Do you know of any food that can last for more than 3,000 years without spoiling?
Archaeologists have found jars of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are still edible today.
These days, honey, along with other herbal remedies, gets increasingly credited on social media as a cure for a wide range of aches and ailments.
Increasing online health claims
A meta-analysis of 37 studies found that approximately 80 per cent of people search for health-related information online, making the internet the most widely used source of health information.
With a sea of medical advice available at the click of a button, should we really believe everything we consume online?
Carrie Mullin Innes, a Calgary-based registered nutritionist specializing in sports nutrition and an instructor at Mount Royal University, warns people should proceed with caution when encountering wellness claims online.
“People always need to consider the sources of their information and be aware of marketing or influencing strategies,” said Innes in an email interview with the Calgary Journal.
As more people turn to social media, have home remedies become so accessible that they can easily replace medications made with ingredients from their own kitchens, rather than consulting a medical professional?
Online claims about honey and pepper
Honey, known for its potential benefits, often gets described by online wellness accounts as a superfood mixed with black pepper that can work magic to boost the immune system and improve respiratory health.
The recipe promoted online is simple: take one spoon of honey, add crushed black pepper, and it promises immunity and relief from coughs and congestion.
This claim is frequently shared on Instagram, TikTok, and blogs without citing scientific evidence. In several TikTok videos, users including @healthcravelife, @rajoworld, and @aribasfoodmood promote the remedy as aiding with “dry cough” and offering “fast, natural relief when you need it most.”
Khalispur, an organic online grocery store, promotes the remedy on its Instagram as “Nature’s Healing Duo,” saying that it can also aid in weight loss and promote healthy skin.
Traditional medicine globally
Herbal remedies have been used for thousands of years, with origins in regions such as ancient Egypt, South Asia, China, and ancient Greece, and continue to play an important role in many cultures and religions today.
The National Library of Medicine reported that as many as four billion people — representing 80 per cent of the world’s population — rely on herbal medicine as a primary source of healthcare.
The World Health Organization reports that 88 per cent of its Member States, or 170 countries, acknowledged their use of traditional and complementary medicine, which may help explain why these remedies continue to gain popularity online.
But what does research tell us about the effects of honey and black pepper?
What science says about honey
Scientific research shows that honey has health benefits.
According to Mayo Clinic, honey can help soothe coughing and provide relief.
“Honey alone may work as well as medicines available without a prescription to lessen coughing,” reads the top-ranked U.S. hospital’s website.
Researchers studied people and children with upper respiratory tract infections. The results showed that honey appeared as effective as diphenhydramine, commonly known as Benadryl, but further testing is needed to confirm this.
According to a 2021 study published in the Science & Sports journal, the benefits of honey include serving as an energy source with antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiseptic effects, as well as dehydrating bacteria.
“Honey,” the research concluded, “has been found to have an inhibitory effect to around 60 species of bacteria…the antibiotics destroy the membrane of bacteria’s cell or inhibit intracellular metabolic pathways.”
Researchers also found that honey can treat many eye conditions and several bacterial gastrointestinal infections, and may also help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, according to a 2021 review.
Researchers in a 2021 study concluded that diluting honey with water daily, “combined with intensive aerobic exercise and physical training, proved to be very useful for both the immune system and physical performances of athletes.”
This study also confirms Khalispur’s claim that “nature’s healing duo” can aid in weight loss.
“Because honey contains many sugars, it would be expected to increase the body weight, but if it is used in small amounts, it actually reduces the body weight,” according to the study by Gheorge Ilia, Vasile Simulescu, Mergheș Petru Eugen, and Narcis Ion Varan.
What science says about black pepper
Clinical research demonstrates the beneficial effects and bioactive properties of black pepper, particularly its active ingredient, piperine.
Studies show how piperine can help relax and open the airways. Researchers conducted experiments on both rat and guinea pig tissue to assess the effects of bronchospasm. The findings concluded that reduced airway spasms were achieved by blocking calcium and boosting muscle-relaxation signals.
