The more I used it, the more I fell in love with this superfood. Likewise, I bet you will too as you move ahead reading this article. The health benefits of honey have no parallel, its unique. The story of honey started with gathering and eating honey due to the lack of any other sweetener available. From ancient civilizations such as Sumerian, Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and many more to the innumerable cultures of the present century, honey has been known as a food with miraculous effects. So, let’s move on to know more about Honey.
Honey is a sweet, viscous food substance made by Honeybees from nectar of flowers. They store the secretions into small wax structures known as honeycombs. At last, we collect honey from wild bee colonies or from hives of domesticated bees.
Honey is made up of natural sugars such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, and dextrin which is a rich source of carbohydrate. Apart from that, it consists of almost all the naturally traceable mineral elements such as iron, phosphate, sodium, chlorine, calcium, magnesium. Also, vitamins such as B1, B2, B3, and B5, and energy-boosting proteins are present in it. In addition to all these, honey also contains enzymes that increase metabolism to ease the process of digestion. But the composition of honey also depends on the flowers which the honey bees pollinate to extract honey.
Honey has a composition very rich and complicated, therefore it is often referred to as a bioactive product by researchers. It is considered as a natural healer and has countless benefits on human health.
The natural sugars present in honey provides energy and strength to the body. The glucose and fructose sugar components are the source of immediate and sustained energy to your body due to their quick and slow absorption rates. Not only this but honey prevents fatigue, lethargy, and physical strain as well. So please note that if honey is used as an essential ingredient in our early morning drink or breakfast, the rest of the day goes refreshing and energetic.
Honey with warm water is a proven remedy for weight loss. Not only that it can combine with lemon, cinnamon, or garlic to make it more effective in enhancing the process of losing weight because they all help in reducing sugar cravings and enhancing the process of metabolism and digestion for shedding extra calories. To learn more, read this.
With its wonderful antibacterial and antioxidant properties, honey builds your immune system stronger and helps the body fight against infectious diseases. Start drinking A tablespoon of honey with warm water in the morning adding lemon juice or a dash of cinnamon will help you flush out toxins from your body and make you resistant to diseases.
One of the amazing benefits of honey includes the good cholesterol level that it helps to increase. Adequate cholesterol levels are the topmost signs for a physical body to be healthy and honey helps you achieve that with its regular consumption.
The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of honey help to cure sore throat and cough. It is often advised to mix honey with lemon juice to soothe infected throat and clear congestion. Likewise, Manuka honey or raw honey is most effective in this treatment.
Methylglyoxal is a powerful antibiotic compound present in honey especially in Manuka honey, one of the best varieties of honey in the world. With the presence of methylglyoxal, honey can fight with the harmful bacteria in the stomach and restores the process of digestion normally. So, go ahead and consume it with warm water to enjoy its unique benefits. Also, add lemon juice to see better results.
Honey is full of anti-cancer properties being a natural anti-inflammatory, naturally anti-microbial, and natural immunity booster. Researches are continuously being conducted on how the inverse relationship between honey and cancer can be put into practice of healing.
You may be confused about this because we have mostly known that intake of sweet substances slowdowns the brain activity. But this is not true in reference to honey. Honey consists of a group of chemicals called polyphenols which reduces oxidative stress by restoring our cellular antioxidative defense system and helps in improving memory deficits. For example, an Argentinian study on the chemical composition of honey states that intake of honey improves the Central nervous system functioning in children and reduces anxiety, and improves memory and learning. Learn more
Consumption of honey every day at night helps your liver restore the glycogen level in the body. Likewise, when people suffering from insomnia follow regular consumption of honey, the glucose formation process in the liver does not stop. As a result this energy is produced continuously to promote better sleep.
Honey is an effective remedy to kill the germs which stick to the wounds in case you get bruised or hurt. So, whenever you get bruised apply honey over the wound cover this with a bandage and leave it for some time. After that, you remove the bandage and clean the affected area to see the wound healing power of honey.
With the application of honey regularly on the face helps regenerate the facial tissues and revive skin cells. This incorporates the Self-care practice in you as well. In addition to the above mentioned, it also helps in fading scars of the face with an active massage. But remember to mix honey with coconut or olive oil before doing a massage. You can also apply a honey face mask to your face to promote cleansing and glow to your face. Honey also helps in the removal of acne from your face on its regular application.
Not only one but honey plays a role in every aspect of hair care starts from the cleansing of scalp, treatment of dry damaged hair, conditioning your hair, loss of hair, treatment of dandruff, and many more. Moreover, it’s a natural humectant(absorbs moisture), full of antioxidants and nutrients to feed the follicles of hair enhancing hair growth.
Know more about Skin and hair treatment with honey
The history of honey starts millions of years back. Whichever civilizations known, be it ancient or modern, the mention of honey is a must. Apart from this honey has some incredible properties which make it different from any other food. Honey has properties that are easily distinguishable from any other food and that’s why it is known to be a Miracle food.
There are reports which show that honey has been excavated unspoiled from seven thousand old Egyptian tombs. I will tell you the reason behind this. Honey is acidic in nature and also the honey bees take out its moisture content to very low while making honey at an initial stage itself. The hydrogen peroxide content prevents the growth of bacteria if stored in an airtight container.
Honeybees are responsible for pollination in the crops while they collect nectar from flowers. This helps in raising crop production which in turn supports sustainability of the world economy and food production needs.
Honey is included as an essential medicine in Ayurveda. Due to its natural healing power and antiseptic qualities, honey has been regularly used in wound healing, skin and hair treatment, and the treatment of ulcers also. Moreover, researches are also conducted to use this in cancer treatment.
There are around 300! Types of honey in this World. But the four main types are Manuka Honey, Clover Honey, Wildflower Honey, and Buckwheat Honey. The color of Honey has shades of brown and varies to colorless also sometimes.
Each time I know more about honey, I get amazed at how is a single substance filled with innumerable benefits. Honey is a gift of God to us Humans and it is our responsibility to protect and preserve this superfood. But, now let’s flip the coin and look at the little darker side.
A tablespoon of honey has a calorie count of 70 calories which is much higher than sugar that is 49calories. Too much increase may lead to the risk of obesity, heart disease, or Type2 diabetes.
Honey should not be given to infants and children who are younger than 12 months of age as this may because of a disease named infant botulism in them. This is a disease very rare in infants but may be fatal in seldom cases. Due to intake of honey, the spores of botulinum bacteria germinate and attack the intestine of infants or young children. But they are harmless in older people. Children who suffer from Botulism show symptoms such as constipation, lethargy, a weak cry, and poor feeding
Every household in this century should follow a Honey culture keeping in mind the amazing benefits that it possesses. I use honey for medicinal purposes and as a sweetener for beverages most of the time. The best brands of my preference are the honey sold by the Ayurveda giant PATANJALI and the very old and trustworthy brand DABUR.
You can even try them and make the use of Honey as an essential routine at home. The Health benefits of honey are countless and usage of this superfood will start showing its miraculous effects in very little time.
At last, I emphasize using Honey, a Miracle food to all. It has countless benefits. If you use it already, make it a regular practice and check out the benefits you enjoyed using it. But if not started using honey please don’t delay. The more you use, the more you know and the more trust you will build for this superfood. Honey has no match, it is unique and so it is the best.
Please share the benefits of honey you discovered after using this superfood in your routine. If you find this article informative share this and let everyone know the benefits of Honey.