Honey reserves a very special place in India’s diverse culture. It is used in religious ceremonies as a medicine, sweetener, bread spread, instant energy booster and several other purposes.
Ancient Indian texts including Vedas pay rich tributes to honey for its versatility. Thanks to dense rainforests and apiaries across India, it is possible to get excellent varieties of local honey at affordable rates.
Using honey daily in your diet is known to benefit the digestive system, combat bad cholesterol and helps to lose weight, cure colds, prevent high blood pressure and diabetes, among other ailments.
Honey can safely be consumed by anyone- from newborn babies to senior citizens of advanced age.
Given the vastness of the Indian market and the number of companies that sell honey, selecting the best honey brand often proves tough. To help you choose the pure honey brand, we present a list of top 10 best honey brands in India.
List of Best Honey Brands in India For Weight Loss
1. Dabur Honey
Dabur is the largest selling honey brand in India. Understandable, since Dabur India Ltd ranks among the oldest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Ayurvedic medicines manufacturer of India: it was established in 1888.
Dabur India Ltd sources its honey from India’s biggest national park, the Sunderbans forests of West Bengal and those in hilly states of North Eastern India.
Thus, it offers the best honey in India as it is 100% natural: you can be assured there are no artificial colourings or preservatives added to this product.
Price: Rs.250/400gm
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Also Read: 7 Excellent Benefits of Ayurvedic Medicine
2. Zandu Honey
Zandu Ayurveda is a renowned brand of Ayurvedic medicines in India. The brand is now owned by Emami Group, one of the largest Indian FMCG major.
Zandu Honey is a household brand and has been around in the Indian market for more than half a century. It is available at all pharmacies and stores in India.
In line with the Ayurveda tradition, Zandu ensures its honey is 100% pure and has no added sweeteners or chemicals. Zandu Honey ranks as the second most popular honey brand in India. It is reasonably priced too.
Price: Rs.275/500gm
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3. Patanjali Honey
Patanjali honey ranks among the newest entrants in India’s honey market. A company, Patanjali Ayurved, promoted by Yoga guru Baba Ramdev claims to have the PUREST HONEY in the Indian market.
It is also the cheapest, priced at Rs.140 for a 500gm jar- or about 40% lower than rates charged by other manufacturers.
This Honey is collected from large apiaries at the company’s facilities located in Haridwar at the foothills of Himalaya range of mountains and their Ayurvedic herb plantations in various parts of the country.
Patanjali honey has displaced several major Indian honey brands to take the third rank in the market.
Price: Rs.145/500gm
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Also Read: Top 10 Bestselling Patanjali Products For Good Health in India
4. SriSri Tattva Honey
SriSri Tattva offers another best organic honey in India. It is the latest entrant in the Indian market.
The brand is owned by the Bangalore-based spiritual organisation, The Art of Living Foundation. SriSri Tattva Honey stands apart from others for its rich golden hue and unique flavour.
SriSri Tattva Honey is drawn from apiaries near Bangalore owned by the company. The area is located near forests surrounding the garden city of India.
Hence, nectar drawn by honeybees from various wildflowers goes into the making of this honey. It is 100% natural and free of chemical additives.
Price: Rs.250/500gm
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5. Phondaghat Honey
Phondaghat Honey is manufactured by an eponymous Ayurvedic medicines company located in Mumbai.
This honey has been around in the Indian market since 1955. It was among the first products to be launched by Phondaghat Pharmacy.
Keeping pace with the need for varieties of honey, Phondaghat Pharmacy now offers regular honey, dark honey raw honey as well as speciality products like Litchi Honey made by honeybees with nectar from litchi flowers.
Price: Rs.300/500gm
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Also Read: Top 5 Most Popular Organic Products Brands In India
6. KVIC Honey
If you are not comfortable buying products made by private companies, try KVIC Honey. It is collected, packaged by no other than Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC), an enterprise manufacturing various products like soaps, body lotion and many more which is wholly owned by the Indian government.
KVIV exported Rs.1.50 billion worth honey from India to various markets worldwide during the financial year 2017-2018. This speaks volumes about the superior quality of KVIC Honey.
It is 100% organic and comes with KVIC guarantee of purity.
