Kelulut (or Meliponini) Honey From Stingless Bees

In an earlier blog post where I talked in detail about alternatives to Manuka honey, I mentioned Kelulut (or stingless bee) honey. I actually bungled the information. (Go figure!) I made it sound as if Kelulut and Melipnoni were different types of honey. Wrong.

Kelulut honey is from stingless  (or Melipononi) bees. My confusion was honest though. I see Kelulut honey mentioned more often as Meliponini honey than as Kelulut.To get clarification, I actually asked the Amazon seller of the honey I will be reviewing this question:

"I am wondering if this is the same as Kelulut honey? I know Kelulut comes from stingless bees and just wonder if this is named after the bees and Kelulut is the name of the actual honey?"

 This is the response:

"Yes, it is. In Malaysia, we call it kelulut.

In Indonesia, klanceng.

In Philipina, kiwot.

In Mexico, melipona.

In Autralia, honey pot.

The actual honey is stinglees bee honey. Meliponini is the stingless bee 's scientific name." (my underline and spacing)

 What interested me most is that this honey is not as limited by geographical location as is Manuka. The bees are the main thing with Kelulut and not the bush or flower. Manuka honey must come from the Manuka bush.

Anyway, because I talked about it so much in the past weeks and signed up for some newsletters, I was sent a coupon for half off a bottle (a tiny bottle, but, hey) of some stingless bee honey.

Okay, I don't want to sound ungrateful for the coupon but, without it, there is no way I could afford this particular brand. Still, I did try it and I have to say, I am intrigued. So, let's talk about the stingless bee honey - or SBH.

What does it look like?

It's thinner than any other honey I've ever tried. It's thinner than any syrup I've ever tried. I would say that it's like the texture of a regular table syrup that's been warmed.

The color is also darker than most honey. My Manuka honey (UMF 10+) that I've had for a few years has turned dark but this SBH was dark while brand new and fresh.

What does it smell & taste like?

This particular SBH smells exactly like it taste - kind of like a sugary rice wine vinegar. It smells sharp with a slightly sweet scent. And that is exactly what it tastes like: sharp, sweet, tart. Almos like a sour candy if that candy was a syrup. Not medicinal and not unpleasant. Once I tried the first little drop on my tongue, I realized I actually like the taste.

Now I won't be drinking this. And I will never put it into my black tea or coffee. It tastes best by the small teaspoon-full or added to some green tea - or plain water. Personally, I prefer to just toss back the teaspoon and be done with it.

How am I using it?

From looking at some biotech info online, my neighbor Teach figured out that the benefits of SBH depend on the origin of the bee product. The brand I have (Meliponini) is from Indonesia and is mainly antiinflammatory. Along with SBH products from all regions, it's being looked at for antimicrobial, cancer-fighting, anti-oxidant, and other potential benefits. 

I am using it primarily for 2 things: for tooth and gum health and for its benefits to the skin. 

I have been rubbing a bit of the SBH on my gumline after every brushing. I've always used a moisture mist after I clean my face in the morning and before bed. The mist is just a small bottle of my own blend of rosewater, a touch of rosemary oil, and a bit of whatever carrier oils I happen to have. Lately, it's been almond, jojoba and some repair Vita Oil from Making Cosmetics. I added about 6 drops of the SBH to this mix. 

Yeah, I need a new spritz bottle. LOL

In the colder and drier months, I kept that bottle in my purse to take to any appointments or outings. The Iowa sun is mean. The summer months here are very humid but I still spritz my face because I tend to keep the apartment pretty dehumidifier. I don't know what it is about sleeping but my face can feel like a desert if I don't moisturize for the night!

Okay, so I don't know yet if the SBH is doing any good for my teeth and gums. Between age, medicine, and all those years I smoked, I'm lucky I still have teeth so I'm just glad for that.

However, I must say that I love, love, love what the moisturizing boost the SBH gave to my face mist. I mean, my mist is already really good but... the honey helps the moisture last and last.

By the way, I tried using Manuka honey in my mist once but Manuka tends to be really sticky. The SBH - already so thin, remember? - just mixes in well with the oils and liquids. It works so well that I have been spritzing my hair with it every now and then.

Will I buy more?

I am not sure that I would get this particular brand again. For one thing, I want to try something from one of the other origin countries. Teach pointed out that the SBH of Malaysian origin is supposed to be great for anti-anxiety and improving memory. Well, hello.

Another thing that might have me shopping around is the price. This brand is as expensive as Manuka UMF 15+. With my limited budget, I need to make sure I am trying an SBH that better matches my needs.

This bottle is just too tiny...

I am glad they offer
a small size though!

The one good thing about this brand is that it came in small amounts. I didn't have to look at the $40 - $80+ sizes. This 80ml bottle was perfect for a trial run and with the coupon, it wasn't much of a strain on the wallet. Because I am not taking the full suggested daily serving of a full tablespoon (for a total of 5 in this container), this one will last me for a minute. As I said. I am just dabbing some around my teeth and gums and added a few drops to my face mist.

To summarize:

I'm really glad that I was able to try this out. I love it enough that I want more for use on my skin. Depending on how long this 80ml size lasts, it will be well worth laying out a full $17 for it. Unfortunately, I cannot in any way afford to take it daily by the tablespoon.

