Stingless Bee Honey
Tetragonula iridipennis (Dammer Bee)
Also known as: Cheruthen · Poothein · Kani Honey · Meliponine Honey
Rarer than saffron — produced at 100g per hive per year. The ancient honey of Kerala's Kani tribe and the Ayurvedic physician's first choice.
Annual yield per hive
80–150 g
Acidity
pH 3.2–4.0 (more acidic)
Water content
25–35% (higher)
Rarity
Exceptional — 200× rarer than standard honey
About
What is Stingless Bee Honey?
Stingless bee honey (Cheruthen in Malayalam) is the rarest honey in India. A single Tetragonula iridipennis hive produces only 80–150g of honey per year — compared to 20–30kg for a standard Apis mellifera hive. The honey is stored in small resin pots (cerumen) within hollow tree trunks, bamboo cavities, or clay pots. It has a distinctly sour taste due to higher organic acid content (lactic acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid), lower sugar content, and higher water activity than standard honey. Its antimicrobial potency — measured by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) against pathogens — is often higher than standard honey due to its unique hydrogen peroxide and phenolic profile. Charaka Samhita specifically lists Bhramara Madhu (honey of the large black bee, likely meliponine) as superior.
Key Compound
Lactic acid + unique phenolic profile
Higher organic acids (lactic, acetic, gluconic) create low pH that inhibits pathogens. Combined with unique propolis phenolics from Tetragonula — antimicrobial potency often exceeds Apis honey.
Nutritional Profile
What’s inside?
Health Applications
Why it matters
Eye health
Traditional Ayurvedic use: Cheruthen used as eye drops for conjunctivitis and cataracts — its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties are applied topically.
Wound healing
Low pH + high antimicrobial compounds make it effective for wound care and diabetic ulcers.
Oral health
Inhibits Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans — effective as a mouth rinse in traditional practice.
Ancient Wisdom
In Ayurveda
Dosha Effect
Pitta-reducing, Kapha-reducing
Guna (Quality)
Laghu (lighter than standard honey), Kashaya (astringent)
Best Season
Vasant (spring) and Sharad (autumn)
Classical Note
Ashtanga Hridayam (Vagbhata) lists stingless bee honey separately as 'Bhramara Madhu' and considers it superior for eye diseases and blood purification. Classical Ayurveda recommends it where standard honey is too heating.
Origin Story
From the field
Kerala / Tamil Nadu · Western Ghats foothills
The Kani tribe of the southern Western Ghats have practiced Cheruthen meliponiculture for generations — maintaining hollow log hives (dudlu) in their forest settlements. The traditional practice involves carefully prying open a section of the log hive with a wooden tool, extracting honey with a small ladle, and sealing the hive back with a mixture of beeswax and tree resin. The bees are never harmed. Kerala's KIRTADS (Kerala Institute for Research, Training and Development Studies of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) has documented 200+ Kani families practicing traditional Cheruthen collection in Thiruvananthapuram district.
— Try It In Your Kitchen —
Recipes using Stingless Bee Honey.
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Related ingredients
There are 23 ingredients in the Field Guide.