Reader story — Andre, Canada. Health focus: hormone imbalance.
Andre's story below is a personal, individual account. It's a powerful read, and we're grateful he shared it — but throughout this article we've added context from the current research so you can understand what's well-supported, what's promising-but-preliminary, and what remains, honestly, unproven. This is educational information, not medical advice, and it isn't a claim that Manuka honey treats or corrects hormone imbalance, thyroid conditions, or any diagnosed condition.
The low-down on low testosterone
Hormones are tiny chemical messengers with a big responsibility. It's their job to carry messages through our bloodstream and around our bodies to our muscles, organs, and other tissues. It's also their responsibility to tell our bodies what to do, and when to do it.
Low testosterone levels are thought to affect a meaningful share of men over the age of 30, yet it's an issue few people talk about. It can happen for a range of reasons — from ageing to emotional challenges, injuries to medical conditions. If left unchecked, this treatable condition may contribute to serious health problems such as osteoporosis and lowered red blood cell production.
A quick, important note on the research: we are not aware of any clinical or preclinical study — including the most recent reviews of Manuka honey's therapeutic claims — that has directly tested Manuka honey's effect on testosterone, other sex hormones, or thyroid hormone levels, in humans or animals. That means claims that Manuka honey raises testosterone or corrects a hormone imbalance are, at this point, personal anecdote rather than evidence-supported outcomes. Andre's experience is his own and is shared here as one person's story, not an expected result. If you're experiencing persistent symptoms of suspected hormone imbalance — fatigue, weight change, mood changes, or menstrual irregularity — these warrant evaluation by a qualified clinician rather than self-management with honey or any food product.
I first noticed something wasn't quite right when I started having digestive issues. Every time I ate I'd end up with acid reflux, uncomfortable wind, and my bowel movements had become irregular.
When I was diagnosed with a hormone imbalance, I also learned it can be more common as we age. But with my diagnosis came a whole lot of other health-related issues — inflammation in the body, low thyroid, gum concerns, and dry eyes. A hormone imbalance doesn't necessarily affect everyone the same way; how it appears in the body can differ. Some people have thyroid problems, some have diabetes, and some have high blood pressure — but it's often connected to inflammation in the body.
The road to rebalance
I knew something needed to change, but I wanted to avoid pharmaceutical medication if I could. I wanted a natural approach. So I went online and researched what I could do for my hormone imbalance and what options there were among natural, food-based supports. That's when I came across Manuka honey. I started to look into Manuka honey and hormones and whether it might also help with my stomach concerns, and I felt I had nothing to lose.
My Manuka honey journey began with a lower-grade product, but I struggled to find a high enough UMF™ grade, and I couldn't trace where the honey had originally come from. That made me question its authenticity. I wanted a product that was genuinely sourced from New Zealand, so I could be confident in what I was taking. That's when I switched to a fully traceable Manuka honey — the QR code on the outside of the jar meant I could trace the origin of the honey.
What's actually in the honey?
Before getting into how Andre used his honey day to day, it's worth understanding what Manuka honey is chemically, since this is where the strongest evidence currently sits. Manuka honey's composition includes methylglyoxal, glyoxal, and a range of polyphenolic compounds, and laboratory research links these compounds to antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in test-tube (in vitro) assays. This is chemical and compositional evidence — it tells us what's in the honey and how it behaves in a lab dish, but on its own it does not establish that consuming Manuka honey addresses systemic inflammation, hormone imbalance, or thyroid conditions inside the body. There's also early cell-culture research suggesting that methylglyoxal derived from Manuka honey can enhance activation of MAIT cells, a subset of immune T-cells involved in microbial sensing and mucosal immunity. Again, this is a laboratory mechanism finding only — it hasn't been tested in humans, and it doesn't demonstrate that eating Manuka honey modulates whole-body inflammation or autoimmune-type conditions.
It's also worth being upfront that a recent review of Manuka honey research explicitly flags that grading standards, safety and efficacy claims, and so-called "implied benefits" remain contested topics within the field. Broad wellness claims — including effects on hormone balance, thyroid function, or systemic inflammation — are not settled by current scientific consensus, and should be treated as an open question pending further controlled research, not an established fact.
