Manuka Honey May Help You Avoid Respiratory Viruses This Cold and Flu Season—What To Look For
Learn how much you need to eat to get the immunity-boosting benefits
Key Takeaways
- Manuka honey contains compounds researchers are studying for their antimicrobial activity.
- A daily teaspoon is an easy way to enjoy manuka, but it's not yet proven to prevent infections.
- Check the label for authentic New Zealand manuka honey with a UMF rating of at least 10.
If the thought of another winter spent dodging coughs, sniffles and chest colds has you reaching for extra tissues, there’s a sweet strategy worth adding to your morning routine. A simple spoonful of manuka honey may help your body fend off the respiratory bugs that love to make the rounds this time of year—and the latest science is giving this pantry staple serious credit.
What makes manuka honey different
Manuka honey isn’t your average squeeze-bottle variety. It comes from bees that pollinate the manuka bush in New Zealand, and that unique source gives it a thicker texture, a deeper flavor and a distinctive set of natural compounds you won’t find in regular honey. Those compounds are the reason researchers keep taking a closer look at it—and why so many of us now keep a jar tucked in the kitchen cabinet right next to the tea.
Think of it as the hardest-working honey in your pantry: lovely drizzled on toast, stirred into oatmeal or melted into a mug of warm lemon water, but with wellness benefits that go beyond flavor.
Manuka honey may ward off respiratory viruses
An August 2026 study from Aston University shows that manuka honey has powerful antimicrobial activity against key respiratory pathogens—the very germs that can lead to the coughs, colds and chest infections that tend to spike once the temperature drops. That means something as simple and comforting as a daily spoonful may help give your body a little extra backup when the office, the grandkids’ school and every grocery store aisle feels like a petri dish.
How to get the benefits of manuka honey
The suggested serving couldn’t be easier to work into your routine: Savor 1 teaspoon of manuka honey daily. That’s it. No complicated regimen, no special equipment, no new habit to overthink. A few ways to enjoy your daily spoonful:
- Straight off the spoon with your morning coffee on the side
- Stirred into a warm mug of tea
- Drizzled over plain Greek yogurt with a handful of berries
- Swirled into oatmeal in place of brown sugar
- Spread on a slice of whole-grain toast with a smear of nut butter
Because manuka honey has such a rich, almost caramel-like flavor, a little goes a long way—so that teaspoon feels like a treat, not a chore.
What to look for on the label
Not every jar labeled “manuka” is created equal, and this is where a little label-reading pays off. For best results, look for authentic manuka honey from New Zealand with a UMF rating on the label. UMF stands for Unique Manuka Factor, a measure of how many helpful bioactives the honey contains—essentially, how potent it is.
The number to remember: 10 or higher. A UMF rating of 10+ means you’re getting honey with meaningful levels of those beneficial compounds. One to try: Three Peaks Organic New Zealand Manuka Honey UMF 10+.
A sweet step toward a healthier cold and flu season
You can’t bubble-wrap yourself through cold and flu season, but you can stack the odds in your favor with small, consistent habits. Washing your hands, getting enough sleep, moving your body, eating plenty of produce—and now, perhaps, savoring a daily teaspoon of manuka honey. It’s an easy, comforting addition that tastes like a treat and may give your lungs a little extra love when they need it most.
A version of this article appears in the November 2, 2026, issue of Woman’s World.
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