In ages past, the role of honey has been quite helpful to certain civilizations. Before the concept of modern healthcare was born, honey was there.
In Ancient Egypt, honey was used for sealing wounds and the mummification process. It was also discovered in some tombs and was used as a symbol of rebirth.
The Ancient Greeks have recorded their use of ice cream-like desserts and vitamins for the Olympics.
Ancient India considered this substance to be the nectar of immortality.
The ancient Chinese used it as a traditional medicine. Other ancient civilizations used it for currency, religious offerings, and ailments.
Truly, this golden substance is powerful beyond its bright color. Honey has also been used as a symbol for eternity and longevity. This is because honey never expires.
In a world full of artificial sweeteners, processed syrups, and whatnot. Honey remains stable, high-quality, and naturally sweet.
Today, we will be talking about honey, its properties, and how we can use it as a homemade remedy for certain ailments.
What is Honey?
Honey is a yellow, sticky substance that is produced by the honeybees. These bees collect nectar and convert it into honey by adding their enzymes to it.
Bees have a separate stomach that they use to store the nectar. It is also where they process the nectar and mix it with the enzymes. After which, they would spit the mixture in a process called regurgitation.
Honey is not the excrement of the bees. They also produce it without forcing their stomachs to do it. This process is not commonly done by humans, but usual nature of the birds.
It is considered a by-product, with 80% of it containing fructose, glucose, and minerals. Water is also present in honey.
Certain characteristics unique to honey are the flowery aroma, color variation, thick texture, too viscous, and crystallizing appearance. It does not easily dissolve in water or produce foam when heated.
Compared to the faux honey, which is often sold in groceries, pure honey is truly expensive and may have a light to dark amber color.
Faux honey is a combination of sugar additives and syrups, added with dark amber color, with fast-pacing movement when moved.
Real honey crystallizes due to the temperature changes, while the faux one is color consistent even if refrigerated. So, the next time you buy honey, make sure to buy it from local farmers.
Honey has different types and benefits. Here are some of the known honey types:
Raw Honey
It is best used for daily health support. This honey is rich in nutrients and other enzymes.
Manuka Honey
This honey is produced from the nectar of 84 Manuka variety plants found in New Zealand and Australia. It is considered one of the most expensive honey types due to its wound healing properties, especially in sore throat problems. Manuka honey has a strong antibacterial power.
Wildflower Honey
This honey is best used for people with allergies. The honey type is known to provide strong support for your immune system.
Clover Honey
This honey is best used for cooking and general use. It tastes mild and sweet.
The Health Battle Between Honey and Sugar
Honey and sugar are both considered sweetener options for food. However, honey is considered healthier than sugar alone because of its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
If we are to compare the nutrients of these sweets, honey contains a combination of enzymes, antioxidants, and vitamins. Sugar, on the other hand, contains nothing of nutritional value but 50 calories per tablespoon, slightly lower than honey.
When we talk about their glycemic impact, both can spike your sugar level. But sugar immediately gives you a high spike. Honey acts as a natural sugar in your body, which is why it causes a lower spike in glucose.
As we moderately take both sweet options, honey supports metabolism and stronger immunity. However, sugar or its consistent intake leads to obesity and diabetes.
In this showdown, Honey wins the case. It acts as a natural medicine with a sweet, aromatic flavor. But sugar? It’s just a sweetener.
The Scientifically Proven Potential of Honey
Do you know why honey works well? It’s because of its beneficial properties.
Honey is not just a sweetener or an overhyped sugar alternative. It is full of bioactive compounds.
This substance has enzymes and minerals that are helpful for cellular repair and support easy digestion.
It contains hydrogen peroxide, which acts like a natural antibiotic compound. The honey has flavonoids and polyphenols, which make it a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties.
Due to its antibacterial properties, honey tends to draw water out of the bacteria. This stops the infection. The reason why ancient civilizations applied it to open wounds.
