Honey is a natural substance that is produced from the nectar of flowers by Apis mellifera and is a sweet, flavorful liquid. It is called Oyin in Yoruba, Zuma in Hausa and Mmanụ aṅụ in Igbo and consists of sugars, small quantities of proteins, enzymes, amino acids, minerals, trace elements, vitamins, aroma compounds, and polyphones. It is extensively accepted as food and medicine by all generations, traditions and civilizations, both ancient and modern.
History
Honey is as old as history is itself. One of the earliest proofs of honey harvesting is on a rock painting dating back 8000 years; this one found in Valencia, Spain shows a honey seeker robbing a wild bee colony. The bees were subdued with smoke and the tree or rocks opened resulting in destruction of the colony.
Archaeologists discovered honey comb in Egypt that had been buried with the pharaohs in their tombs, the honey was preserved and was still eatable. In the Old Testament, the land of Israel was often referred to as the “land flowing of milk and honey”. God nourished Jacob with honey from the rock, and gave Israel fine flour, olive oil and honey. John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey. Honey is mention in the scrolls of the Orient, the Talmud and Koran.
The Romans used honey to heal their wounds after battles. Hannibal, a great warrior gave his army honey and vinegar as they crossed the Alps on elephants to battle Rome. During the 10 century, the Kings and Queens of England had fermented honey wine (Mead); the Edmeades family produced some of these. Honey has been used for many thousands of years; in fact most man’s history has references to it. Not surprising though, it is an organic natural sugar, has no additives, easy on the stomach, if stored correctly will have an almost indefinite shelf life and easily adapted to cooking processes.
Types of Honey
1. Comb honey
Comb honey is the purest, rawest form of honey. The beeswax is edible.
2. Raw honey
Raw honey often contains wax, pollen, and other bee parts.
3. Liquid honey
Liquid honey is often pasteurized (which decreases the chance of crystallization), and the beeswax has been filtered out.
4. Chunk honey
Chunk honey is liquid honey with chunks of honeycomb.
5. Dry honey
Dry honey is dehydrated, and can be sold as powder, flakes, granules, etc. Usually contains additives.
6. Creamed/whipped honey
Creamed/whipped honey is intentionally crystallized to allow for spreading.
7. Organic honey
Organic honey must be produced without certain pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides. It is hard to control since bees can travel up to 2 miles from the hive to gather nectar and pollen. Only nontoxic paints can be used on the beehives and no medications can be used on the bees.
Nutritional Values of Honey
Honey has many nutrients such as vitamins, carbohydrates, sugar, glucose, fructose, water, antioxidants, vitamin B5, vitamin B2, vitamin C, fluoride, and minerals like copper, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, sodium, calcium, potassium, etc.
Health Benefits of Honey
Honey is a natural product which is widely used for its therapeutic effects. It has been reported to contain nearly 200 substances. Honey is composed mainly of fructose and glucose but also contains fructo-oligosaccharides and many amino acids, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. The composition of honey varies depending on the plants on which the bee feeds. Listed below are few of the health benefits of honey:
1. Source of Natural Energy
High-quality tropical honey is a very good and natural source of energy because it contains high calories and sugar in unprocessed form.
This unprocessed sugar enters directly into the bloodstream when honey is been consumed in moderate quantity to boost your energy.
Honey is produced from sugar secretion from bees and other related insects. It does not pass through any radiation treatment such as pasteurization. Always raw in its natural form, safe for consumption while maintaining its nutrients that offer varieties of benefits to health.
2. Contains Essential Nutrients
Honey contains a list of important nutrients in the right amounts which are vital for good and healthy living. The science-based nutrition data for honey shows that one spoon of honey contains 17g of sugar which half out of it is fructose, glucose, calories, sucrose in relative quantity and 64 grams of calories.
Also, it contains a trace amount of minerals and vitamins. This composition shows that honey has good nutrition; meaning that the body can get the essential nutrients required to work its best through honey consumption.
3. Treat Sleepless Night
Taking raw honey help people who always find it difficult to sleep well at night to sleep better and awesome. Honey is a very good remedy for insomnia but many people have no clue about this.
