Wilder Tualang Honig: Heilkraft aus dem Regenwald
Kultur Meets Canopy: How Our Malaysian Honey Made Headlines in Europe
Long before Eat Honey Pretty was born, Nirwana’s early work in wild Malaysian honey caught the attention of European wellness writers. This 2012 feature by Alexandra Walterskirchen dives deep into the science, cultural roots, and rare magic of Tualang honey — calling it the “black gold of the rainforest.”
We’re proud to share this article as part of our archives — a reminder that true beauty and healing often begin in the wild.
Kennen Sie Tualang Honig? Vermutlich nein, denn ihn bekommt man derzeit noch nicht bei im Handel, sondern kann ihn nur über kleine Genossenschaften direkt in Südostasien bestellen.
Der Tualang Honig stammt aus dem Regenwald in Südostasien, der über 100 Millionen Jahre alt ist und noch weitgehend unberührt von Umweltzerstörungen ist. Der Tualang Baum, Asiens größter Baum, wird bis zu 76 Meter hoch, und wächst in Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo und Indonesien. Er ist der „Lebensraum“ der größten Honigbienen der Welt, den bis zu 3 cm großen Riesenhonigbienen „Apis Dorsata“, die ihre offenen Bienenstöcke bzw. Waben an die Äste und Stämme der Bäume bauen. Deswegen wird der Tualang-Baum auch „Bienenbaum“ genannt.
Die Riesenhonigbiene ist vergleich mit einem „Zugvogel“. Die Bienenvölker wandern über Monate durch den Regenwald – wo sie sich dabei genau aufhalten, ist unbekannt -, kehren jedoch nach einiger Zeit zielsicher zu ihren „Brutbäumen“ bzw. Ursprungsbäumen zurück. Dort legen sie ihre Wabennester offen an und nicht wie unsere heimischen Honigbienen geschützt in Baumhöhlen oder Bienenkästen. Die Waben der Riesenhonigbiene können bis zu zwei Meter lang werden. Schutz vor äußeren Einflüssen bietet ausschließlich ein Vorhang aus lebenden Bienen in fünf bis sieben Schichten. An einem Baum können sieben bis 200 Bienenvölker leben.
Der Honig der Riesenhonigbienen wird als Tualang Honig bezeichnet. Er ist absolut natürlich, biologisch, ohne Pestizide oder Zuckerzusätze, da die Bienen wild leben und fern von den landwirtschaftlichen Kulturflächen der Menschen Nektar sammeln. Die Farbe des Honigs ist dunkelbraun bis schwarz und sehr aromatisch, gänzlich anders als Honig von gezüchteten Bienen. Der Honig ist unbehandelt und ohne Konservierungsstoffe. Er kristallisiert in der Regel recht schnell.
Wissenschaftliche Studien haben festgestellt, dass der Tualang Honig einen wesentlich höheren Prozentsatz von MGO enthält als der wesentlich bekanntere Manuka-Honig.
Manuka-Honig aus Neuseeland wird seit Jahrhunderten von den Eingeborenen als Naturheilmittel verwendet und erfreut sich seit einigen Jahren auch in Deutschland einer immer größeren Beliebtheit. Manuka-Honig ist, anders als „normaler“ Honig, antibakteriell, was auf das Zuckerabbauprodukt Methylgloxal (MGO) zurückzuführen ist, das in der Honigwabe durch Dehydration des Nektar der Blüten des Manukastrauches durch die Bienen entsteht. Die TU Dresden konnte in Studien nachweisen, dass MGO in Manuka-Honig besonders bakterizide Eigenschaften gegen Escheria Coli, Staphylococcus aureus und andere Erreger aufweist. Manuka-Honig wird als Heilmittel für verschiedene Krankheiten verwendet, u.a. Hautkrankheiten, Zahnpflege, Erkältungen, Halsschmerzen, Magen- und Darm-Probleme, usw.
