There are countless websites about manuka honey nowadays. However, most of them say nearly the same things, with little value or  meaningful differences. This suggests that the authors likely have no real knowledge of manuka honey, simply cutting and pasting from  various sites to create a patchwork article. Recently, one of our sales staff sent me an online article from a famous weekly magazine. After reading it, I found it was just  another typical, unremarkable article you could find anywhere.

Many of these websites nearly always include a description of the manuka tree, saying something like, “In the Maori language,  ‘manuka’ means ‘tree of resurrection’ or ‘healing tree.’” It’s likely that someone wrote this convincing story simply to promote their own  product, and now numerous sites have copied this catchy phrase. I have lived here since 1995 and have friendships with Maori people, but I’ve never once heard words like “resurrection” or “healing”  associated with manuka. When I mention it, the Maori people laugh. So I haven’t comfirmed it.

This is a classic example of the Japanese tendency to create “stories” with added meaning. A similar case can be seen in how  the Japanese call an apartment building a “mansion.” In English, a mansion refers to a large, luxurious home, and phrases like  “one-room mansion” would make anyone, not just the Maori, laugh. Yet, in Japan, “mansion” has become the standard term for an apartment,  It seems that “tree of resurrection” or “healing tree” will eventually become accepted terms for manuka, just like “mansion” in Japan. But errors  should be corrected before they become fixed in common use.

In the online world, anyone can write anything, yet there’s no accountability—if you believe it, that’s on you. The claims about the activity  level of manuka honey are often unreliable, with many sites confidently selling it based on verified information. The more they boast of  XX Association certification or “major brand,” the more dubious these claims tend to be. One might call it freedom, as is typical of the  internet, but I know well that consumers aren’t that easily misled. Terms like “resurrection,” “healing,” “XX Association certification,” or “major brand” have nothing to do with me. My only purpose as  a beekeeper is to take pride in my work, knowing that our customers keep coming back to purchase our products at a premium,  without needing any convincing words.