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Seeds for Change Wellness
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Raw Honey Benefits
Raw Honey Benefits Source
Health Benefits of Raw Honey
In addition to its reputation as Nature’s nutritive sweetener, research also indicates that honey’s
unique composition makes it useful as an antimicrobial agent and antioxidant.
Raw Honey - An Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Viral, Anti-Fungal Substance
The health benefits of honey – like all foods – depend on the quality of the honey. But in this case,
the situation is even more extreme, because the pollen that collects on the bees' legs as they move
from plant to plant is only as healthful and as diverse as those plants. In addition, the processing of
honey often removes many of the phytonutrients found in raw honey as it exists in the hive. Raw
honey, for example, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis. Propolis,
sometimes called "bee glue," is actually a complex mixture of resins and other substances that
honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro-organisms.
Honeybees make propolis by combining plant resins with their own secretions. However,
substances like road tar have also been found in propolis. Bee keepers sometimes use special
screens around the inside of the hive boxes to trap propolis, since bees will spread this substance
around the honeycomb and seal cracks with the anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal resins.
The resins found in propolis only represent a small part of the phytonutrients found in propolis and
honey, however. Other phytonutrients found both in honey and propolis have been shown to
posssess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties. These substances include caffeic acid
methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate, and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate. Researchers have
discovered that these substances prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down activity of two
enzymes, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipoxygenase. When raw honey is
extensively processed and heated, the benefits of these phytonutrients are largely eliminated.
Improve Athletic Performance and Heal Wounds with Raw Honey?
Primarily honey has been used as an energy source, but recent research has examined the use of
honey as an ergogenic aid (a food or ingredient that helps an athlete’s performance) and wound
healing agent, both of which were once considered merely age-old anecdotes.
In the time of the ancient Olympics, athletes were reported to eat special foods, such as honey and
dried figs, to enhance their sports performance. Recently, however, one group of researchers has
investigated the use of honey as an ergogenic aid in athletes. The study involved a group of 39
weight-trained athletes, both male and female. Subjects underwent an intensive weight-lifting
workout and then immediately consumed a protein supplement blended with either sugar,
maltodextrin or honey as the carbohydrate source. The honey group maintained optimal blood
sugar levels throughout the two hours following the workout. In addition, muscle recuperation and
glycogen restoration (carbohydrates stored in muscle) was favorable in those individuals
consuming the honey-protein combination.
Sustaining favorable blood sugar concentrations after endurance training by ingesting
carbohydrates before, during and after training is important for maintaining muscle glycogen stores
(glycogen is the form in which sugar is stored in muscle as ready-to-use fuel), so that muscle
recuperation is more efficient and the athlete is ready to perform again at their highest level the
next day. The best-studied ergogenic aid is carbohydrates because they are necessary for
maintaining muscle glycogen stores. For now, honey appears to be just another source of
carbohydrates that can help athletes perform at their best, rather than a superior choice over any
other carbohydrate.
The wound healing properties of honey may, however, be its most promising medicinal quality.
Honey has been used topically as an antiseptic therapeutic agent for the treatment of ulcers, burns
and wounds for centuries. One study in India compared the wound healing effects of honey to a
conventional treatment (silver sulfadiazene) in 104 first-degree burn patients. After one week of
treatment, 91 percent of honey treated burns were infection free compared with only 7 percent
receiving the conventional treatment. Finally, a greater percentage of patients’ burns were healed
more readily in the honey treated group. Another study examined the wound healing benefits of
honey applied topically to patients following Caesarean section and hysterectomy. Compared to
the group receiving the standard solution of iodine and alcohol, the honey treated group was
infection free in fewer days, healed more cleanly and had a reduced hospital stay.
Several mechanisms have been proposed for the wound healing benefits that are observed when
honey is applied topically. Because honey is composed mainly of glucose and fructose, two sugars
that strongly attract water, honey absorbs water in the wound, drying it out so that the growth of
bacteria and fungi is inhibited (these microorganisms thrive in a moist environment). Secondly, raw
honey contains an enzyme called glucose oxidase that, when combined with water, produces
hydrogen peroxide, a mild antiseptic. In addition to the specific enzymes found in honey, which may
help in the healing process, honey also contains antioxidants and flavonoids that may function as
antibacterial agents.
One antioxidant in particular, pinocembrin, which is unique to honey, is currently being studied for
its antibacterial properties. One laboratory study of unpasteurized honey samples indicated the
majority had antibacterial action against Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacteria found readily
in our environment that can cause infections, especially in open wounds. Other reports indicate
honey is effective at inhibiting Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Darker honeys, specifically
honey from buckwheat flowers, sage and tupelo, contain a greater amount of antioxidants than
other honeys, and raw, unprocessed honey contains the widest variety of health-supportive
substances.
