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Honey during pregnancy: benefit or harm

Medical expert of the article

Obstetrician-gynecologist, reproductive specialist
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

Honey is often irreplaceable during pregnancy. If the expectant mother is not allergic to this product, it can be used for colds, because, as is known, many medications are prohibited during pregnancy. Honey is also great for preventing colds in the autumn-winter period. In difficult labor, a honey solution is sometimes used for internal use to maintain the physical strength of the mother in labor and stimulate the labor process, if necessary.

Pregnant women suffering from toxicosis will also benefit from honey, as it can reduce nausea and the gag reflex. To maintain beautiful and healthy skin, honey can be applied to problem areas of the skin where stretch marks may form. Honey is extremely useful during pregnancy, as it supplies the body of the expectant mother with all the necessary vitamins and microelements, as well as amino acids that participate in the formation of cells and tissues. The recommended dosage of honey for a pregnant woman is fifty to one hundred grams per day or two to three tablespoons.

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Honey treatment during pregnancy

Honey treatment during pregnancy can be carried out in the case of toxicosis. In such cases, a woman is recommended to take one tablespoon of honey half an hour before meals three times a day. After consuming honey, it is advisable to lie down for a while. If a pregnant woman is bothered by allergic rhinitis, honey treatment can also be effective. To do this, squeeze the juice out of a lemon and dilute it with water in equal proportions, then add a little honey to the resulting solution. This remedy should be taken in small sips. A condition such as varicose veins in pregnant women can also be alleviated with honey infused with chestnut flowers.

Honey with lemon, milk or raspberries helps well with colds. For sinusitis, inflammation of the lymph nodes, you can use a honey cake. To do this, mix flour with honey until a homogeneous thick mass is obtained, then apply to the sore spot. And a slightly cut cabbage leaf, smeared with honey, can be used to combat cough, applying it to the chest.

Tea with honey

Tea with honey during pregnancy is a good way to prevent colds and saturate the body with useful substances such as phosphorus, sodium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium and others. Drinking green tea has a positive effect on blood vessels, reduces high blood pressure, and helps strengthen tooth enamel. However, tea with honey during pregnancy should be consumed in moderation, one or two cups a day, brewing it not too strong.

If there are no contraindications, you can drink herbal tea with honey during pregnancy, after consulting with your doctor. Rosehip tea with honey has a wide range of beneficial effects and has a beneficial effect on the body, helping to cope with nausea during toxicosis and resist viral infections.

Milk with honey

Milk with honey during pregnancy helps strengthen the immune system, protecting the body from the penetration of infectious agents. Milk should be included in the daily diet, as it contains various useful microelements.

Milk with honey can be used not only for preventive purposes, but also for the treatment of colds. Warm milk with honey during pregnancy helps to fall asleep better, if the pregnant woman suffers from insomnia. This remedy also has the ability to relieve heartburn. If the pregnant woman does not have an individual intolerance to milk or honey, these products can and should be consumed during pregnancy.

Radish with honey

Radish with honey is not recommended for consumption during pregnancy due to the possible negative impact of the essential oils it contains.

Honey itself has an extremely beneficial effect on the body, provided there are no allergic reactions, but combining this product with radish during pregnancy is highly undesirable. Essential oils contained in radish can cause hypertonicity of the uterus, which can be a threat to bearing a fetus.

Lemon and honey

Lemon and honey during pregnancy is an unusually powerful remedy for colds, as well as a good preventive measure in the fight against the occurrence of colds. In addition, lemon juice added to honey will help alleviate the condition of toxicosis and relieve an attack of nausea.

For the purposes of prevention and treatment, lemon and honey can also be used for hypovitaminosis, avitaminosis, gastrointestinal diseases, tonsillitis, high blood pressure and other diseases. Lemon peel tincture is used to improve appetite, as well as a sedative and antiemetic. In the absence of allergies to citrus fruits and honey, these products have a general beneficial effect on the body, replenishing its reserves of minerals and vitamins.

Onion with honey

Onion with honey during pregnancy will help to cope faster with such a frequent companion of colds as cough. Onion should be finely chopped, add a little honey and leave for a while. The resulting mixture should be taken 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.

You can also make onion syrup separately. To do this, pour water over one medium onion and add two tablespoons of sugar, then cook for half an hour over low heat. After the onion is ready, strain the broth and take 1 teaspoon four to five times a day before meals.

