The Surprising Benefits of Honey

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Throughout
history honey has been considered a food with unparalleled nutritional
and physical benefits. Really, honey is a miracle food. For over 10,000
years (and maybe more) honey has been used as a staple food and as a
medicine. Honey is one of the few foods that can actually sustain human
life by itself. If you’re not storing honey, this ought to convince you
to start.

Storage

Honey lasts forever; if stored properly you
will never need to worry about your honey going bad, forget about FIFO
with honey. There was actually edible honey discovered in the pharaoh’s
tomb in Egypt. It is also a healthy substitute for sugar that contains
no fats or cholesterol.

My honey is hard and crystallized!

Not
to worry, if your honey has become crystallized all you need to do is
heat it to return it back to normal. Or if you like, turn it into mead!

Health

Skin

Honey is great for overall skin health and can even help to reduce wrinkles and nourish the skin.

Antibacterial

Honey
has been used as an antibacterial for years, it was even one of the
most popular treatments for wounds in the First World War. Recent
science has explained to us why honey is such an effective
antibacterial agent.

“One New Zealand researcher says a
particular type of honey may be useful in treating MRSA infections.
Antibacterial properties of honey are the result of the low water
activity causing osmosis, hydrogen peroxide effect, and high acidity.

Wounds

Honey has also been shown to reduce odor, swelling and scarring when used to treat wounds, aside from its antibacterial effects.

Stomach Ache

Got
a stomach ache? No problem, mix one teaspoon of honey with a hot glass
of water, squeeze in about half a lemon and your stomach ache should go
away.

Pink Eye

While it has only been proven in rats, honey was considered an effective treatment for conjunctivitis.

Allergies

Folk
medicine suggests that taking local honey will help your allergies
because you gain a tolerance to local pollens. Recent studies suggest
that while it doesn’t help by eliminating allergies it helps reduce
allergies.

“a recent study has shown pollen collected by bees to
exert an anti allergenic effect, mediated by an inhibition of IgE
immunoglobulin binding to mast cells. This inhibited mast cell
degranulation and thus reduced allergic reaction.”

Coughs

Honey
coats the throat, making it great for a sore throat. To cure your sore
throat simply take about 1 teaspoon of honey and let it slowly trickle
down your throat.

Burns

Honey is also great for burns since it removes the pain and helps aid in the healing process.

Colitis

Honey is shown to reduce the damage done to the colon in Colitis.

Insomnia

Some
studies suggest that honey can also help with various nervous disorders
such as insomnia. If you can’t sleep, mix 1 teaspoon of honey into a
warm glass of water and enjoy a good night’s sleep.

**Because
of the spores contained in honey, infants under the age of 1 year
cannot consume it. While it’s fine for older children and adults,
infants under 1 year can contract botulism from honey