Honey from hovenia tree found to suppress enlarged prostate, study shows

Honey produced from the hovenia tree has been found to help suppress benign prostatic hyperplasia, or an enlarged prostate, according to new research. South Korea's Rural Development Administration plans to expand research and distribution of hovenia honey to develop it as a functional ingredient and a new source of income for beekeeping households.

The RDA confirmed the findings through a joint study with the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, it announced Tuesday. The results were published in the international journal Food Frontiers.

Researchers tested the efficacy of hovenia honey on cell and animal models induced with benign prostatic hyperplasia. In cell experiments, the expression of COX-2 and iNOS — proteins that trigger inflammation — fell by 93 percent and 64 percent, respectively, while markers associated with fibrosis, which hardens prostate tissue, also dropped significantly.

In animal tests, rats with induced prostatic hyperplasia were given hovenia honey at 600 mg/kg per day for six weeks. Prostate weight fell by 19.3 percent, levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) — a hormone that promotes prostate enlargement — declined by 72.2 percent, and the thickness of excessively proliferated prostate epithelium shrank by 60.7 percent.

The researchers believe triterpenoid saponins, flavonoid glycosides and sulfur-containing compounds abundant in hovenia honey contributed to the effects by modulating anti-inflammatory and immune responses. Additional research to identify the active compounds is ongoing.

The RDA said it will continue developing formulations and conducting clinical research to use hovenia honey as a health functional food ingredient. It also plans to expand hovenia honey production in connection with a nectar-source complex in Jangheung, South Jeolla Province, and to develop a premium honey brand.

The hovenia tree is a nectar source that blooms from late June to early July, after the acacia and chestnut honey harvest season ends. The RDA said it hopes the research will help diversify the harvesting structure for beekeeping households struggling with climate change and shrinking nectar sources, and open up new revenue streams.

Seong Je-hun, director of the RDA's National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, said the research "will serve as a turning point in diversifying the honey-harvesting structure of the domestic beekeeping industry and promoting consumption of a wider variety of honey." He added that the agency would "continue to identify diverse nectar sources and verify their efficacy to diversify farm household income and support the revitalization of the beekeeping industry in connection with local communities."