Honey with propolis

Propolis contains many useful microelements, but there is no clear opinion regarding its use during pregnancy. Honey with propolis during pregnancy is strictly not recommended without a doctor's prescription. Honey itself does not have a negative effect on the body, unless there is an allergy to it. If, however, according to the indications, the doctor prescribed propolis tincture during pregnancy, then it should be an aqueous solution.

To prepare such a tincture, pour one hundred milliliters of boiled water at a temperature of about fifty degrees into a thermos, add ten grams of crushed propolis and leave for twelve to twenty-four hours. You can also buy an aqueous solution of propolis at a pharmacy. Propolis is not used for asthma and allergies to bee products.

Tampons with honey

Tampons with honey are not recommended for use during pregnancy. If there are any unfavorable symptoms indicating a gynecological disease, a pregnant woman should immediately visit a doctor and take the necessary tests. For example, thrush is quite common in pregnant women.

Tampons with honey, which some women use to treat this disease, do not solve the problem and should not be used during pregnancy. For these purposes, special antifungal drugs should be used as prescribed by a doctor. This also applies to other gynecological diseases that occur during pregnancy: their treatment should be carried out exclusively by an experienced specialist, since self-medication, including the use of tampons with honey during pregnancy without a doctor's prescription, can harm your health.

Honey when planning pregnancy

Honey can be used as a general tonic when planning a pregnancy, increasing the body's defenses and promoting good health. It should be noted that when planning a pregnancy, honey should be consumed not only by women, but also by future fathers, choosing only a proven, natural and fresh product.

Honey can be consumed only in the absence of individual intolerance and a tendency to various allergic reactions. Honey can be used by diluting a spoon in a glass of warm water, two to three hours before eating and a couple of hours after eating. During the period of joint pregnancy planning, it will be useful for men to take a tonic made from honey, lemon, nuts and dried fruits, which improves the quality of seminal fluid and energy tone. Honey during pregnancy planning can also be consumed in combination with aloe leaves, as well as with hawthorn fruits infused in boiling water.

Honey in early pregnancy

Honey in early pregnancy, as well as in the second and third trimesters, has a beneficial effect on the woman's body, replenishing its reserves of useful substances, if the pregnant woman does not have hypersensitivity to this product. Honey in early pregnancy, due to the iron in its composition, helps to replenish its deficiency, which is extremely important for preventing the development of anemia.

The complex of vitamins and microelements contained in honey is a good preventative measure against acute respiratory viral infections, which is very important during pregnancy. Signs of toxicosis in the early stages of pregnancy can also be neutralized with honey, taking it internally, one tablespoon thirty minutes before meals three times a day. Honey in the early stages of pregnancy can also help eliminate such an unpleasant phenomenon as constipation and bloating, as it can have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Honey during pregnancy for colds

Honey during pregnancy for colds is very useful for the body of a pregnant woman. Its use with milk or tea not only promotes a quick recovery, replenishing the body with useful substances, but also increases the body's resistance to infections in the future.

Honey can also be used for colds during pregnancy by mixing it with flour until smooth and applying it to the chest or sinuses when coughing or having a runny nose. Honey will also help with a sore throat. Add a spoonful of honey and a little butter to warmed milk and take it in small portions. However, do not forget that during pregnancy the body becomes especially sensitive and before starting any treatment, you must definitely visit a doctor.

Is honey good for pregnancy?

Probably, every woman who is in an "interesting" position has had a question: is honey useful during pregnancy? Honey is a unique product, which contains a wide variety of useful vitamins, minerals, amino acids. For the body of a pregnant woman, honey is irreplaceable in terms of strengthening the immune system and increasing its resistance to colds.

Honey during pregnancy is not only an excellent means for preventing or treating colds. Honey will be an excellent assistant in the fight against toxicosis, will improve the condition with varicose veins, will come to the rescue with insomnia or heartburn. Honey during pregnancy is recommended to be consumed two to three tablespoons per day, provided that the pregnant woman does not have an allergic reaction to bee products.

Contraindications for use

Contraindications to honey consumption during pregnancy are the same as in any other period: it is strictly contraindicated for people prone to allergic reactions, in particular, to bee products, as well as for patients suffering from diabetes. In case of lung or heart diseases, asthma or high temperature, it is strictly forbidden to do inhalations with honey.

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