next morning, I could see visible improvements - the affected areas looked better, and the discomfort was easing. By the end of the week, my shingles had cleared up completely!

I don’t just use Manuka Honey for specific uses like shingles - it’s also become a daily part of my life. For shingles, I used the higher UMF™ 28+ grade for its stronger properties, while for everyday use, my husband and I enjoy a lower UMF™ grade, sometimes adding it to tea. We both take a spoonful each morning, and the honey’s smooth taste, which isn’t overly sweet like regular honey, makes it easy to enjoy every day.

Since starting, we’ve both noticed that we’ve stayed healthy, even when others around us were catching colds or feeling run down. I believe it’s been a great addition to our efforts to stay well.

I’ve been so impressed with New Zealand Honey Co.’s Manuka Honey that I now recommend it to others, sharing how it helped with my shingles and overall wellness. Even my sister, who lives in South Korea, has heard about my positive experience and is interested in trying it.

What the research actually shows (and where it stops)

Sue's experience is a personal account, and it's a genuinely encouraging one — but it's worth pairing any personal story like this with a clear-eyed look at the underlying research, so readers can make informed decisions rather than assuming a proven cause-and-effect.

Manuka Honey's antibacterial reputation is well established in laboratory chemistry. Laboratory chemical analysis has identified methylglyoxal (MGO) as the dominant antibacterial compound in New Zealand Manuka Honey, present at up to 100-fold higher levels than in conventional honeys.[1] That's a meaningful finding, but it's specifically about bacteria — it explains Manuka Honey's antibacterial reputation and does not, by itself, establish any effect on viral infections such as shingles, which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus rather than bacteria.

When it comes to viruses specifically, the laboratory evidence is thinner and more indirect. In laboratory conditions, Manuka Honey has demonstrated antiviral activity against bacteriophages used as "viral surrogates."[2] Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, not human cells, and they are not the varicella-zoster virus responsible for shingles. No published research currently tests Manuka Honey directly against herpesviruses in human cells or in patients, so any suggestion that Manuka Honey acts against the shingles virus specifically is not currently supported by direct evidence. This doesn't mean it's disproven — it simply hasn't been studied yet in that specific context.

There is also emerging cell-based research into how compounds in Manuka Honey might interact with the immune system more broadly. In vitro laboratory studies using isolated human immune cells suggest that methylglyoxal derived from Manuka Honey can enhance activation of MAIT cells, a T-cell subset involved in antimicrobial immune sensing.[3] This is a plausible immunomodulatory mechanism observed in cell culture — an interesting early clue about how the body's immune sensing machinery might respond to compounds in Manuka Honey — but it is not a demonstrated clinical effect on immunity, infection recovery, or shingles outcomes in living people.

What about the daily spoonful habit that Sue and her husband have built into their routine? Here the clinical evidence is more mixed than marketing often suggests. In a randomised, double-blind crossover trial of 20 healthy adults aged 42–64, daily consumption of 20g of Manuka Honey (UMF 20+) for four weeks was well tolerated, with no allergic response and no adverse change to gut microbial populations.[4] Reassuringly, that means daily oral Manuka Honey appeared safe for these healthy adults over the trial period. However, the same trial found no evidence that Manuka Honey improved beneficial gut bacteria levels compared with baseline, despite anecdotal claims. This tempers, rather than supports, claims that daily Manuka Honey consumption measurably boosts immunity in healthy people — even though many people, like Sue, report feeling like they get sick less often. Honey of any kind is also a source of free sugars, so people managing diabetes or blood-sugar-sensitive conditions should factor that into how they use it day to day.

On the topical side, applying honey directly to skin does have more clinical grounding — though in a different context than a shingles rash. In a small, non-randomised clinical study of 17 patients with chronic non-healing leg ulcers (venous, arterial, mixed and pressure ulcers), topical Manuka Honey dressings were associated with a statistically significant reduction in wound surface pH over two weeks, which correlated with reduced wound size.[5] It's important to note that this population and wound type — chronic vascular or pressure ulcers in a clinical wound-care setting — differs substantially from a herpes zoster rash, and the study did not assess viral infections or pain outcomes at all. It's also worth flagging that these dressings were medical-grade wound products, not the food-grade honey sold for eating, and the two should not be assumed interchangeable.