Two tablespoons of honey at night taken in its natural raw form can treat sleepless night and help you sleep like a newborn baby.
Another way you can use it is by adding it to your hot tea or similarly, taking honey-made recipes or beverage drinks that have good content of honey can go a long way to perform the same action on sleep as raw honey itself.
4. Controls Cholesterol
Several research works have proved that honey has a good effect on the regulation of blood sugar and other diseases and risk factors associated with the blood.
The result from the studies showed that honey totally reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL- bad cholesterol) in the blood and on the other hand improves the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which is the good cholesterol.
5. Control Blood Pressure
Studies have shown that honey is very effective in controlling high blood pressure. Such as the research made by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on 67 million adults who were diagnosed with hypertension which proved that honey has a beneficial effect in controlling high blood pressure.
Honey has a calming effect on the blood vessel and this effect helps to reduce high blood pressure when consumed moderately or used as part of the daily meal.
6. Restrains Persistent Cough
Honey has been proven as a great remedy to a stubborn cough both in adults and children. It can be taken alone in its raw natural form or mixed with some additives like bitter kola, garlic or ginger to quicken the reactions
A research conducted showed that honey is highly effective in treating night cough and as well as improve sleep quality in children (from 1 year and above) as well as adults.
Honey also improves sleep far better than some cough medicines. Taking just one tablespoon of honey can help to suppress nocturnal coughs in children and adults as well as reduce irritation in the throat.
7. Lowers Blood Fat
Honey contributes to lowering a high level of blood fat known as triglycerides. Triglycerides are calories not needed by the body which it then converts as fat in the blood that helps to supply energy in the body. When the body has an excess of this fat than required, it is stored in several places until when the body needs them.
These fatty acids can cause heart diseases when they are used to replace sugar and stored in large quantities in the body. Honey consumption does well in lowering the excessive storage of triglycerides in the body to avoid the risk of heart-related illnesses.
8. Efficient for Weight Loss
As we all know that honey contains a good amount of sugar but not in any way redefined. Just as consuming white sugar leads to no health benefits with clear definitions except weight loss, honey also contributes when trying to lose weight.
Honey is one of the healthiest foods for weight loss. One of the major benefits of honey mostly applies to weight loss as it helps in activating hormones that restrain the craving for food and prevents weight gain.
Adding two tablespoons of honey to a glass of warm water is one of the simplest and effective weight loss programs some persons may not be aware of. Another way of using honey as a weight loss diet is by mixing it with cinnamon or lemon juice.
9. Strengthens the Immune System
Original quality honey is considered the power source of antioxidants which helps terminate free radicals in the human body.
These properties of antioxidants and antibacterial contribute to the enhancement of the digestive system as well as strengthen the immune system.
10. Good for Heart Health
Some persons like honey just because of its sweetness, ignoring some advantages it adds to general health and the total well being of man.
Honey contains some antioxidant properties which are beneficial to heart health. The presence of antioxidant compounds and phenols in honey help to reduce inflammation which is associated with heart diseases.
On an additional note, honey helps improve the flow of blood in the arteries of the human heart and as well to widens the arteries for proper flowing of blood to all parts of the heart to avoid the result of heart failure.
11. Increases Sex Drive
Honey is a natural aphrodisiac and regular consumption can give your libido the boost it deserves!
Scientific research says that honey helps men produce more testosterone; as for women, it helps with estrogen levels. It’s been long known that honey can help give people more arousal in the bedroom, yet many are not taking advantage of such an easy remedy for low libido.
Long ago, the Chinese tied a goblet of wine, honey, and a red thread together; those getting married would sip on such to toast to their deep love and union. Hippocrates, the Greek physician, told patients to take honey to increase sex drive.
12. Smoothens The Skin and Face
Honey is a natural antibacterial that is also full of antioxidants that helps in smoothening the skin as well as treats acne.
It is used as a face mask to keep the face smooth and soft. To do this; soak a small piece of neat cloth in warm water then dab it onto your face for some seconds then get a little quantity of honey and rub on your face gently. Leave it for 10 minutes before rinsing it off.
