Benefits
The benefits of honey have been extolled since ancient times by many
religious faiths and recorded in ancient scriptures. They can be
categorised as nutritional or medicinal.
Nutritional
Honey contains invert sugar that has the quality of providing instant
energy when consumed. It is also a heart stimulant and a useful food
supplement. As a food beverage, it was widely used from the times of
"the Bible (both the Old and New Testaments), the Talmud, the Quran, the sacred books of India, China, Persia and Egypt." In the Bible, Salomon advocates "My son, eat thou honey, for it is good." According to the Bible, Jonathan, the son of Saul,
"had his eyes enlightened with the aid of honey, after which he had a
better understanding of the people than his father had. While Jonathan
was passing through the woods during the war against the Philistines, he found honey dripping on the ground; he plunged his spear into it,
and ate enough to restore his lost strength. He was, however, sentenced
to death because he ate honey on a day of abstinence.
Medicinal
Medicinal benefits are broadly categorised under the following headings.
- Wounds
Topical honey has been used successfully in a treatment of diabetic ulcers when the patient cannot use topical antibiotics.
A review in the Cochrane Library suggests that honey could reduce the
time it takes for a burn to heal – up to four days sooner in some cases.
The review included 19 studies with 2,554 participants. Although the
honey treatment healed moderate burns faster than traditional dressings
did, the author recommends viewing the findings with caution, since a
single researcher performed all of the burn studies. One New Zealand researcher says a particular type of honey (Manuka 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, high acidity,
and the antibacterial activity of
methylglyoxal.
Some studies suggest that the topical use of honey may reduce odours,
swelling, and scarring when used to treat wounds; it may also prevent
the dressing from sticking to the healing wound.
Wound gels that contain antibacterial raw honey and have regulatory
approval for wound care are now available to help medicine in the battle
against drug resistant strains of bacteria
MRSA. As an antimicrobial agent honey may have the potential for treating a variety of ailments.
- Allergies
It is also stated to cure some allergies, particularly localized
honey to an area could help minimize seasonal allergies as bees feed on
pollen from local plants which eventually finds its way to form honey. Its use for centuries is as a treatment for sore throats and coughs,
and according to recent research, may in fact be as effective as many
common cough medicines. Unfiltered, pasteurised honey is widely believed to alleviate
allergies. A more 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. The risk of experiencing anaphylaxis as an immune system reaction may outweigh any potential allergy relief.
- Other ailments
Antioxidants in honey have even been implicated in reducing damage to the colon in colitis in a study involving administering honey enemas to rats. Honey appears to be effective in killing drug-resistant biofilms which are implicated in chronic rhino-sinusitis.
In 2005, researchers at Purdue University revealed that honey was a catalyst to calcium absorption in animals.
- Conditioning
Honey is used for skin conditioning using a moisturizing mask and can reduce facial redness and acne. It is also used for conditioning of hair. It is often mixed with olive oil for both purposes. for both purposes
"And that's all I have to say about that."
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