2011 hat eine wissenschaftliche Gruppe aus Malaysia im Rahmen einer Forschung den Tualang Honig und seine Wirkung auf Krebs untersucht. Sie stellten fest, dass Tualang-Honig die Zellen von Brustkrebs- und Gebärmutterhalskrebs-Arten innerhalb von 72 Stunden bei geringer Konzentration bis zu 100% zerstört und damit eindeutig die Metastasenbildung bremst! Die Krebszellen sterben ab und DNA-Schäden werden behoben. Durch die antioxidative Wirkung der Polyphenole hilft der Tualang-Honig zudem dem Körper sogenannte ROS-Moleküle (reaktive Sauerstoffspezies) auf normalem Niveau zu halten, wodurch das Risiko für Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen gering gehalten wird. Auch wirkt Tualang-Honig Plaque reduzierend und Karieshemmend für die Zähne. Tualang-Honig ist außerdem wesentlich wirksamer als Manuka-Honig gegen Bakterien bei Verbrennungswunden. All das sind Gründe, die für die Verwendung des „schwarzen Goldes“ – so wird der Tualang Honig nämlich auch genannt – aus dem Regenwald sprechen!
Excerpt from a 2012 German Feature Article
Originally published under Nirwana’s first honey label, this article introduced Tualang honey to European readers — long before Eat Honey Pretty was born.
Title: Wilder Tualang Honig: The Healing Force from the Rainforest
Originally published in Kultur Magazin, Germany (2018) By Alexandra Walterskirchen
“The wild teaches us taste. I just happened to translate it.” — Nirwana
Wild Tualang Honey: Healing Power from the Rainforest
By Alexandra Walterskirchen
Page 1
Have you heard of Tualang honey? Probably not, because it’s currently not available in our markets. Instead, it can only be ordered through small cooperatives directly in Southeast Asia.
Tualang honey comes from the rainforest in Southeast Asia, which is over 100 million years old and still largely untouched by environmental destruction.
The Tualang tree, Asia’s largest tree, can grow up to 76 meters tall and is found in Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, and Indonesia. It is the habitat of the largest honeybees in the world, the giant honeybees, which can grow up to 3 cm in length. These bees — Apis dorsata — build their hives on the trunks and branches of the Tualang trees. That’s why the Tualang tree is often referred to as the “bee tree.”
The giant honeybee is like a “nomad.” The bee colonies migrate through the rainforest for three months — where exactly they go is unknown — but then they return precisely to their “birth hive.” There, they build their wax combs openly and not in tree hollows or man-made beehives. The combs of the giant honeybees are protected in tree crowns or on tree trunks.
These wax combs can be up to two meters long. Protection from external influences is provided only by layers of beeswax and the living bees themselves. A single tree can hold up to 200 bee colonies.
The honey from these giant bees is called Tualang honey. It is absolutely natural and organic, as the giant honeybees do not come into contact with pesticides or sugar substitutes, and gather nectar far from the agricultural and monocultural fields of humans.
The color of the honey is dark brown to black and it has an aromatic scent, completely different from honey from domestic bees. It is raw and unprocessed, with no preservatives. It usually crystallizes quickly.
Scientific studies have shown that Tualang honey contains a significantly higher percentage of MGO (methylglyoxal) than the better-known Manuka honey.
Manuka honey from New Zealand has been used for centuries by the indigenous people as a natural remedy and has become increasingly popular in Germany in recent years.
Page 2
Unlike regular honey, Manuka honey is antibacterial due to its high content of MGO, a sugar breakdown product formed in the honey by the dehydration of nectar from manuka blossoms through the bees.
The Technical University of Dresden was able to show in studies that MGO in Manuka honey has strong bactericidal effects, particularly against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and other pathogens. Manuka honey is used as a remedy for various illnesses — including skin diseases, dental care, colds, sore throats, and gastrointestinal problems.
What’s relatively new, however, is the medicinal effect of Tualang honey.
In 2011, a scientific group from Malaysia investigated Tualang honey and its effect on cancer. They found that Tualang honey can destroy cancer cells in breast and cervical cancers within 72 hours even at low concentrations and prevent the formation of metastases. The cancer cells die and DNA damage is repaired.
