Eucalyptus Honey: Evidence and Safety

Quick safety points

• Never give honey, including eucalyptus honey, to a baby under 12 months. Honey can carry bacteria spores that cause infant botulism. [10][11]
• Eucalyptus honey is a food. We found no human trial of eucalyptus honey itself for any illness. Do not use jar honey on a wound or burn in place of medical care; medical-grade honey dressings are a different product.
• Bee products, honey included, can rarely cause allergic reactions, up to anaphylaxis. People with a known allergy to bee products should be careful. [12]
• Honey is mostly sugar. The one large review we read on honey and blood sugar used honey in general, not eucalyptus honey, and found mixed results. [13]
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: not described for eucalyptus honey in the sources we read. See pregnancy and breastfeeding.

What eucalyptus honey is

Eucalyptus honey is a "monofloral" honey: bees make it mostly from the nectar of eucalyptus trees. A 2020 review calls it an important single-plant honey sold around the world. [1] Studies we read describe it from Spain, Portugal, Uruguay and Turkey. [3][4][6][7] Jarrah honey is a eucalyptus honey too (see below). Laboratory work on European eucalyptus honeys found a steady pattern of plant pigments called flavonoids (myricetin, tricetin, luteolin and others) that help show the honey's plant origin. [2] A Turkish sample was labelled by pollen count, with Eucalyptus camaldulensis the main pollen at 47%. [6]

Eucalyptus honey is often described as having a menthol-like or cool note. None of the sources we read describe its taste, so we cannot confirm that. Taste varies by tree species, region and season.

Food use and how it differs from medical use

Eucalyptus honey is sold as a food, to spread, bake with or stir into tea. It is not a medical-grade honey. Medical-grade honey dressings are sterilized products made for wounds and are a different product with their own evidence. See medical-grade honey and wound care. Results from one kind of honey cannot be carried over to another.

Traditional use (not proof)

The 2020 review says consumers want eucalyptus honey partly for the medicinal properties linked to the plant it comes from. [1] Eucalyptus leaf oil is a separate product from eucalyptus honey, and a plant's reputation does not show that its honey has the same effects. Traditional use is not proof.

What research shows

We found no randomized trial or systematic review that tested eucalyptus honey on people. The studies below are laboratory studies or studies of honey in general, so read them as background only.

So a cough claim for eucalyptus honey rests on honey in general, not on this honey. We found no source showing that eucalyptus honey works better for cough or sore throat than other honeys. For the evidence in detail see honey for cough and sore throat.

The honey with research on wounds is jarrah honey, a type of eucalyptus honey, which has its own page: jarrah honey. Its findings do not apply to a typical jar of eucalyptus honey.

Forms and why they matter

• Liquid or creamy (set) honey: the same honey in different textures. Honey can set (crystallize) over time; we did not read a source on how fast eucalyptus honey does this.
• Heated or filtered honey: we did not read a source on how heating changes eucalyptus honey. Whether heated, filtered or not, honey is still not for babies under 12 months. [11]
• Dressings, capsules and creams: not studied for eucalyptus honey in the sources we read.

Safety and cautions

• Babies under 12 months: CDC says honey can carry the bacteria that cause botulism and should not be given to infants. Its page says spores are common in soil and dust. [11] A 2026 review found honey was the only consistently confirmed food source of infant botulism and that health agencies uniformly advise against honey before 12 months. [10] See honey and infant botulism.
• Allergy and asthma: a 2025 review says bee products, honey included, can rarely cause reactions from local skin rashes to anaphylaxis. [12] See bee product allergy warning signs.
• Diabetes and blood sugar: honey is sugar. A 2025 umbrella review of 69 trials of honey in general found a lower HbA1c with about 10 g a day in one analysis but also higher fasting glucose and some other worse markers. [13] We give no advice; ask your clinician. See honey, blood sugar and diabetes.
• Natural contaminants: a 2025 study of 80 honeys found 61% had at least one pyrrolizidine alkaloid (plant compounds that can harm the liver). Eucalyptus and wildflower honeys had the highest levels, up to 27 micrograms per kg. This is a finding about the samples tested, not about every jar. [5]
• Wounds: do not treat a wound or burn with jar honey instead of medical care. Medical-grade dressings are a different product (see the page linked above).
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding, medicines: not described for eucalyptus honey in the sources we read.

Quality and buying

Labelling a honey as "eucalyptus" means a single plant is the main source, and pollen count is one way to check this. [6] Labs also use flavonoid patterns, other chemical markers and carbon isotope ratios. [2][3][4] A Uruguayan study used carbon isotopes to tell eucalyptus honey from pasture honey (90% of eucalyptus samples assigned correctly) and to flag added corn syrup. [4] A 2020 review notes that eucalyptus honey can suffer contamination and adulteration. [1] A label alone cannot prove origin. See honey adulteration, labels and how to choose. We did not read a source that sets a legal rule for the word "eucalyptus" on labels.

Related pages

• Jarrah honey
• Honey adulteration, labels and how to choose
• Honey and infant botulism
• Bee products and allergy warning signs
• Check before you use bee products: who should be careful
• Medical-grade honey and wound care