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5 Honey & Lemon Water Health Benefits

Michael Bell

Published at: October 2, 2022
Updated at: February 27, 2025

14 minutes

Drinking lemon water with Manuka honey can provide digestive, immune, and detox benefits. This article explores why you should try this tasty combination.

Key Takeaways

Manuka honey from New Zealand contains unique cleansing nutrients not found in regular honey
Combining lemon, Manuka honey, and hot water supports gut and immune health
The natural properties provide a healthy alternative to drinks high in sugar
It can also help soothe sore throats
Manukora ethically sources authentic Manuka honey and uses a tracking system to verify the quality

Manuka Honey VS Regular Honey

	Manuka Honey	Regular Honey
Origin	New Zealand Manuka trees	Various flowers
Taste	Rich, creamy, complex	Varies by flower source
Nutrients	High in flavonoids and methylglyoxal	Less bioactive nutrients
Health Benefits	Natural cleansing properties that support wellness	General antioxidant properties
Consumption	Often consumed for targeted health benefits	Used mainly as a sweetener

What are some differences between Manukora and other Manuka honey brands?

	Manukora	Other Brands
Sourcing	Ethically sourced from NZ Manuka trees	Varies
Processing	Natural, preserves bioactive nutrients	Can use heat that damages nutrients
Quality Control	State-of-the-art tracking system to verify authenticity	Fewer accountability checks
Taste	Rich, creamy, complex flavor	Flavor profiles vary

Comparing Manuka Honey Grades

	MGO 200	MGO 600	MGO 850
MGO Rating	200+	600+	850+
Intensity	Mild	Medium	Strong
Best Use	Everyday Wellness	Targeted support	Max Potency
Flavor	Well-rounded	Robust	Very rich

Manuka Honey Usage Ideas

	Drinks	Foods	Other
Options	Lemon water, tea, smoothies	Yogurt, oatmeal, salad dressings	Straight off the spoon, skincare
Serving Tips	Mix into cool liquids	Drizzle on after cooking	Use topically
Benefits	Easy consumption	Tasty treats	Versatile

Can honey and lemon water help alleviate sore throat discomfort?

Yes, the combination of warm water, lemon, and honey are known to help soothe sore throat discomfort. The lemon provides vitamin C to support immune health while the honey coats and calms irritation.

Does Manuka honey have more health benefits than regular honey?

Yes, Manuka honey contains higher levels of bioactive compounds like methylglyoxal that provide additional cleansing and soothing benefits compared to regular honey. These extra nutrients give Manuka honey more potent medicinal properties.

Executive Summary:

Manuka honey from New Zealand is known for its dark, rich, creamy taste and high flavonoid content. This type of honey contains a unique nutrient, methylglyoxal (MGO) that provides natural cleansing properties. Manukora’s Manuka honey is ethically sourced directly from New Zealand's Manuka tea trees, which bloom for just two to six weeks each year.

Manuka honey is a healthier alternative to common store-bought honey, which often contains unnatural additives that reduce overall quality and spike blood sugar levels. Manukora ensures authenticity through a state-of-the-art tracking system, allowing consumers to verify the MGO grade and trace back the product's harvest location via scannable QR codes on the packaging.

Combining Manuka honey with lemon and hot water creates a beneficial beverage that supports digestive wellness and gut health, assists in the body's natural detox process, soothes sore throats, and strengthens the immune system. Manukora Manuka honey can be enjoyed on its own or added to various foods and drinks. However, consumers should be cautious of high heat, as the bioactive nutrients in Manuka honey are heat-sensitive.

Should You Incorporate Honey & Lemon Water in Your Lifestyle?

Lemon and water is a famous duo. However, adding honey to this beloved hot water beverage can not only appeal to your tastebuds but also support your health in various ways.

Yet, not all honey is created equal.

Personally, we’re preferential to our dark, rich, creamy Manuka honey from New Zealand. So, what makes this honey so special? Here’s what you should know about Manuka honey and how it can add a dash of something special to your lemon water.

What Is Manuka Honey?

Manuka honey comes from the nectar of the Manuka tea tree. Compared to other types of honey, it’s darker in color and has a rich and creamy taste. It also contains the highest amount of flavonoids and a unique nutrient called methylglyoxal (MGO).

This nutrient provides natural cleansing properties and is the reason why Manuka honey is highly sought-after worldwide.

What Makes Manukora’s Manuka Stand Out?

To truly reap the benefits of authentic Manuka honey products, you want to ensure your honey is sourced straight from New Zealand. New Zealand is home to the Manuka tea trees and is where our company Manukora is based.

Surprisingly, the Manuka tea trees only bloom for two to six weeks each year, making this honey a very rare and precious commodity.

During these few weeks a year, Manukora’s honey bees collect the highly active nectar from these trees and begin work on their thick, creamy, amber-colored honey.

Making Honey With All Ethical Practices

While our approach to beekeeping may not be the speediest, it's worth it to avoid disrupting nature’s processes, and we think our bees would agree. We are proud to practice ethical beekeeping — a lost art due to the extra time and care it requires, which other honey brands seldom practice.

