Palai Flower Comb Honey (Palai Poo)

It's honey still sealed in the wax cells the bees built to store it. Each tray holds pieces of wild honeycomb sitting in their own honey, so you get both the comb and liquid honey. Nothing is added.

Yes, beeswax is safe to eat. Cut a piece of comb, chew it to release the honey, then swallow the wax or spit it out, whichever you prefer. You can also press the honey out with the back of a spoon.

Poo means flower (hoo in Kannada, puvvu in Telugu), and honey is then in Tamil and Malayalam, jenu in Kannada and tene in Telugu. Murungai Poo is named after the drumstick (moringa) flowering season: the tree is murungai in Tamil, muringa in Malayalam, nugge in Kannada and munaga in Telugu. Palai Poo is named after the season when the palai tree is in flower. Wild bees also visit other flowers nearby, so the name tells you the main season, not a single flower.

From wild hives, not from bee boxes or a honey farm. Honey hunters around Erode, Tamil Nadu climb to wild hives deep in the forest, calm the bees with smoke and cut the comb by hand. Vanamati sells it alongside its own range.

Wild bees forage on whatever is in bloom, so the colour, aroma, taste and shape of the comb change from hive to hive and season to season. That variation is normal for wild honey.

Yes. Some honey crystallises in the comb over time, especially in cool weather. It's a natural process and doesn't mean the honey has spoiled. Don't microwave or heat the tray: the wax melts.

No. Never give honey to children under 12 months old, because of the risk of infant botulism.

Honey is a food, not a medicine, and it is not a substitute for prescribed treatment or medical advice. See a doctor for a persistent cough, breathing difficulty or any ongoing symptoms. Honey contains natural sugars, so if you need to manage your blood glucose, count it in your diet.