The truth is that the placebo effect is quite powerful. "The consumption of
pollen or unrefined honey containing traces of local pollen has been widely
believed to help reduce the symptoms of hay fever. Although testimonial
evidence abounds to support these beliefs, rigorous experimental
investigations have revealed, at best, only marginal improvements in
patients who consume pollen. Although some positive effects resulting from
ingestion of pollen appeared in individuals with simple hay fever without
asthma, the overall benefits were so marginal compared to the clear
benefits of subcutaneous pollen injections (allergy shots) that oral
treatments were not justified. These results indicate that if allergies are
severe enough to merit medical attention, the best treatments are
subcutaneous allergy shots; but if they are not that severe, there is no
reason for an individual not to enjoy locally produced or raw honey and
pollen products--and if the hay fever is helped, that is an added benefit."
This info is according to J. Schmidt and S. Buchmann in their article
"Other Products of the Hive" in the 1992 edition of _The Hive and the Honey
Bee_, so check that out for the references.
 
Holly