There has been fake science news all over the internet– including the fact that local honey may be a breakthrough cure for hay fever and other allergies. But is this scientifically accurate?

To put this to the test, scientists gave participants an open-label trial– this means that they knew what they knew whether they were getting the real treatment or a placebo. Volunteers who suffer from allergies were told either to eat a tablespoon of honey every day or to eat corn syrup flavoured with artificial honey.

Those eating the honey reported statistically significantly lowered symptoms — it was so promising that the researchers decided they really did need to see whether honey was the real deal. They progressed to a double-blind trial—one where no one knew what they were getting.

By the end of the study, those who ate the honey were doing no better with their allergies than those who ate the corn syrup. However, you may genuinely feel better taking honey. This study proves that the results you see are most likely the placebo effect—but the placebo effect can be helpful especially when it comes to allergies. So, maybe the spread of this particular fake news story is positive buzz.