Thanks to its antioxidant effect, the polyphenols in Tualang honey also help the body neutralize ROS molecules(reactive oxygen species), which are responsible for aging and inflammation. These molecules are kept at normal levels, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Tualang honey is also effective in reducing plaque and preventing cavities.
Image captions:
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Top: Tualang tree with Tualang bee hives. A Tualang trunk is worth about 1,200 euros, which is a lot of money by Malaysian standards.
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Bottom: A “Honey Hunter” harvesting honey from a Tualang tree. Both the Tualang trees and the giant honeybees are treated with great respect.
Page 3
Tualang honey is significantly more effective than Manuka honey in treating burn wounds, among other things. These are all reasons why this “black gold” from the rainforest is so highly valued.
For generations, Tualang honey has been harvested in Asia by so-called “Honey Hunters.” This tradition goes way back in human history. There are families who have worked with the giant bees and the Tualang trees for generations, always with respect and in symbiosis with nature.
They only take as much honey as the bees can easily spare — without causing harm. No metal objects are used to harvest the honey, only bamboo, vine ropes, bones, or wood, so as not to disturb the bees’ energy field.
The harvest is not without danger. The Honey Hunters have to climb great heights without safety gear and gently detach the wax combs. The combs are wrapped in plastic and lowered down with ropes.
The entire harvesting process in Malaysia takes about three months. A “Honey Hunter family” usually works with five to seven trees, each hosting various bee colonies that have been under their guardianship for generations.
Every “Honey Hunter” needs an official license. They are trained to handle the bees responsibly and are part of long-established clans. A family of 10 to 12 people can harvest about 18 kilograms of honey per season. This corresponds to about 4,300 to 5,600 euros in earnings — enough to support a family for half a year.
Ten years ago, they used to harvest twice or even three times as much.
Sadly, the giant bees are now endangered, primarily due to deforestation and especially the illegal logging of Tualang trees. A Tualang trunk is worth 1,200 euros, which is a lot of money in Malaysia. As a result, the Honey Hunter families guard their Tualang trees.
Despite the fact that cutting down these trees is illegal, and associated with severe penalties, loggers still do it. The government is often powerless or corruption is involved.
This has led to a worrying decline in giant bee colonies. In 1970, a single tree could host up to 100 bee colonies — today, it’s often only 20 or fewer.
In summary: If nothing changes, Malaysia’s rainforests will vanish within the next few decades, and with them the wild giant bees and the powerful medicinal Tualang honey, which is unique in the world.
One glass of this honey is expensive — but its price is justified (similar to Manuka honey). Just one spoonful per day is a wonderful energy boost for the immune system and a healing agent for the entire body.
And one more thing:
By purchasing Tualang honey, you’re not only supporting traditional Honey Hunters in Malaysia, but also helping to protect the rainforest with all its ancient Tualang trees, wild bees, and biodiversity.
You’re contributing to the livelihood of these Honey Hunters and their families. It’s a circular relationship — people and bees living together in harmony.
We’ve been working together for many years and are grateful to offer this Tualang honey, harvested respectfully and with love.
Note: This article predates the founding of Eat Honey Pretty and was published during Nirwana’s early days in the wild honey world—back when she operated under a quiet, lesser-known label. Still, it stands as one of the earliest recognitions of Malaysian wild honey in Europe — a seed of legacy that has since blossomed.
Today, the same woman behind that early vision — Nirwana — is the founder of Eat Honey Pretty. Her journey continues, with Tualang still at its soul. Only now, it’s reimagined through a sommelier’s lens and elevated into a sensory ritual called Twilight Nectar — a signature expression of wild luxury, curated emotion, and reverent taste.
“Back then, I didn’t know I was building a brand. I just knew the honey deserved better stories.”
— Nirwana
“Even before Eat Honey Pretty, I was already listening to the forest.”
— Nirwana
A quiet legacy, rooted in wild sweetness.