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Why Dr Josh Axe Recommends Manukora Mānuka Honey to His Audience of Nearly 2 Million

If I were choosing one Mānuka honey for a serious daily wellness ritual, this is where I would start. Here is why Manukora MGO 850+ earns that recommendation, and why I would not settle for an unverified alternative.

Dr Josh Axe
Dr Josh Axe, DC Natural-wellness educator and bestselling author
8 min readComments
Dr Josh Axe discussing how to choose Mānuka honey

I have spent years helping people separate useful wellness ingredients from fashionable labels. My conclusion on Mānuka honey is simple: if you are serious about adding it to your daily health routine, choose a jar that proves its potency. For me, that jar is Manukora MGO 850+.

Most honey is bought for sweetness. Mānuka is different. It is naturally rich in bioactive compounds, and its best-known marker, methylglyoxal, or MGO, is the reason a high-grade jar has a place in a more intentional wellness routine.

Manukora MGO 850+ is the option I recommend because it combines high certified potency with the provenance, testing and traceability I want to see. It is not simply another jar carrying the Mānuka name. There's also higher potencies for the ultimate wellbeing ritual.

Making Mānuka honey a part of your wellness routine is easy. With just 1 spoonful, once a day, experience full-body benefits.

Why I put MGO 850+ in the health conversation

MGO is a naturally occurring compound found at unusually high concentrations in genuine Mānuka honey. In laboratory testing, it is a major contributor to Mānuka honey's non-peroxide antibacterial activity. The number on the jar measures its concentration in milligrams per kilogram.

Manukora positions MGO 850+ as its high-potency daily option for digestive health, gut balance and immune support. That is the health story behind the number: not vague “superfood” language, but a specific compound in a measured, repeatable daily ritual.

Digestive health

Manukora highlights naturally occurring prebiotic oligosaccharides as part of the honey's gut-health story.

Immune support

A daily spoonful of bioactive Mānuka offers a food-first way to support an existing wellness routine.

Everyday balance

Rich flavour and a simple ritual make consistency feel easier than adding another capsule.

Mānuka flowers growing in remote New Zealand

The number that separates serious Mānuka from shelf decoration

Two jars can both say “Mānuka” while offering very different potency. A certified MGO 850+ batch contains at least 850 mg of methylglyoxal per kilogram at testing. That gives you a real specification instead of a premium-sounding adjective.

For a daily wellness product, I want that clarity. I want the minimum concentration stated, independent testing behind it and a way to trace the honey back to source. Manukora gives me all three, which is why I do not see a reason to compromise with a less transparent option.

“I love adding Manukora Mānuka honey to my routine—not just because it tastes great, but because it delivers real wellness benefits. It's rich in MGO and flavonoids, which help support the body’s natural inflammatory response, gut health, and even stress levels. The quality is exceptional—raw, unprocessed, and third-party tested. Just a teaspoon a day goes a long way.”

Why I choose the MGO 850+ level

MGO 850+ is deliberately high potency. It is the level I would choose for someone who wants Mānuka to be a meaningful part of a daily health routine rather than an occasional spoonful of expensive honey.

The experience supports the habit: dense, smooth texture; rich caramel and toffee notes; and enough intensity that one measured spoon feels purposeful. It tastes like something you look forward to, while the certified MGO number tells you exactly why it is different.

Thick Manukora MGO 850+ honey falling from a wooden spoon

Four reasons Manukora is the one I recommend

Certified MGO potency

Every certified batch is measured to a precise mg/kg methylglyoxal ratio. The number is the standard, not a decorative claim.

Monofloral Mānuka

The honey is predominantly gathered from the Mānuka flower, giving it the composition, depth and character I expect from the category.

Independent testing for purity and potency

Testing confirms what is in the jar and gives the MGO 850+ label real meaning.

Traceability all the way back to source

Manukora links each jar to its New Zealand origin, so provenance is something you can inspect rather than simply trust.

A Manukora beekeeper inspecting a hive frame in New Zealand

I would choose Manukora over the alternatives

Plenty of jars borrow the Mānuka name. Manukora does the work behind it: high certified MGO potency, monofloral New Zealand origin, independent testing, protective amber glass, ethical beekeeping standards and traceability back to source. Regular honey is often processed and pasteurized with high heat, this destroys many of the naturally occurring and beneficial nutrients. Even if you purchase raw honey, you still won’t find ingredients like MGO. You can feel good knowing that all Manukora is packed with antioxidants, prebiotics, and nutrients.

That complete standard is why Manukora is not merely one option on my shortlist. It is the MGO 850+ honey I recommend.

Why Manukora is different

Not all Mānuka honey meets the same standards. This is the comparison Manukora gives customers on its own site.

Swipe sideways to compare all three columns →

Manukora jar Manukora Other Mānuka honey Other Mānuka Regular honey Regular Honey
Protective Amber Glass Packaging××
Third-Party Tested for Purity and Potency××
Certified Glyphosate Residue-Free××
100% Traceable to Source××
Ethical Beekeeping Standard××

How I would make MGO 850+ a daily health ritual

The best wellness ritual is the one you actually keep. Take a measured spoon directly, stir it into a warm drink after the water has cooled slightly, or add it to breakfast. Adding Manuka honey into boiling water kills the goodness, so don't make that mistake. Manukora's rich texture and caramel-toffee flavour make the habit feel like a reward rather than another task.

I recommend keeping the jar somewhere visible. One measured spoon becomes an easy daily cue: a simple, food-first ritual built around Manukora's certified MGO 850+ potency.

Golden Manukora honey flowing from a spoon
MGO 850+Measured mg/kg methylglyoxal in every certified batch.
100% traceableProvenance linked back to remote New Zealand apiaries.

My recommendation: start with Manukora MGO 850+

If you want to find out why high-MGO Mānuka inspires such loyalty, skip the guesswork and start with the product I would choose myself: the Manukora MGO 850+ Superhoney Starter Kit.

This is the clearest route into a high-potency daily Mānuka ritual: the right grade, from the right source, with the testing to prove it.

Dr Josh Axe
Dr Josh Axe, DC Natural-wellness educator and bestselling author

What Manukora customers are saying

JW
John W. Verified review

“The flavor is fantastic; the texture is like warm silk. The fact that it is packed full of goodness just sweetens the deal.”

Manukora team

Thanks, John. “Warm silk” is a brilliant description of that dense, creamy texture. We love hearing that the daily spoonful has become something you look forward to.

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Aubrey D. Verified review

“It isn't like the other honey and that makes it good. I enjoy the fact that it is helping with my gut health.”

Manukora team

Thank you for sharing your experience, Aubrey. The daily ritual is personal, but the MGO-certified potency and traceable source are consistent in every jar.

MB
Melissa B. Verified review

“I have tried many Mānuka honey brands and this is the best tasting honey and has amazing health benefits.”

Manukora team

Thanks, Melissa. We are proud that the flavour stands out, and that every batch is independently tested and traceable back to New Zealand.

Ask the Manukora team a question
Manukora MGO 850+ Superhoney Kit

Dr Axe's recommendation

Start with the Mānuka honey I would choose.

MGO 850+ Superhoney Starter Kit

High certified potency, verified New Zealand provenance and a simple route into a daily digestive and immune-support ritual.

Why this is my choice:
  • Certified MGO 850+ potency
  • Monofloral New Zealand Mānuka
  • Independently tested
  • Traceable back to source
Try the MGO 850+ Superhoney Kit
Try the MGO 850+ Kit