This Indian honey is made from nectar collected by bees from KVIC apiaries across India. The organisation also has a training institute to promote honey production.
Price: Rs.275/500gm
7. Samskritimadhu
Samskritimadhu sound pretty hard to pronounce. It is a Malayalam word which means ‘traditional honey’. This excellent brand of honey comes from Kottakkal’s Arya Vaidya Sala, the most revered name in Ayurveda in India.
It comes from dense forests of Kerala, where Kottakkal city, famous for its Ayurvedic medicines, is located.
Samskritimadhu is not only honey: it also has excellent medicinal properties. This honey is collected from apiaries located amidst plantations of medicinal plants and herbs.
Hence, their nectar that goes into making honey also has medicinal properties.
This ranks as the best honey in India that you can consider buying. Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala has retail stores and franchises across India. You can buy Samskritimadhu at these outlets or order online.
Price: Rs.110/500gm
Also Read: Top 10 Most Popular Tea Brands in India
8. Apis Himalaya Honey
Apis Himalaya Honey is good if you are looking for a sweetener for your cup of tea, coffee, lemonade or other drink. It also serves as a good bread spread and will instantly be liked by children.
This honey brand definitely offers value for money if you are looking for the best quality honey that has been processed with modern technology.
You can buy Apis honey at any good store or order online. There are different variants of Apis Himalayan Honey. This is table honey and good as a food product.
You can also use Apis Himalayan Honey as a sweetener in preparation of cakes and pastries, among other sweets.
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Price: Rs.140/400gm
9. Rasna Native Haat Honey
Rasna is a household name in India, popularised by its eponymous brand of artificially flavoured drinks. The brand’s Native Haat Honey is however far from anything artificial.
It is collected from apiaries in Sundarbans forests of West Bengal. Hence, you are assured of getting a very superior product at a reasonable price.
Rasna Native Haat honey is part of the company’s endeavour to provide a source of livelihood to people living around the Sundarbans forests. It is a good table honey that can also be used for cooking.
Price: Rs.275/500gm
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Also Read: Top 10 Best Quality Coffee Brands in India
10. Baidyanath Honey
Baidyanath Honey needs no introduction. It is a very well-known brand of India and comes from Sri Baidyanath Ayurved Bhavan Pvt Ltd, a Kolkata based company established over 100 years ago, in 1917.
Baidyanath Honey is trusted for use as medicine and food. It is the best brand of honey to buy which is available anywhere in India.
However, pharmacies that sell Ayurvedic medication is the best place to buy Baidyanath Honey: you can be assured it is in stock.
Baidyanath Honey is made of nectar from wildflowers that grow in forests of West Bengal and Odisha. It is an excellent product to mix with medicines or to enjoy as food.
Price: Rs.180/500gm
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Word of Caution
Before finalising a brand, here is a word of caution. Pure, natural honey extracted from honeycombs cannot be stored in a closed bottle.
The reason being, honey “breathes” or leaves a mix of gases when it is exposed to heat, air and moisture. This does not mean the honey is spoilt. In fact, natural oxidation increases the nutritional value of honey.
However, watch out for false claims made by manufacturers. It is technically impossible to pack 100% pure honey: an airtight container will explode.
Hence all manufacturers, regardless of their reputation and claim of market share, process honey before packaging it.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Loved Chocolate Brands in India
To Sum Up
If you want to go for pure honey, look for these best honey brands in India that have a long standing in the market and come from reputed manufacturers.
Pricing is not an indicator of quality: you can buy excellent honey for cheap but end up paying heavily for a product mixed with chemicals.
Honey pricing is decided by the number of apiaries and sources owned by a manufacturer. It is a natural product, and hence, supply to some manufacturers can be massive. Therefore, they sell cheap.
The best way to tell whether honey is pure or adulterated is by mixing a spoonful with half cup warm water. Genuine honey will impart its colour to the water while retaining the flavour.
Cheap, commercially produced honey often betrays a taste of sugar or molasses and other additives. Never get carried away by claims made by any honey manufacturer or retailer.
Read online reviews of the product where possible before making a purchase. Some of the purest honey brands listed above are relatively good and genuine.