Honey has been valued as a natural sweetener long before sugar became widely available in the 16th century. Honey production flourished in ancient Greece and Sicily, for instance, while animals other than humans – bears, badgers, and more – have long raided honeybee hives, risking stings for the sweet reward.1
Honey is truly a remarkable substance, made even more extraordinary by the process with which it is made. This blend of sugar, trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids is quite unlike any other sweetener on the planet.
And while honey is high in fructose, it has many health benefits when used in moderation (assuming you’re healthy). Before I delve into those, here’s a brief “lesson” on how honey is made. 5 Honey Facts You Might Not Know
- Honey Makes Excellent Cough “Medicine”
- Honey Can Treat Wounds
- Honey Improves Your Scalp
- Help Boost Your Energy
- Reduce Allergy Symptoms
Liquid Gold: 7 Health Benefits Of Honey That Could Heal Your Whole Body
Honey contains a treasure chest of hidden nutritional and medicinal value for centuries. The sweet golden liquid from the beehive is a popular kitchen staple loaded with antibacterial and antifungal properties that has been used since the early days of Egyptian tombs.
Honey’s scientific super powers contribute to its vastly touted health benefits for the whole body. The healthy natural sweetener offers many nutritional benefits depending on its variety. Raw honey is the unpasteurized version of commonly used honey and only differs in its filtration, which helps extend its shelf life. A tablespoon of raw honey contains 64 calories, is fat-free, cholesterol-free, and sodium-free, says the National Honey Board. Its composition is roughly 80 percent carbohydrates, 18 percent water, and two percent vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Typically, honey is sweet but can be cruel to infants. Spores of Clostridium botulinum bacteria — found in dirt and dust, which can contaminate honey — may lead to infant botulism and produce a toxin inside the body that can cause muscle weakness and breathing problems. The Mayo Clinic recommends waiting until after 12 months of age to give infants honey; consumption is safe for older adults and kids, since they have a mature digestive system that can handle the spores. Consume honey responsibly and reap the numerous health benefits of this liquid gold.
- Alleviates Allergies
- All-Natural Energy Drink
- Boosts Memory
- Cough Suppressant
- Sleep Aid
- Treats Dandruff
- Treats Wounds And Burns
Honey: Health Benefits and Uses In Medicine
Honey is a sweet liquid made by bees using nectar from flowers. Bees first convert the nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation and evaporation, then store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive. Honey can then be harvested from the hives for human consumption.
Honey is graded by color, with the clear, golden amber honey often at a higher retail price than darker varieties. Honey flavor will vary based on the types of flower from which the nectar was harvested.
Both raw and pasteurized forms of honey are available. Raw honey is removed from the hive and bottled directly, and as such will contain trace amounts of yeast, wax and pollen. Consuming local raw honey is believed to help with seasonal allergies due to repeated exposure to the pollen in the area. Pasteurized honey has been heated and processed to remove impurities. Modern science is finding that many of the historical claims that honey can be used in medicine may indeed be true. In the Bible (Old Testament), King Solomon said, "My son, eat thou honey, for it is good", and there are a number of reasons why it may be good.
- Acid reflux
- Infantile gastroenteritis
- Healing wounds and burns
- Honey for treating allergies
- Fighting infections
- Cold relief
Health Benefits of Honey
- Nature's Energy Booster
- Immunity System Builder
- Honey is Anti-Cancer
Medicinal Uses of Honey
Honey has a long medicinal history. The ancient Egyptians not only made offerings of honey to their gods, they also used it as an embalming fluid and a dressing for wounds. On that last point, at least, they were on to something.
Today, many people swarm to honey for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Holistic practitioners consider it one of nature's best all-around remedies. But outside of the laboratory, claims for honey's healthfulness are unproven -- except in the area of wound care and, to a lesser extent, cough suppression.
Here's the truth behind the claims about honey's health benefits -- and an important warning.
- Never Give Honey to an Infant
- Antibacterial Honey?
- Honey and Wound Care
- Honey and Allergies
- Honey and the Common Cold
- Honey and Diabetes
Health Benefits of Honey
Honey has been used by countless cultures all around the world over the past 2,500 years. While the numerous health benefits of honey have made it an important element of traditional medicines such as Ayurvedic treatments, scientists are also researching the benefits of honey in relation to modern medicine, particularly in the healing of wounds.
It is known as Honig in German, Miele in Italian, Shahad in Hindi, Miel in French and Spanish, Mel in Portuguese, мед in Russian, Honing in Dutch, and μελι in Greek; there is almost no part in the world where honey is not widely used and celebrated as a part of the cultural diet.
But what makes honey so popular? Most likely, it is the ease with which it can be consumed. One can eat honey directly, put it on bread like a jam, mix it with juice or any drink instead of sugar, or mix it with warm water, lime juice, cinnamon and other herbs to make a medicine. It is savored by all due to its taste as well as health benefits, making it extremely useful and versatile.
- Sweetener
- Weight Loss
- Energy Source
- Improving Athletic Performance
- Source of Vitamins and Minerals
- Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties
- Antioxidants
- Skin Care with Milk and Honey
- Honey in Wound Management
8 Health Benefits of Honey and its Various Uses
We look at the many health benefits of honey, which has been used to cure many ailments for millennia. We also look at some uses of honey as a home remedy and in traditional medicine.
- Honey is good for your blood
- Honey is safer than sugar
- Honey is good for yoga practitioners
- Honey is antibacterial and antiseptic
- Honey is an energy food
- Honey helps with digestion
- Honey combats skin and scalp infections
- Honey helps children sleep soundly
10 Health Benefits of Honey
Discover the health benefits of one of the oldest sweeteners on earth, plus some interesting trivia, some great recipes and a few cautions.
Bees swallow, digest and regurgitate nectar to make honey; this nectar contains almost 600 compounds. We need our bees, so let’s do everything we can to save them and keep them here on this earth.
Honey is so good we have included it in our list of powerfoods that should be in your kitchen right now.
- Prevent cancer and heart disease
- Reduce ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders
- Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-fungal
- Increase athletic performance
- Reduce cough and throat irritation
- Balance the 5 elements
- Blood sugar regulation
- Heal wounds and burns
- Probiotic
- Beautiful skin
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