I do think it's worth my trying another natural remedy that could benefit my health. I'd rather take a mouthful of sweet-and-sour honey than another prescription med.

Next, I plan to try a stingless bee product from one of the other countries and see if there is that big of a difference.

Peace

--Free

Speaking of Manuka Honey (There Are Alternatives)

NOTE: Forgive any disjointedness in this post. I had to have help finding and piecing together the information. My brain is worn OUT!

Yes, I did post very recently about the wonders of Manuka honey. It's some amazing stuff. However, I realize I haven't talked as much about alternatives to Manuka. It's not the only honey with superb and varied benefits. When I realized that there were other types of honey that claim to help with various health and beauty goals, I thought I would start looking into some of them. I'll probably have to look into alternatives since Manuka is so far out of my budget.

Medical Grade Honey Is a Thing

To start off, I have to admit that I heard about some alternatives to Manuka a while back. The thing about Manuka is the grading system. The MGO or UMF numbers make it easy to tell what "strength" of Manuka you are getting - or even whether it's authentic. What I did not know about is the term "medical (or medicinal) grade honey". Huh. Who among you did know?

The online Free Dictionary defines "medicinal-grade honey" MGH using Manuka as a standard and actually redirects to "Manuka Honey" for the definition:

Meliponini bee

"A medicinal grade honey applied topically to treat decubitus ulcers or prepare wound beds for skin grafts

Application When compared to standard hydrogel therapy, venous leg ulcers dressed with manuka honey have less slough, better healing and a lower incidence of infection." 

Now, when I try to look around online for more information, I mostly see a lot of scholarly articles that a) I wouldn't understand, and b) I won't pay to read in their entirety. I'm not that nosy.

What I did find when looking for more information on MGH, is that it's also referred to as "Active Leptospermum honey" (ALH). Leptospermum is basically "any of various shrubs or trees of the genus Leptospermum, of the myrtle family, native to Australia and adjacent areas and often cultivated as ornamentals in milder climates." Well, there you go. Leptospermum = Manuka.

So... Manuka is the most referenced of medical-grade honey but it's not the only honey that has medical applications. Right? Right. I think.

Oh boy. Can you see me peeking down this rabbit hole here?

Because I am genuinely interested in being healthier without having to add more artificial concoctions and lab-created prescriptions to my medicine cabinet, I kept going. My brain hurt so bad that at one point, I had to have a neighbor come over and help me. She's a former teacher and loves digging into stuff like this, thank goodness. Also, she never makes me feel self-conscious about my limitations, bless her. She told me that she misses digging into information like this and that it helps "exercise her little gray cells". (Did I mention that we are both fans of Hercule Poirot stories?)

So.

The Healing Part - MGO

Manuka bush

According to what Teach and I read in a couple of places, the healing part of Manuka comes from hydrogen peroxide (that makes sense) and methylglyoxal - or MGO. Scottish Heather Honey has the peroxide but not the MGO. Unlike MGO, the peroxide properties are not as stable against heat, light, and bodily fluids. So Manuka wins the battle there. Remember that Manuka is often labeled by the amount of UMF or MGO present.

MGO is what gives Manuka its particular antibacterial properties. Before that being discovered by some guy (sorry, we took great notes but lost the source page), cocoa and coffee were the only foods shown to have MGO in any significant amounts - and they have nowhere near the amount or level of MGO as in Manuka. 

So...Alternatives to Manuka?

1. Scottish Heather Honey - we see why it's not as powerful as Manuka.

2. Irish Honey - This one seems to be highly antioxidant (because of the "high phenolic content", but I don't see any mention of it having the MGO. Teach did find a source comparing Irish honey to Manuka. This is another source talking up Irish honey.

4.  Meliponini Bee Honey (aka: Stingless Bee Honey) - This is the one I am most excited about because of claims that it can help with eye problems and tooth and gum issues. I am going to do a separate post on this honey at a later time.

And now for a honey that might hold a candle against Manuka:

4. Tualang Honey - We saw more than one article or medical journal citing Tualang as being in some ways more effective than Manuka. WHAT? Yes, ma'am.

Let's Talk About Tualang Honey

This NCBI article we found went into a lot of detail comparing Manuka and Tualang honey. I'm taking Teach's word for it (she really got into reading all the scientific details!) and just say that Tualang can give Manuka a hard run for its money. The information we found was interesting and persuasive enough that I will be pricing Tualang before I spend any more on Manuka. Teach got really excited when looking at the different effects Tualang and Manuka had on certain types of wounds, etc. She told me it's definitely worth at least trying the Tualang and I do trust her judgment here. (And I have to give this other link because I lost track of which NCBI article Teach read...)

Another Honey to Consider

I found another type of honey to check into when I have time. Teach was gone when I found these so I'm not going to deal with it right now. It's called Kelulut honey and I saw somewhere (don't ask where) that it's close to Manuka as far as being medicinal. I did find one page to check out and it lists some information and benefits of Kelulut.

For now, I have a serious headache, no joke, and will have to do the separate posts on Tualang, Meliponini, and Kelulut honey later. Teach has offered to come back and help me again. Sick puppy, she loved doing all this research! LOL

Peace

--Free