Research shows that black pepper may help treat disorders such as bronchitis and asthma by relaxing airway muscles and reducing inflammation in the throat.
Piperine aids in “antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions that enhance mucus clearance and promote respiratory relief.”
Innes said piperine can act as a bronchodilator, and “theoretically it could help to treat bronchitis,” due to its effects.
According to a 2021 study, black pepper helps relieve discomfort, stiffness, chills, influenza, colds, muscle aches, and fever. It has antimicrobial and antimutagenic properties, strengthens cells, reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels in overweight and obese individuals, and inhibits carcinogenesis.
Researchers say that black pepper is used to treat vitiligo, and is useful in preventing neurodegenerative diseases and diseases related to the heart:
“Owing to its antiviral properties and its role of acting as an immunity booster, it has a significant importance in the current covid scenario. Black pepper is considered as a kind of cancer prevention agent.”
Researchers also reported that piperine is found in a few cough syrups on the market, such as “Dry & Wet Cough Syrup Ayurvedic Koff Kranti.”
“The piperine allegedly has antibacterial and antiviral properties that help reduce throat inflammation.”
Malavika Athavale, a consulting clinical and IBS Nutritionist, confirms Khalispur’s claim that “nature’s healing duo” can promote skin health.
“A study found that applying a black pepper-based cream combined with UV treatment helped in skin repigmentation in Vitiligo disease,” wrote Dr. Athavale. “Black pepper is also said to curb wrinkles and skin problems like dark spots…it may help your skin flush away the intoxicants and rejuvenate it.”
Does the combination work better?
Scientists haven’t conducted studies on the benefits of black pepper and honey alone. However, some studies involve other herbs.
A study involving 30 participants with an acute cough gave participants a ginger-honey-black pepper syrup. Researchers found “there was a progressive and clinically meaningful reduction in cough severity over time.”
“The present research clearly demonstrates that the homemade herbal syrup prepared from ginger, honey, and black pepper provides substantial and rapid relief from acute cough, throat irritation, and sleep disturbance, reaffirming the therapeutic potential of traditional household remedies in managing common respiratory symptoms,” reads the report.
However, Innes said this study lacks a control group of an equal number of subjects who received a placebo treatment and therefore has limitations.
“It is also important to consider that supplements or treatments can exert placebo effects, meaning that if we believe something will help us, it does,” said Innes.
She also said there are other studies that look at the effects of honey and black pepper individually, but the results are based only on animal studies, which “lack details on dosing and comparing results to control groups.”
Innes said scientific evidence regarding this claim is not clear.
“Our immune system relies on a lot of factors to keep it functioning optimally, such as good nutrition, rest, and avoiding harmful pathogens,” said Innes. “Simply consuming a home remedy of black pepper and honey to enhance our immune system is very simplified.”
The final verdict on pepper and honey
Innes said this remedy is “mostly harmless but also misleading.” She said the combination of honey and black pepper may provide temporary relief.
“Black pepper can produce a warming sensation and could induce a cough, which may help to expel mucus in the lungs from a cold,” said Innes.
“Honey, given its texture, may coat your throat, and thereby reduce irritation and alleviate soreness,” she added.
Innes said that due to honey’s acidity, it may exert some antiviral and antibacterial effects, but because honey is mostly made up of simple sugars like fructose and glucose, it contains small quantities of antioxidants, not enough anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial properties to cure an average virus or bacterial illness, hence it’s unlikely to be high enough to exert therapeutic benefits.
“Honey may not act any better than sucking on a lozenge or candy or drinking a warm drink,” said Innes.
She said people using this combination would need to know when to seek medical treatment for their symptoms.
“The efficacy of honey and black pepper to cure or heal one from a common cold or cough are scientifically lacking and extends beyond the capabilities of the ingredients,” said Innes. “One may find temporary relief of their cough or cold symptoms, but they should be skeptical that the combination will produce positive, long-lasting and reproducible results.”
So, while honey and pepper may add flavour to our food, they’re not the cure-all that some social media influencers claim.
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