A Spoonful a Day Keeps Free Radicals at Bay
Daily consumption of honey raises blood levels of protective antioxidant compounds in humans,
according to research presented at the 227th meeting of the American Chemical Society in
Anaheim, CA, March 28, 2004. Biochemist Heidrun Gross and colleagues from the University of
California, Davis, gave 25 study participants each about four tablespoons buckwheat honey daily
for 29 days in addition to their regular diets, and drew blood samples at given intervals following
honey consumption. A direct link was found between the subjects’ honey consumption and the level
of polyphenolic antioxidants in their blood.
Honey Helpful for Healthy Individuals and Those with High Cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes
In a series of experiments involving healthy subjects and those with either high cholesterol or type
2 diabetes, honey has proved itself the healthiest sweetener.
For 15 days, 8 healthy subjects, 6 patients with high cholesterol, 5 patients with high cholesterol
and high C-reactive protein (a risk factor for cardiovascular disease), and 7 patients with type 2
diabetes were given solutions containing comparable amounts of sugar, artificial honey or natural
honey.
In healthy subjects, while sugar and artificial honey had either negative or very small beneficial
effects, natural honey reduced total cholesterol 7%, triglycerides 2%, C-reactive protein 7%,
homocysteine 6% and blood sugar 6%, and increased HDL (good) cholesterol 2%. (Like C-reactive
protein, homocysteine is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.)
In patients with high cholesterol, artificial honey increased LDL (bad) cholesterol, while natural
honey decreased total cholesterol 8%, LDL cholesterol 11%, and C-reactive protein 75%.
And in patients with type 2 diabetes, natural honey caused a significantly lower rise in blood sugar
than either dextrose or sucrose (refined sugars). So, enjoy a little honey in your morning coffee,
lunchtime yogurt or afternoon cup of green tea. Looks like a daily spoonful of honey may help your
need for medicine go down.
Although our food ranking system did not qualify honey as a dense source of traditional nutrients, it
did emerge as a source of vitamin B2, vitamin B6, iron and manganese.
Raw Honey Description
Honey is a delicious viscous sweetener made naturally by bees for their own nourishment. The
fascinating process of making honey begins when the bees feast on flowers, collecting the flower
nectar in their mouths. This nectar then mixes with special enzymes in the bees' saliva, an
alchemical process that turns it into honey. The bees carry the honey back to the hive, where they
deposit it into the cells of the hive’s walls. The fluttering of their wings provides the necessary
ventilation to reduce the honey's moisture content, making it ready for consumption.
Honey comes in a range of colors including white, amber, red, brown and almost black. Its flavor
and texture vary with the type of flower nectar from which it was made. While the most commonly
available honeys are made from clover, alfalfa, heather and acacia flowers, honey can be made
from a variety of different flowers, including thyme and lavender.
Raw Honey History
Honey has been used since ancient times both as a food and as a medicine. Apiculture, the
practice of beekeeping to produce honey, dates back to at least 700 BC. For many centuries,
honey was regarded as sacred due to its wonderfully sweet properties as well as its rarity. It was
used mainly in religious ceremonies to pay tribute to the gods, as well as to embalm the deceased.
Honey was also used for a variety of medicinal and cosmetic purposes. For a long time in history,
its use in cooking was reserved only for the wealthy since it was so expensive that only they could
afford it.
The prestige of honey continued for millennia until one fateful event in culinary and world history –
the “discovery” of refined sugar made from sugar cane or sugar beets., Once these became more
widely available, they were in great demand since they provided a relatively inexpensive form of
sweetening. With their growing popularity, honey became displaced by sugar for culinary use.
Since then, although honey is still used for sweetening, much of its use has become focused on its
medicinal properties and its use in confectionary.
How to Select and Store
Honey is sold in individual containers or in bulk. It is usually pasteurized, although oftentimes at
farmer’s markets you can find raw honey. Raw honey that has not been pasteurized, clarified, or
filtered - provided it is of the highest organic quality - is your best choice. Look for honey that
states “100% pure.” While regular honey is translucent, creamy honey is usually opaque and is
made by adding finely crystallized honey back into liquid honey. Specialty honeys, made from the
nectar of different flowers, such as thyme and lavender, are also available. Remember that the
darker the color, the deeper the flavor.
It is important to keep honey stored in an airtight container so that it doesn’t absorb moisture from
the air. Honey stored this way in a cool dry place will keep almost indefinitely. One reason for this is
that its high sugar content and acidic pH help to inhibit microorganism growth. Honey that is kept at
colder temperatures tends to thicken, while honey that is kept at higher temperatures has a
tendency to darken and have an altered flavor.
Health Benefits of Raw Honey
In addition to its reputation as Nature’s nutritive sweetener, research also indicates that honey’s
unique composition makes it useful as an antimicrobial agent and antioxidant.
