Used medicinally since ancient times, honey soothes coughs and comforts colds. It’s perfect in a cup of tea and may even reduce symptoms from upper respiratory tract infections , according to a review of 14 studies that took nearly 1,800 people into account published by BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine journal in 2020. Many of us may already be familiar with such uses of honey due to childhood memories of homemade remedies, but honey’s uses go back millennia.

Humans gathering honey dates back as far as 8,000 years ago. Archaeologists have even found evidence of honey cultivation dating back at least 5,500 years in the country of Georgia. Honey was the most popular remedy used by the ancient Egyptians, who employed it for everything from healing wounds to embalming the dead.

The ancient Greeks used honey to cure gout and some nervous disorders. Islamic traditions offer honey as a healthy drink and Ayurvedic traditions from India prescribe it for eye ailments, including the prevention of cataracts, as well as in the treatment of skin disorders. In modern times, these benefits and more continue to be studied as this golden substance—sometimes called “the nectar of the gods”—reveals more of its curative powers.

Honey’s ingredients and compounds are proving to be antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial. Along with being a natural sweetener that makes our food taste so much better, honey is a nutritional powerhouse. Wondering what else could honey do for you? Elv.