It is most effective in the morning and before retiring to bed at night. This method gives the face a beautiful and smooth appearance by opening the pores on the skin and reducing some aging effects drastically.
Honey has amazing benefits not just on the face but on the skin generally. Just as the liquid is viscous and smooth when touched, the same way it beautifies the skin and maintains the moisture level of the skin (moisturizes dry skin) and removes wrinkles.
13. Improves Mental Health
Some physical stress such as metabolic stress is known to affect the brain health of humans. Honey has proven its effect on preventing metabolic stress and calming the brain due to the presence of some therapeutic properties contained in it.
Honey has since the ancient been working to boost the brain function and helps fight depressions which causes brain psychological stress.
14. Effective in Wound Healing
There are some antifungal and antibacterial properties contained in honey that make it effective in healing wounds and burns on the skin.
Also, the antioxidants help antibacterial & antifungal properties in honey to heal partial thickness injuries especially the once infected after surgical operations and other wounds sustained on other parts of the body.
Recent studies reported many successful trials of using honey to heal wounds of diabetic patients, other skin conditions relating to lesions and generally in managing chronic wounds and combating infections.
15. Reduces Allergies
Ingesting pure honey with traces of pollen may help build a better tolerance to local airborne allergens.
16. Dental Hygiene
Honey is wonderful for dental hygiene. The use of honey chewing-gum three times a day after meals considerably reduces plaque and the risk of gingivitis. It also has therapeutic properties in the treatment of gingivitis and periodontal disorders. In a study on 10 cases of dental infections, the local use of natural honey in dental abscesses and chronic osteomyelitis proved to have antibacterial effects.
17. Helps with Eczema
Honey is a natural treatment that may give you the relief from Eczema. It is actually a skin condition that involved the skin’s outer layer becoming inflamed.
If you’re struggling with eczema, your skin is probably a bit dry and flaky. In fact, some patches may look like little scales.
It is thought that the reason some people get eczema is an overactive immune system and it can be mild, moderate, or severe. For some, it can be an embarrassing condition and can sometimes become painful.
If the skin becomes raw from scratching, a bacterial infection could develop. A wonderful home remedy for such is using a mixture of honey, cinnamon, and lime juice. Just add a teaspoon of honey to a glass of warm water and then add the juice from half a lemon.
18. Relieves Gastrointestinal illness
Honey may relieve indigestion and other GI ailments, helping to destroy bad bacteria in the gut. It may also help to protect against gastric ulcers.
19. Helps with Acne
If you’re struggling with acne, consider adding honey to your diet and applying it to affected areas. It consists of humectants that moisturize your skin and have the ability to kill the bacteria that is causing your acne.
There are several ways you can use honey to help reduce acne. A great way to fight acne is to apply raw, unprocessed honey to the areas on your body that are prone to it; these areas usually being the face, chest, or back. Leave the honey on for about 30 minutes and rinse off with warm water.
20. Memory Booster
As we age, we want to keep our memory sharp, so consuming foods that will give the memory a boost is recommended. Antioxidants are fabulous for feeding the cells of your brain the food it needs to thrive.
As we know that there are plenty of antioxidants in honey, which help to keep our brain in perfect shape. Scientific research shows that honey help postmenopausal women’s memory stay sharp by simply taking one spoonful each day.
Including a teaspoon to a cup of tea each day is an easy and refreshing way to meet that quota. Honey helps the brain absorb calcium, which helps with memory as well. Taking good care of your brain via consuming proper nutrition can decrease your chances of contending with dementia down the road.
21. Can be used as a Moisturizer
Honey is a fantastic ingredient that helps to restore moisture to your hands, feet, and entire body. Since honey retains moisture quite well, you can add it to shampoos, conditioners, and moisturizers for wonderful results.
22. Helps Prevent and Fight Cancer
Honey consists of wonderful flavonoids and phenolic compounds that make it a super food and give it anti-metastatic properties that can fight tumors and cancer. Honey consists of phenolic compounds like gallic acid, chrysin, elegiac acid, p-Coumaric acid, syringic acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid; all are supposed to contribute to the healing of the cells of the body.
