Spring is here and, for many, it also means the arrival of hayfever.
It also means the return of the debate about whether honey is an effective treatment.
Honey - especially less-processed honey - from the area you live is meant to work best, so the theory goes, because it includes small bits of the pollen that is making you sneeze and sniffle.
But is this a case where a folk remedy has genuine benefit? Or is it just a myth that has since been debunked?
Cormac Farrell, head beekeeper at Parliament House for the past seven years, said honey, and especially raw honey, had antibacterial and anti-inflammatory health properties.
There was some evidence that if people consumed raw honey that had pollens from the area in which they lived, they could "train" their immune system, building up immunity. But honey was a supplement to, not a replacement for, antihistamines and nasal sprays.
He eats honey daily.
"I'm not really susceptible to hayfever but you can't be too careful," he said.
He said local farmers' markets were a good place to buy raw honey.
Dr Mary Bushell, a pharmacist and associate professor in pharmacy at the University of Canberra, said there are broadly two types of hayfever: perennial and seasonal. The former is caused by dust mites and pet dander, and the latter is mainly triggered by pollen from trees, grasses and weeds.
In Canberra, grass pollen is the main cause of seasonal hayfever.
"Canberrans experience some of the highest pollen levels in Australia, making hayfever a common issue in the ACT," she said.
"Despite experiencing extreme winds [recently], grass pollen levels are currently relatively low. This suggests that while some people may already be experiencing hayfever symptoms, the peak of the hayfever season is yet to come."
Dr Bushell said there was some evidence supporting honey as an "adjunct" treatment for hayfever.
One study showed some people who took one gram of honey for every kilogram of body weight daily alongside the antihistamine loratadine had better symptom resolution than people who took the dug alone.
"However, the sample size of this study was small, and we need larger studies to be convinced that honey really does reduce hayfever symptoms," Dr Bushell said.
The study used a raw honey in Malaysia, "so we can't extrapolate the findings to the local honey in Canberra or other kinds of honey".
Nottingham Trent University academics Samuel White and Philippe Wilson wrote for the Conversation that, "Recent investigations into honey's potential for alleviating hayfever symptoms have yielded intriguing findings that certainly warrant further exploration."
"One fascinating aspect being investigated is honey's ability to act as a form of immunotherapy - a treatment strategy that aims to modify the immune system's response to allergens," they said.
"For instance, one study found that people who consumed local honey daily for four weeks alongside an allergy tablet had significant improvements in their hayfever symptoms compared to those who only took an allergy tablet."
They said honey's bioactive compounds could help reduce inflamation, and its prebiotic characteristics could help beneficial gut bacteria, which in turn was "essential for maintaining a balanced immune system and preventing aberrant immune responses - including allergic reactions".
"If you're thinking about using honey to help with your hayfever symptoms, it's important to take into account certain practical considerations and exercise caution," the academics said.
"Research recommends consuming 1g of honey per kilogram of body weight each day in order to have any affect. For a person weighing 80kg, this would translate to four tablespoons of honey daily. Studies also recommend taking honey before and throughout hay fever season in order to have the most benefit on symptoms."
Dr Bushell said honey had other, more-certain health benefits, too.
"There are studies that show that honey is more effective than cough syrups at reducing cough symptoms in children," she said.
"As a pharmacist I have recommended that parents trial giving their child honey just before bed, when they are having trouble sleeping at night because of a cough."
Dr Bushell said honey applied topically could help to prevent infections and promote wound-healing.
"Manuka honey has the most evidence here," she said.
If you want to see how well honey works for hayfever or other health problems, it sounds like a farmers' market is the place to go.
It might not help, but it will rarely hurt adults.