Animal research adds another layer of preclinical plausibility for topical skin-healing effects. In a rat excision-wound model, topical Manuka Honey achieved faster wound contraction and epithelialisation than acacia honey or standard treatment in both diabetic and non-diabetic animals.[6] This is encouraging preclinical work, but it's an animal model, not a human study, and not a viral lesion model — so it cannot be extrapolated to human shingles blisters or rash resolution without direct clinical study. Diabetic readers should also note this was an animal model of diabetes, not evidence of safety or effect in people managing diabetes themselves.

Stepping back to the broader literature, a 2024 review of Manuka Honey research describes evidence — mostly from in vitro and animal studies, with some clinical data — for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activity attributed to compounds including methylglyoxal and various phenolics.[7] The same review is candid about unresolved controversies around grading systems, implied health benefits, and safety thresholds across the industry. Importantly, no study identified in that review addresses shingles, herpes zoster, or varicella-zoster virus directly, so any claim of benefit for shingles specifically extends beyond the current evidence base.

None of this is meant to diminish what Sue experienced. Personal, lived experience matters, and honey's long history of traditional topical use is part of why researchers are interested in studying it further. But the honest summary is: the antibacterial and general immune-supporting properties of Manuka Honey are reasonably well documented in the lab, while its effect on viral conditions like shingles specifically has not yet been studied directly.

Manuka Honey UMF™ 28+ | MGO 1450+

Struggling with shingles and searching for natural relief? Sue recommends UMF™ 28+

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We do not recommend Manuka Honey as a replacement for seeking professional medical help. If you're feeling unwell, please seek medical advice and always consult medical professionals in an emergency.

What is the best Manuka Honey for the Immune System?

Manuka Honey has been shown to impact the immune system directly through immunomodulation, and indirectly by fighting bacteria, boosting tissue growth, and generally helping us live healthier lives. As outlined above, much of this evidence currently sits at the level of laboratory chemistry, cell culture, and animal models, with a smaller and more mixed body of human clinical trials — so it's best understood as a promising and actively-researched area rather than a settled, proven outcome for any one condition.

READ MORE

Research references

1. Chemical analysis identifying methylglyoxal as the dominant antibacterial compound in New Zealand Manuka Honey (corpus 06e15371-3c5f-4c7d-923c-63e92bc62e75).
2. Laboratory study of Manuka Honey against bacteriophage viral surrogates (corpus 34977c7e-43ba-4799-9048-d75a3118c5da).
3. In vitro study of methylglyoxal and MAIT cell activation using human immune cells (corpus 928466bd-921b-4711-9649-faf0006f37d7).
4. Randomised double-blind crossover trial of daily oral Manuka Honey and gut microbiota in healthy adults (corpus b6a54a59-a96d-4575-8ee1-53dc066b2f7c).
5. Observational clinical study of topical Manuka Honey dressings on chronic leg ulcers (corpus 11612c35-49ad-481c-9ecf-da56fe7979d7).
6. Rat excision-wound model comparing topical Manuka Honey, acacia honey, and standard treatment (corpus 2dcbd513-448f-4125-a4fd-d909bd8b69b8).
7. 2024 review of Manuka Honey research on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties (corpus 7b375c4f-7323-4024-8b79-b36daf63b122).

Cautions

• This page is for general health information only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment instructions. Manuka Honey is not established by clinical research as a treatment or cure for shingles (herpes zoster) or its symptoms.
• Shingles can involve severe pain, high fever, eye involvement, or signs of secondary infection. Anyone experiencing these symptoms, or with a weakened immune system, should speak to a clinician promptly rather than relying on self-care measures described here.
• Honey of any kind, including Manuka Honey, must never be given to infants under 12 months of age due to the risk of infant botulism. This applies to both oral consumption and any accidental ingestion from topical use.
• Food-grade Manuka Honey (as sold for eating) is different from medical-grade Manuka Honey wound dressings used under clinical supervision; the evidence and safety profile for each should not be assumed to be interchangeable.
• People managing diabetes or blood-sugar-sensitive conditions should be aware that honey is a source of free sugars and should consider this before regular oral use.
• People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or considering topical or oral Manuka Honey use, should discuss this with a clinician, as none of the research summarised here was conducted specifically in pregnant populations.