I have been using Manuka Honey UMF™ 24+ | MGO 1122 daily for about six months now. I take it twice a day — one raw teaspoon first thing in the morning with a big glass of water on an empty stomach, and another at night. After I've taken it, I avoid eating for a while.
On the digestive side, it's worth noting what controlled research has (and hasn't) found so far. A randomised, double-blind, crossover trial in 20 healthy adults who consumed 20g of UMF™ 20+ Manuka honey daily for four weeks found no measurable change in major gut bacterial groups, and the researchers explicitly noted that anecdotal claims of digestive benefit were not supported by their data. In other words, reported improvements in digestion by honey users — anecdotal reports like Andre's included — aren't yet backed by controlled evidence of a gut-microbiome mechanism, at least in healthy people over that timeframe. That doesn't mean individual experiences like Andre's aren't real or meaningful to him, only that the underlying "why" isn't yet scientifically pinned down. It's also worth flagging that 20g of honey a day is a meaningful amount of sugar — anyone managing diabetes or blood glucose should speak with a clinician before adding regular honey intake, in any form, to their diet.
I also really struggled with sore, inflamed gums that would bleed easily. So one night I decided to massage a little honey into my gums before bed, and over time I felt the soreness settle. On this front, there is at least some small clinical signal worth mentioning: a small pilot study (30 participants, over 21 days) found that chewing a Manuka honey "leather" confectionery with UMF™ 15 activity was associated with reduced plaque scores and gingival bleeding compared with sugarless gum. This is genuinely encouraging, but it's preliminary evidence from one small trial rather than a large or replicated study, so it's fair to describe it as suggestive rather than conclusive for gum health — and it's a separate line of evidence entirely from anything related to hormones.
Over a couple of weeks I felt a difference in my body. Today, my acid reflux is much less troublesome, and my bowel movements feel more regular. I feel more like myself again.
"A couple of weeks is all it took for me to start noticing a change in my body." — Andre
The quality of the honey is like nothing else, and it tastes wonderful. Once I learned that authentic Manuka honey is 100% sourced from New Zealand and undergoes rigorous testing to ensure its quality, I was convinced.
Manuka honey has helped me feel like myself again
I've already recommended Manuka honey to my friends and family, especially those who also deal with inflammatory issues. I've bought quite a few jars and given them to family members, and some of them feel they've noticed a shift too. For me, it's become a valued part of my daily wellness routine.
"Some might say it's a little pricey, but I think it's worth it for something I take every day." — Andre
Manuka honey has become part of how I support my wellbeing alongside my hormone imbalance, digestive concerns, and acid reflux — and I'm grateful I found it.
A note on dry eyes
Andre listed dry eyes among his health concerns, and it's one area where a relevant clinical trial does exist, even though it wasn't part of his own honey-use routine. A randomised, masked trial in 25 healthy volunteers tested a Manuka-honey-derived eye cream used overnight for two weeks. It was found to be safe and well tolerated, but the study did not detect measurable improvements in tear film parameters, ocular surface health, or inflammatory markers. This was a safety and tolerability study conducted in healthy people rather than in patients with diagnosed dry eye or blepharitis, so it doesn't demonstrate a treatment effect on dry eye symptoms — it supports the idea that this type of formulation is safe to use on the skin around the eyes, not that it treats dry eye. It's also worth noting that this kind of cosmetic-grade eye cream is a different product category entirely from the food-grade honey Andre was eating and applying to his gums.
Could Manuka honey support your wellness routine?
Andre experienced a hormone imbalance, inflammation in the body, low thyroid, gum concerns, and dry eyes. He found that incorporating Manuka honey into his daily routine coincided with improvements he noticed in his own body. We're so thankful to Andre for sharing his story. If you're looking for a product to help support your wellness routine, Manuka honey could be worth exploring — but as the research above shows, it should be understood as a complement to, not a replacement for, professional medical care, particularly for anything hormone-related. It's worth learning about the specific UMF™ grades to see which strength is right for you.