The evidence of honey helping with the prevention and healing of cancer cells is growing and much more research needs to be done, but the initial findings are promising. Regular consumption of raw, unprocessed honey can surely be an easy and affordable way to give your body the boost it needs to ward off sickness.
23. Helps Soothe Acid Reflux
Honey has been known to help prevent Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and calm acid reflux and heartburn. Manuka honey from New Zealand is the best type of honey to be used for this, but if you cannot purchase it, any raw, unprocessed honey will do. There is quite a bit of research showing that honey help to reduce symptoms related with acid reflux and it can aid in healing the esophagus.
24. Helps with Dandruff
Scientific research have discovered that when you apply a diluted solution of honey and water to the scalp and leave it on for a few hours, your scalp will get back to its healthy self in no time.
In fact, some people report that skin cuts completely heal after just a couple weeks of this remedy; others say that they saw an improvement in avoiding hair loss as well. Honey works so well with scalp issues due to its anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.
Thus feel free to lather up your head with some local honey and receive this deep type of conditioning for the scalp so that you won’t have to worry about dry, flaky scalp any longer. You can even use honey if you don’t have any scalp issues; it will simply moisturize and give your hair a wonderful conditioning.
25. Honey Hangover Cure
Honey contains fructose that helps to metabolize alcohol in the body. Honey contains potassium which is very essential after drinking alcohol. Having 3 to 5 teaspoons of pure honey every 30 minutes can help to relieve from hangover.
Medicinal Benefits
Generally, honey is used in many food products and as medicine that can be used to treat several health issues such as diarrhea and vomiting in children when added to a solution.
Dating back to the olden days, honey has been used as medicine and in making healthy recipes as well it is used in foods. Honey is 100% healthy when used either in food or consumed alone in its raw form because its sugar & calories contents are natural
Uses of Honey
Honey has versatile uses. Among the ones that are already mentioned above, honey can be added to cereals and hot tea for breakfast. It serves as a sweetener in many food recipes, foods and drinks also used in making some energy beverages.
Many people prefer honey in its raw form that when used in recipes or drinks because, in a raw form, honey contains antioxidants known as a phenolic compound, phytonutrients, antifungal and antibacterial properties which are beneficial to overall health.
Side Effects of Eating Too Much Honey
Honey has been used by humans for thousands of years as a food and for medicinal reasons. Honey has been recognized for its positive benefits as a food in scientific research since 1892. While it is considered generally safe for healthy adults, just like any other food, there are concerns if you eat too much, in addition to concerns for infants and those with weakened immune systems.
Short-Term Effects
Going over the 10 tbsp. daily upper limit may result in gastric problems such as stomach cramps, bloating and diarrhea. Because of honey’s fructose content, eating too much also might interfere with your small intestines’ ability to absorb nutrients. This can result in further abdominal discomfort until the honey is out of your system.
Long-Term Effects
Constantly over-consuming honey can have long-term negative effects on the gastrointestinal tract. Nutrient absorption could become a permanent problem, even when there is not honey in the system. Honey also is slightly acidic and prolonged exposure to acidic foods can erode tooth enamel and the linings of your esophagus, stomach and intestines, which can lead to acid reflux disease. Excess honey consumption, as with any excess sugar consumption, might result in insulin insensitivity.
Infants
Any honey is too much for an infant. Some honey contains botulism spores, which the immature digestive system of an infant cannot handle, leading to botulism poisoning. The signs of botulism are constipation, weakness, listlessness and decreased appetite. Uncontrolled botulism causes muscle paralysis and eventually death. Because of this risk, pediatricians recommend no honey for children under 12 months or for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Botulism can be treated if detected early and usually leads to a full recovery.
Conclusion
Its health benefits are not limited to helping to restrain persistent cough, improves heart health, controls the body cholesterol, helps in healing burns and wounds, lowering blood fats (triglycerides), helps to take care of sleepless night, improves mental health, strengthens the immune system and serves as a natural energy source of energy.
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