The making of Manukora honey involves no unnecessary hive transportation and no refined sugar.

Our beekeepers strive to work with nature as opposed to against her.

This means we always leave enough honey in the frame to get our buzzing friends through the winter.
Similarly, we allow the bees to finish their honey-making process.

It may seem more efficient to remove the honey before the bees have fully dehydrated it. However, this honey ends up requiring heavy processing to remove the excess moisture.

At Manukora, we believe in allowing nature to run its course — and allowing the bees to do what they do best. After all, happy bees make for the best honey.

It's not uncommon for honey to be subject to counterfeit products, either. Suppliers falsely advertise many branded goods to get more bang for their buck; sadly, Manuka honey is one of them.

Fortunately, when you buy from Manukora, we've taken considerable time to create a state-of-the-art tracking system for each one of our products. We wanted a way to share the care that goes into every batch.

Each product has a scannable QR code where you can see the harvest location, meet your beekeeper, and verify the MGO grade through independent lab results.

Why Use Manuka Honey Over Other Types of Honey?

If you've never put much thought into your household honey before, well, that's why we're here. We want to provide you with all the necessary information on Manuka honey and why you should consider this ethically sourced and 100% authentic Manuka honey over other types.

Firstly, you can expect Manuka honey to be darker in color, more complex in taste, and contain higher natural cleansing properties.
Even when advertised otherwise, many types of store-bought honey are actually "adulterated honey," which means they have unnatural additives that cut the production costs and reduce the overall quality.

Adulterated honey may have additives such as honeydew, glucose, dextrose, molasses, sugar, sugar syrup, and inverted sugar.
These additives can significantly spike blood sugar since they tend to increase the sugar content of the product as a whole.

Knowing exactly where your honey comes from is an excellent start to avoiding these unethically produced and distributed types of honey.

To do so, you must have adequate traceability provided by the distributor, like our traceable QR codes found on every product.

Why You Should Try Lemon and Manuka Honey Water

When combined, a teaspoon of honey, lemon juice, and hot water have many beneficial properties. It's so simple to make, and chances are, after a few mornings of this delightful drink, it'll become your daily go-to (right next to your morning coffee).

If you’re not sold yet, here are five more reasons why you should try this match made in heaven.

1. It's a healthy alternative to other sweetened drinks.

It can be easy to fall prey to sipping soda throughout the day. After all, sodas and other sugary drinks are found in almost every vending machine and store.

Even a lot of the juice and bottled teas we drink are loaded with high fructose corn syrup.

Excess consumption of high fructose corn syrup is widely known to contribute to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This means trying anything that cuts out unnecessary sugar consumption may be worthwhile for your overall health and longevity.

Opt for this naturally sweetened water instead. It not only tastes sweet but also keeps you hydrated all day long.

2. It supports digestive wellness and gut health.

If your digestion isn't quite where it should be, it can make going about your regular daily activities difficult. Your gut health affects your body and mind, meaning poor gut health can make things pretty miserable.

An imbalanced gut microbiome can result in mood swings and symptoms like diarrhea, constipation, and bloating. However, lemon and honey water can help provide some backup for your gut.

Drinking a glass of honey and lemon water may help support digestive wellness by aiding your body's natural stomach acid production, which plays a key role in breaking down food and keeping things regular.

Adding a sprinkle of turmeric can also provide additional soothing effects thanks to its natural anti-inflammatory properties.

Tip: It may be better to drink your lemon honey water with food in your stomach, especially if you are prone to heartburn.

Additionally, honey and lemon have natural, immune-supporting properties that may support your body's gut function and microbiome without harming beneficial bacteria. Pair these two with warm water, which may also play a role in supporting healthy gut bacteria, and you’ve got a win-win.

3. It can support your body's natural detox process

A juice cleanse may seem like a good idea, but the growl of an empty stomach might start creeping up long before the cleanse is over. Instead of detoxifying with a fad diet, implement this simple drink into your daily routine.

Lemon is known to support immune health and function with naturally occurring vitamin C (like other citrus fruits). Paired with Manuka honey's natural cleansing properties, it’s a pick-me-up your body will thank you for.

4. It may help naturally soothe a sore throat.

If you have a scratch in your throat that you can't seem to shake, a glass of warm honey and lemon water can help soothe this discomfort.

Many of our Manuka honey customers enjoy a serving of Manuka honey as a home remedy to help coat the throat and calm that scratchy feeling. That way, you can focus on resting and recovering from whatever illness ails you.

5. It can support your immune system.

Cold and flu season can be a doozy, but our bees have been busy at work; hoping you’ll be as comfy this winter as they are.

Drinking a glass of hot honey and lemon water may help clear your respiratory pathways by providing natural soothing properties that can calm feelings of irritation and discomfort.

The small boost of vitamin C from the lemon and the natural nutrients in Manuka honey can also support your immune health when you need it the most.

