Honey is the sweet, delicious product that results from honey bees feasting on flowers. The honey bees (of the genus Apis) feed on the naturally occurring nectars found in flowers, allowing the nectar to mix with enzymes in their saliva. The nectar is then regurgitated into beehives in the form of honey. Due to the perfect amount of ventilation in honeycombs, moisture is slowly reduced until the honey is ready for consumption.

Honey mainly consists of glucose and fructose, which provide it with a rich, universally palatable flavor. Due to its inherent sweetness, it can often be used as a natural substitute for table sugar. In addition to being a delicious treat, honey has several health benefits and homeopathic uses. When selecting honey, it is important to choose the purest form available in order to maximize these benefits.

Health Benefits of Honey

 

1. Prevent cancer and heart disease
It contains flavonoids, antioxidants which help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease.

2. Reduce ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders
Recent research shows that honey treatment may help disorders such as ulcers and bacterial gastroenteritis. This may be related to the 3rd benefit.

3. Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-fungal
“All honey is antibacterial because the bees add an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide,” said Peter Molan, director of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.

4. Increase athletic performance 
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 than other sweeteners.

5. Reduces a cough and throat irritation
It helps to soothe irritated coughs.

Rich in antioxidants

Honey is rich in polyphenols that provide it with antioxidant qualities. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which are an unavoidable byproduct of normal metabolic processes. Free radical buildup can cause significant damage to the body, and may eventually lead to heart disease, cancer, and other devastating illnesses. Honey has been specifically noted for reducing incidences of colon cancer. While there is no definitive cure for the common cold, honey has withstood the test of time as a reliable remedy. This may be due to antioxidant compounds, as well. A mixture of honey and lemon juice provides relief for cold symptoms and is very soothing for sore throats.

6.Balance the 5 elements 
It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine in India for at least 4000 years and is considered to affect all three of the body’s primitive material imbalances positively. It is also said to be useful in improving eyesight, weight loss, curing impotence and premature ejaculation, urinary tract disorders, bronchial asthma, diarrhea, and nausea.

Honey is referred as “Yogavahi” since it has a quality of penetrating the deepest tissues of the body. When honey is used with other herbal preparations, it enhances the medicinal qualities of those preparations and also helps them to reach the deeper tissues.

7. Blood sugar regulation
Even though it 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.

People suffering from diabetes, hypoglycemia, or other blood sugar-related ailments may benefit from this effect, as well. A sudden drop in blood sugar may be critically harmful, and consumption of honey can quickly bring blood sugar back up to normal levels. Also, research shows that honey is far superior to white sugar with regard to insulin sensitivity. Despite being equally palatable as a sweetener, honey will not cause the same degree of sugar intolerance that is commonly found in diabetics. In fact, moderate amounts of honey may help improve blood sugar control due to its unique ability to nourish blood vessels and improve the functionality of the vascular system.

8. Heal wounds and burns, Skin care 
The miraculous benefits of ingesting honey can also be reaped from applying it as a topical antiseptic. Honey is especially useful when treating burns. Burn wounds have an unbelievably high rate of infection due to the destruction of several layers of dermal tissue. Honey has natural antiseptic properties that ward off bacteria and prevent infections. Not only does honey prevent infections, but it also promotes rapid healing. The glucose and fructose components in honey tend to absorb water, which dries the wound up, accelerating the healing process. Most bacteria cannot thrive in a moisture-free environment. Additionally, honey is naturally infused with enzymes that combine with water to form the antimicrobial agent, Hydrogen Peroxide.

Honey contains potassium which means that bacteria won’t be able to survive in it due to this ingredient. Honey is actually popularly used in treating scarring, facial moisturizer, mask and body scrub. Aside from skincare, it is used for curing various skin infections.

9. Probiotic
Some varieties possess large amounts of friendly bacteria. This includes up to 6 species of lactobacilli and 4 species of bifidobacteria. This may explain many of the “mysterious therapeutic properties of honey.”

10. Strengthen the immune system
 Honey has been found to stimulate the production of immune cells .Honey naturally boosts the immune system due to its antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. The pH of honey is generally quite acidic with a reading in the 3 to 5 range. Acidic substances are known to counteract the growth of most bacterial species, as the majority of bacteria prefer a neutral pH around 7. As a result, bacterial colonies fail to flourish in the presence of honey.

 

Honey Comb Benefits 

Honeybees produce honeycomb in their hives. Composed of beeswax, the structure of honeycomb consists of hexagon-shaped cells used to store honey. The wax that makes up honeycomb contains very-long-chain fatty acids, along with long-chain alcohols, or esters. The honey stored within the honeycomb is the purest, rawest form of honey, and the wax the honeycomb is made of has nutritional value and health benefits.

 

Good for your teeth

By chewing honeycomb that is made o beeswax you are allowing an active biological compounds to enter your body. So here’s the fact, chewing a honeycomb is actually an effective method in cleaning your teeth and gums, removing plaques, and disinfect oral cavity.

 

Allergy relief

Some medical expert suggest that chewing honeycomb regularly can help alleviate sneezing, watery eyes and runny nose especially during allergy seasons. The procedure is to chew the honeycomb for a prolonged period of time. Some individuals claims that the allergy symptoms often disappear after 30 minutes of continuous chewing. For prevention, a honeycomb must be chewed at least a week or two before the time of the allergy season. This ensures the allergy from starting.

 

Protects the liver

Unlike any other commercial form of alcohol, the type of alcohol found in a honeycomb consist of powerful antioxidants that aids in protecting your liver from any damages. In order to prove this claim, a group of interested researchers conducted an experimental study to willing participants who had fatty liver issues.

Boost your energy

Regular consumption of an unprocessed honey contained in a honeycomb has a significant effect in human body because of its antibiotic properties. It actually helps clean the blood vessels so as aid in maintaining proper digestion. As an outcome, the honey provides the consumer an energy boost.

Rosemarie 5th March 2018

References :

10 Health Benefits of Honey

https://www.livestrong.com/article/486228-what-are-the-benefits-of-eating-honeycomb/

Benefit of Eating Honeycomb