EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HONEY

Honey is a sweet liquid made by bees using the nectar from flowers. It is graded by color, with the clear, golden amber honey often fetching a higher retail price than the darker varieties.

The flavor of a particular type of honey will vary based on the types of flower from which the nectar was harvested.

Both raw and pasteurized forms of honey are available. Raw honey is removed from the hive and bottled directly, and as such will contain trace amounts of yeast, wax, and pollen. Consuming local raw honey is believed to help with seasonal allergies, due to repeated exposure to the pollen in the area. Pasteurized honey has been heated and processed to remove impurities.

Honey has high levels of monosaccharides, fructose, and glucose, and it contains about 70 to 80 percent sugar, which provides its sweetness. Honey also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Modern medical science has managed to find uses for honey in chronic wound management and combating infection.

History of honey in traditional medicine and explains some of its potential health benefits.

Fast facts on honey

  • Honey is linked to wound-healing properties and antibacterial action.
  • It has been used in medicine for over 5,000 years.
  • Honey can replace sugar in meals, providing a healthier option. However, they can also add browning and excess moisture to a dish.
  • Do not give honey to children under 12 months old.

Benefits

Modern science is finding evidence for many of the historical uses of honey.

1) Healing wounds and burns

People have consumed honey for thousands of years for its supposed health benefits.

There have been some cases in which people have reported positive effects of using honey in treating wounds.

Honey might be able to help heal burns. Topical honey is cheaper than other interventions, notably oral antibiotics, which are often used and may have other deleterious side effects.”

However, there is a lack of evidence to fully support this claim. In fact that applying medical-grade honey to the wounds of patients has no advantage over normal antibiotics among patients undergoing dialysis.

Honey should never be given to young infants as it can cause botulism, a rare but severe type of food poisoning.

2) Reducing the duration of diarrhea

Honey it has been shown to decrease the severity and duration of diarrhea. Honey also promotes increased potassium and water intake, which is particularly helpful when experiencing diarrhea.

honey has also shown the ability to block the actions of pathogens that commonly cause diarrhea.

3) Preventing acid reflux

Honey can reduce the upward flow of stomach acid and undigested food by lining the esophagus and stomach.

This has helped to reduce the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD can cause inflammation, acid reflux, and heartburn.

4) Fighting infections

Honey’s ability to kill bacteria lies in a protein called defensin.

A certain type of honey can help prevent the bacteria Clostridium difficile from settling in the body. C. difficile is known for causing severe diarrhea and sickness.

5) Relieving cold and cough symptoms

Honey is recommends as a natural cough remedy. Honey reduced night-time coughing and improved sleep quality in children with upper respiratory infection to a greater degree than the cough medicine dextromethorphan. Advise that honey is not suitable for children under the age of one year.

6) Replacing added sugar in the diet

Honey’s sweet flavor makes it an ideal substitute for sugar in the diet. Added sugar in the diet provides excess calories with no nutritional benefit. This can lead to an increased body weight, which comes with an increased risk of high blood pressure and diabetes.

Honey can be added to food and beverages to sweeten the taste without the negative health impact of added sugars. However, since honey is still a sweetener, it is important to remain mindful of how much honey being is used.

Medicinal use

Honey has been used to treat a wide array of illnesses, ailments, and injuries.

It can be mixed with other remedies and consumed or rubbed onto the skin. Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine have attempted to use honey as a remedy .

While not all uses of honey are confirmed as effective, trying it as treatment will not make conditions any worse or cause harm.

Honey is sometimes touted as a cosmetic solution for cracked, dry, pimply, or clogged skin.

 

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