Recent studies, particularly on Manuka honey, show that it improves gut health and supports your body’s good bacteria. It is also effective in killing harmful bacteria such as E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
Other findings on Manuka honey reported that it helps protect vital organs such as your brain and heart, reduces inflammation, and speeds up tissue repair.
As you can see, honey has a lot of benefits, and it has to be consumed in moderation. This substance should be considered when shifting to a healthier diet.
Honey Remedies for Common Ailments
Certain studies have taken an interest in the potential of honey. Most of these studies show significant results.
Honey is 40% faster and effective in reducing the wound healing process compared to the hospital dressings.
Another study confirmed that honey is also effective in reducing the nighttime cough of children compared to the medical syrups.
Through an experiment, honey is known to reduce bacterial growth by a significant amount.
All of this bridges the ancient wisdom and the modern knowledge on the potency of honey as an effective remedy.
Take note of these honey remedies that can help you with these common ailments:
Coughs and Sore Throat Problems
Take a tablespoon of honey and mix it with lemon and warm water. Slowly drink this combination before bed to improve your sleeping condition.
This combination helps you suppress cough during your sleeping time.
Honey covers the throat that kills germs and reduces irritation. Lemon also has antioxidant properties that act as a support to the honey.
Burns or Wounds
Honey was used by the ancient Egyptians as a natural ointment to treat infections, burns, and cuts. However, this is still practiced today, where hospitals use medical-grade honey for cleaning and treating wounds.
Apply a thin amount of Manuka honey to a burn or minor wound and use a clean bandage as a cover. The enzymes of the honey contain hydrogen peroxide.
It speeds up tissue repair, prevents scarring, and reduces swelling.
Gut and Digestion Issues
Do you know that ancient Romans took honey after eating heavily? They believe that honey helps settle the stomach and makes the digestive process smoother.
This practice bears a truth on it, as honey is a good source of prebiotics. It helps feed the good bacteria found in your intestines.
Honey eases the symptoms of acid reflux, bloating, and gas in your stomach.
If you experience issues relating to your gut and digestion, take a teaspoon of honey first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Honey coats the digestive tract and reduces inflammation that can lead to ulcers.
Allergies
Take a teaspoon of local raw honey to prevent breathing congestion and reduce sneezing moments during the allergy season.
A local raw honey has pollen traces amounts on its ingredients.
Honey acts as an edible vaccine. It helps your immune system to identify allergic triggers.
Trouble in Sleeping
In Ayurvedic medicine, honey is known to support emotional balance. It is quoted with the phrase “opens the heart and nourishes the mind.”
Mix your warm milk with honey and drink it before going to it. To enhance your sleeping quality, you can add a pinch of cinnamon.
Honey provides support in releasing a sleeping hormone. This is also known as melatonin.
There are gentle sugars present in honey that can help stabilize your brain by normalizing your blood sugar levels at night.
Oxidative Stress
Mix a cup of warm water, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon of honey. Drink once every morning to strengthen your immune system.
Honey has antioxidant properties that can help your body combat oxidative stress. This causes your body’s chronic diseases and sudden aging.
Aside from the immune system, honey can also strengthen your white blood cells. These are your body’s defenders against foreign cells.
However, these homemade honey remedies have limitations. This can only be effective if you use the pure honey, and not the faux honey.
This may not be effective for diabetics, especially those who are in their second stage. It is also not recommended for infants under 1 year old because their bodies cannot process honey.
Final Takeaway
Using honey as a homemade, natural remedy is not a trend. It has been proven both by our history and modern science.
If there’s something more precious and constant than time, that would be honey.
It offers natural benefits that help your brain, heart, gut, wound, immunity, and even digestion.
A spoonful of honey contains anti-inflammation, a brain relaxer, a sleep enhancer, anti-germs, healthy digestion, and a strong immune system. There’s more to it, as modern research is still learning other benefits of this substance.
Honey, a natural substance that beats time, sugar, and processed chemicals. So if I were you, choose this one as your sweetener.
This is the only medicine that you can taste so sweet and pure.