Australian aphrodisiac honey from Phoenix palm creates buzz in Middle East

A boutique blend of honey produced in northern New South Wales has become sought after in the Middle East where it is consumed as an aphrodisiac.

Apiarist Gabrielle Morley, 80, originally planted hundreds of Phoenix date palms (Phoenix canariensis) on her property near Byron Bay to sell as landscaping plants.

However, a trip to the United Arab Emirates revealed the palms were considered more than ornamental.

“We were in the markets and the traders there started offering us Viagra, and I was a bit taken aback…