Honey has long and interesting history – over 4000 years ago honey was used as effective traditional “ayurvedic” medicine. Ancient Egyptian medicine used honey topically to treat wounds, skin and eye problems. According to ancient Greek books, consuming honey could help you live longer. Famous ancient doctors Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) and Aristoxenus (320 BC) also mentioned honey as an effective product for several cases.
Modern science noted that many historical claims about honey effectiveness are true honey can be effective for coughs, cuts, eyesight, weight loss, dandruff, impotency and premature ejaculation, urinary tract disorders (UTI), bronchial asthma, diarrhea, nausea and even drunkenness.
Bees swallow, digest and regurgitate nectar from flowers to make honey – this nectar contains almost 600 important and useful properties. Honey has very unusual chemical composition – monosaccharide, glucose, fructose, vitamins and several minerals including iron, calcium, phosphate, sodium chlorine, potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium. Honey contains about 70-80% sugar which gives it its sweet taste.
Honey health benefits – coughing and sore throat
Honey helps with coughs (especially buckwheat honey). Medical studies confirm that using honey before sleep in children reduces the frequency of coughing during night. Honey is effective also in treating sore throats. Thanks to its antimicrobial properties, honey not only soothes throats but can also kill bacteria which are responsible for throat inflammation.
Honey health benefits – memory
Some scientists suggest that honey can boost memory. One study provided daily 20 gram honey to menopausal women during 4 months and using specific tests they noted improved memory (compared with second group of women who did not use honey for same period of time).
Honey health benefits – wounds
Thousands years ago topical application of honey was used effectively for treating different types of wounds. It was noted that honey prevents infection and fight inflammation – reducing swelling, pain and even scarring. Honey’s antiseptic properties inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and help keep external wounds clean and free from infection. Some experts noted also effectiveness of honey applications in treatment of skin burns.
Honey health benefits – allergy
Some experts suggested that honey could minimize symptoms of seasonal allergy – eating a tablespoon of honey every day can reduce allergic inflammation, itching and sneezing. One placebo-controlled study found that clients with seasonal allergy responded better to traditional treatment in cases of daily use of honey.
Honey health benefits – microbes and infections
Clinical studies clearly demonstrated anti-bacterial and anti-fungal functions of honey – proved in cases of Escherichia coli (E.coli), salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is important to mention that honey can kill some bacteria which are antibiotic-resistant. Manuka honey may even help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics. It was suggested that honey kills bacteria by destroying key bacterial proteins.
Honey health benefits – skin and scalp
Honey
Honey can be perfect solution for several skin conditions – it can play a role of moisturizer, fight skin infections and inflammations, “repair” damaged skin and soften skin scars.
Honey can be effective also in cases of scalp problems and dandruff. In one study with clients suffering from chronic seborrhea dermatitis and dandruff, the participants were asked to apply honey diluted with 10% warm water to their problem areas and leave it on for 3 hours before rinsing with warm water. It was noted that in all cases itching was relieved and scaling disappeared within one week. Skin lesions were completely healed within two weeks, and patients showed subjective improvement in hair loss as well. And when applied weekly thereafter for six months, patients showed no sign of relapse.
Honey health benefits – immune system
Honey can be a powerful booster of the immune system. Some experts recommend using honey daily for keeping immune system powerful and strong.
Honey health benefits – cancer
As it is well known that all types of antioxidants can prevent multiplication of cancer cells, it was suggested that honey also can be considered as anticancer food because it contains a valuable amount of flavonoids (antioxidants). Nowadays more and more studies pointing to the potential role of honey in the prevention and the progression of tumor and cancer.
Honey health benefits – blood sugar
It is important to highlight that even though honey contains simple sugars, it is not the same as white sugar or artificial sweeteners. Its exact combination of fructose and glucose actually helps the body regulate blood sugar levels.
Honey health benefits – hangover
Honey is gentle on the stomach and contains a mix of natural sugars (fructose) which is known to speed up the oxidation of alcohol by the liver, acting as a “sobering” agent – thereby limiting intoxication and more rapidly reducing alcohol blood levels.
Honey health benefits – athletes
Ancient Olympic athletes would eat honey and dried figs to enhance their performance. This has now been verified with modern studies, showing that it is superior in maintaining glycogen levels and improving recovery time. Honey is pretty effective in instantly boosting the performance, endurance and reduces muscle fatigue of athletes. Honey’s glucose is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost, while the fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy.
Honey health benefits – gastrointestinal system
Honey can reduce ulcers and treat other gastrointestinal disorders. It was also noted that honey can shorten the duration of bacterial diarrhea in infants and young children.