How to Make the Perfect Honey and Lemon Water Drink

Ingredients:

1 cup of warm water (not boiling)
1 tablespoon of Manuka honey
Juice of half a lemon

Instructions:

Heat water until warm but not boiling.
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the water.
Stir in 1 tablespoon of Manuka honey until fully dissolved.
Enjoy your soothing and health-boosting drink immediately.
This simple recipe supports digestion, detox, and immune health with every sip.

If you prefer your drink cold, follow this recipe instead:

Ingredients:

1 cup of cold water
1 tablespoon of Manuka honey
Juice of half a lemon
Ice cubes (optional)
Fresh mint leaves (optional)

Instructions:

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a glass.
Add 1 tablespoon of Manuka honey and stir until fully dissolved.
Pour in 1 cup of cold water and mix well.
Add ice cubes for extra chill and garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired.
Enjoy your refreshing and health-boosting drink immediately.
This cold version offers the same health benefits while keeping you cool and hydrated.

Other Ways To Use Manuka Honey

Manuka honey can be consumed in more ways than one. Here are a few alternative ways to enjoy your Manuka honey and make it work for you and your lifestyle.

Eat It Straight

The wonderful thing about our Manuka honey is that you don’t have to add it to anything to enjoy it. With its unique rich flavor, creamy, rich texture, hints of floral taste, and superpower potency, you can enjoy Manukora Manuka honey all on its own as a part of your daily wellness routine.

Try a teaspoon of our 600+ MGO Manuka honey in the morning on an empty stomach to kickstart your wellness journey.

Add It to Your Favorite Foods and Drinks as a Healthy Indulgence

Drinking honey and lemon water is wonderful, but you can always add your Manuka honey to your favorite culinary delights — think of it as a healthy indulgence.

Drizzle some on your ice cream, or for a kick, mix Manukora honey into chili paste as a spicy honey alternative. Spicy Manuka honey is delicious on brick oven pizza, fried rice, and even desserts.

Suppose you want to gain the full benefits of this incredible honey, be sure to mix it in after cooking or once any liquid has cooled after boiling (think lukewarm or less than 150 degrees Fahrenheit!). In that case, the bioactive nutrients in Manuka honey are susceptible to heat. Alternatively, adding it to smoothies or yogurt is also a great way to enjoy its sweetness.

The Bottom Line

Lemon water with Manuka honey is rich in natural cleansing and soothing properties. Yes, you can get honey at any grocery store, but that's not to say it'll be the same quality or taste as Manuka honey — and it won’t carry the same beneficial compounds. It’s called Honey With Superpowers™ for a reason.

If you explore the potential benefits of Manuka honey, be sure to find a brand you trust — this way, counterfeit Manuka honey won't be your concern.

In the world of Manuka honey, it's intriguing to discover the varying strengths and uses of this unique product.

Experienced honey connoisseurs might prefer the intense properties of Manuka Honey MGO 600 UMF 16. Additionally, the convenience of MGO 850 10-Pack Stick Packets makes enjoying Manuka honey on-the-go simple and mess-free.

Beyond just consumption, learning about the taste of Manuka honey, how to choose the right Manuka honey, and its use in honey tea can enhance your appreciation. Moreover, understanding the pivotal role of the queen bee in the hive brings a deeper respect for this natural wonder.

These buzzing bees play a key role in our ecosystem. The bees also work hard to create honey from the Manuka tea tree, meaning their sweet and highly active nectar should never be taken for granted. Ethical beekeeping is a novel art — and we at Manukora believe in allowing bees to do what they do best.

The extra patience is worth it for good health and a clean conscience.

For more articles on our Manuka and how to use this amazing Honey With Superpowers™ to support your wellness, explore the rest of the Manukora blog here.

FAQs

I've heard that lemon and honey water can support digestion. How does it work?

Drinking honey and lemon water may aid in promoting digestive wellness. The combination supports your body's natural production of stomach acid, essential for breaking down food.

Additionally, lemon and honey have natural properties that may help balance the gut microbiome without harming the beneficial bacteria, providing overall support for gut health.

Is honey and lemon water a suitable detox drink?

Yes, honey and lemon water can support your body's natural detox process. The natural cleansing properties of Manuka honey, combined with the immune-supporting properties of lemon, which contains naturally occurring vitamin C, make this combination a beneficial daily detox drink.

It provides a natural pick-me-up for the body without resorting to restrictive juice cleanses.

Can honey and lemon water help soothe a sore throat or cough?

Warm honey and lemon water can help maintain a healthy, comfortable throat.

The warm water combined with the natural soothing properties of lemon and the coating effect of honey can provide immediate comfort for throat discomfort.

How does honey and lemon water compare to other sweetened beverages in terms of health benefits?

Honey and lemon water is a healthier alternative to many commercially sweetened drinks, which often contain high fructose corn syrup or other artificial sweeteners.

Opting for this naturally sweetened beverage helps reduce unnecessary sugar consumption while also providing hydration and the health benefits associated with honey and lemon.