ABSTRACT
Honey is a sugary secretion deposited in the honey comb by the bee, Apis dorsata and possibly other species of
Apis, e.g. usually contain a variety of nutritional and mineral substances. Honey is an
ingredient in most of the Ayurvedic preparations due to its therapeutic use in the treatment of cancer, nervous
disorder, and muscular weakness and to treat several infections. There are different types of honey available, in
that, bitter honey has been shown that it contains bioactive compounds. Antinutritional qualitative and
quantitative analysis of bitter honey shows the presence of flavonoids, saponin glycosides whereas steroids were
detected only in sweet honey. Bitter honey obtained from strawberry tree has showed interesting antioxidant
antiradical activities and protective effect against thermal cholesterol degradation. It also induces the growth
inhibition of human cancer cells. The quality of honey is governed by FSSAI, AGMARK and various pharmacopoeias
available for honey. But there is no standard monograph available for bitter honey also the demand for this
natural product is increasing globally. So the review work is proposed for the further research in developing the
standard monograph and pharmacognostical study for bitter honey. Keywords: Bitter honey; Sweet honey; Strawberry tree honey; Comparative study.�
