A Teaspoon of Sweet Honey for Your Health

Natural honey has used since ancient times to help heal wounds, and battle bacteria. In modern folk medicine, honey has been prescribed as a treatment for coughs, sore throats, eye diseases, infected leg ulcers and many others things. The miracle nectar has also been cherished as a sweetener.

Honey wine, or mead, has been renowned as an aphrodisiac, and the word honeymoon comes from the custom of serving newlywed couples mead for a month to increase their happiness and fertility. There are many different types of honey, and some types of honey have gained a reputation as a cure to more or less everything.

1. Honey has a reputation for being healthier than sugar, it is high in monosaccaride glucose and fructose, which are quickly absorbed and provides the body with energy. Honey is 75 % sugar so nutritionally there are few advantages, and nutritionists count honey as added sugar in the diet. However, unlike refined sugar, honey contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidant.
2. The color and flavor of honey varies by floral source and so does the vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, and amino acid content. Darker honey tends to have higher antioxidant content. Antioxidants slow down, or prevent the oxidation of molecules – free radicals. Antioxidants play a role in prevention of heart disease, muscular degeneration, and cancer. The level of disease-fighting antioxidants in honey is the same as some common fruits such as apples, oranges or strawberries.
3. Buckwheat honey comes from the buckwheat plant and is dark in color with a distinct flavor. Research has shown that it is effective at soothing throats and calming coughs.
4. Local honey may prevent your seasonal allergies. Bees use the pollen from local plants and eventually it ends up in your honey.
5. A spoonful of honey in a cup of water before you go to bed will induce a sense of calm and drowsiness. Honey will increase the level of an amino acid that is used in the production of serotonin. Serotonin is neurotransmitter in the brain that will induce a sense of calm and drowsiness.
6. Honey contains hydrogen peroxide, which was once used as a disinfectant for wounds in hospitals. Honey can reduce infection and inflammation.
7. Manuka honey from New Zealand has been found to have antibacterial properties, and can help heal a range of conditions from stomach ulcers to infections. Manuka honey collect pollen from the manuka bush, which grows wild in New Zealand. In addition to the hydrogen peroxide antibacterial activity, Manuka honey also appears to contain other healthy beneficial ingredients that are yet to be identified.
8. Life Mel is made by honeybees fed on a specially formulated diet, which includes selected herbs such as Siberian Ginseng, Echinacea and Uncaria Tomentosa. Research is being conducted to determine the effectiveness of the honey in decreasing side effects of chemotherapy. A small sample of cancer patients showed a slight beneficial increase in their quality of life, and they did not experience the usual drop of white-blood cell count.
9. Honey is also assumed to prolong life. A recent study showed that over eighty percent of people over 100 years old regularly consumed honey. The presence of chemical elements, vitamins and enzymes are believed to be important for the good operation of the human body.

Please Note: Honey should not be given to children less than one year old.

Some people are allergic to beehive products, and serious allergic reactions, including potentially life-threading anaphylaxis, have been reported.