Protecting the stomach lining, measured against a standard medicine
100 mg/kg
the lowest dose that still worked
Even the lowest dose significantly reduced the damage, and the protective effect increased with the dose.
What they did
Researchers at Jazan University gave rats Sidr honey by mouth at three different doses, then exposed them to alcohol strong enough to damage the stomach lining, and compared the result against omeprazole — a standard pharmacy medicine.
What they found
Even the lowest dose significantly reduced the damage, and the protective effect increased with the dose.
This is one of the few studies that looks at Sidr honey being eaten rather than applied to skin or dropped onto bacteria in a dish, which makes it far more relevant to how anyone actually uses honey.
The researchers tested three doses — 100, 250 and 500 mg per kilogram of body weight — and found a dose-response relationship: more honey, more effect. That pattern matters, because a result that scales with dose is harder to explain away as chance.
They also looked at why, and found the honey reduced two specific markers of oxidative damage in the stomach tissue rather than simply neutralising acid.
What this study does not show
- These were rats, not people. Animal results are a reason to run a human trial, not a substitute for one.
- The damage was deliberately induced with concentrated alcohol in a laboratory. That is not the same as ordinary daily wear on a human stomach.
- Doses were calculated per kilogram of body weight in rats and do not translate directly to a spoonful of honey.
- No human trial has followed this up.