Raw Honey - An Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Viral, Anti-Fungal Substance
The health benefits of honey – like all foods – depend on the quality of the honey. But in this case,
the situation is even more extreme, because the pollen that collects on the bees' legs as they move
from plant to plant is only as healthful and as diverse as those plants. In addition, the processing of
honey often removes many of the phytonutrients found in raw honey as it exists in the hive. Raw
honey, for example, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis. Propolis,
sometimes called "bee glue," is actually a complex mixture of resins and other substances that
honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro-organisms.
Honeybees make propolis by combining plant resins with their own secretions. However,
substances like road tar have also been found in propolis. Bee keepers sometimes use special
screens around the inside of the hive boxes to trap propolis, since bees will spread this substance
around the honeycomb and seal cracks with the anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal resins.
The resins found in propolis only represent a small part of the phytonutrients found in propolis and
honey, however. Other phytonutrients found both in honey and propolis have been shown to
posssess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties. These substances include caffeic acid
methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate, and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate. Researchers have
discovered that these substances prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down activity of two
enzymes, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipoxygenase. When raw honey is
extensively processed and heated, the benefits of these phytonutrients are largely eliminated.
Improve Athletic Performance and Heal Wounds with Raw Honey?
Primarily honey has been used as an energy source, but recent research has examined the use of
honey as an ergogenic aid (a food or ingredient that helps an athlete’s performance) and wound
healing agent, both of which were once considered merely age-old anecdotes.
In the time of the ancient Olympics, athletes were reported to eat special foods, such as honey and
dried figs, to enhance their sports performance. Recently, however, one group of researchers has
investigated the use of honey as an ergogenic aid in athletes. The study involved a group of 39
weight-trained athletes, both male and female. Subjects underwent an intensive weight-lifting
workout and then immediately consumed a protein supplement blended with either sugar,
maltodextrin or honey as the carbohydrate source. The honey group maintained optimal blood
sugar levels throughout the two hours following the workout. In addition, muscle recuperation and
glycogen restoration (carbohydrates stored in muscle) was favorable in those individuals
consuming the honey-protein combination.
Sustaining favorable blood sugar concentrations after endurance training by ingesting
carbohydrates before, during and after training is important for maintaining muscle glycogen stores
(glycogen is the form in which sugar is stored in muscle as ready-to-use fuel), so that muscle
recuperation is more efficient and the athlete is ready to perform again at their highest level the
next day. The best-studied ergogenic aid is carbohydrates because they are necessary for
maintaining muscle glycogen stores. For now, honey appears to be just another source of
carbohydrates that can help athletes perform at their best, rather than a superior choice over any
other carbohydrate.
The wound healing properties of honey may, however, be its most promising medicinal quality.
Honey has been used topically as an antiseptic therapeutic agent for the treatment of ulcers, burns
and wounds for centuries. One study in India compared the wound healing effects of honey to a
conventional treatment (silver sulfadiazene) in 104 first-degree burn patients. After one week of
treatment, 91 percent of honey treated burns were infection free compared with only 7 percent
receiving the conventional treatment. Finally, a greater percentage of patients’ burns were healed
more readily in the honey treated group. Another study examined the wound healing benefits of
honey applied topically to patients following Caesarean section and hysterectomy. Compared to
the group receiving the standard solution of iodine and alcohol, the honey treated group was
infection free in fewer days, healed more cleanly and had a reduced hospital stay.
Several mechanisms have been proposed for the wound healing benefits that are observed when
honey is applied topically. Because honey is composed mainly of glucose and fructose, two sugars
that strongly attract water, honey absorbs water in the wound, drying it out so that the growth of
bacteria and fungi is inhibited (these microorganisms thrive in a moist environment). Secondly, raw
honey contains an enzyme called glucose oxidase that, when combined with water, produces
hydrogen peroxide, a mild antiseptic. In addition to the specific enzymes found in honey, which may
help in the healing process, honey also contains antioxidants and flavonoids that may function as
antibacterial agents.
One antioxidant in particular, pinocembrin, which is unique to honey, is currently being studied for
its antibacterial properties. One laboratory study of unpasteurized honey samples indicated the
majority had antibacterial action against Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacteria found readily
in our environment that can cause infections, especially in open wounds. Other reports indicate
honey is effective at inhibiting Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Darker honeys, specifically
honey from buckwheat flowers, sage and tupelo, contain a greater amount of antioxidants than
other honeys, and raw, unprocessed honey contains the widest variety of health-supportive
substances.
A Spoonful a Day Keeps Free Radicals at Bay
Daily consumption of honey raises blood levels of protective antioxidant compounds in humans,
according to research presented at the 227th meeting of the American Chemical Society in
Anaheim, CA, March 28, 2004. Biochemist Heidrun Gross and colleagues from the University of
California, Davis, gave 25 study participants each about four tablespoons buckwheat honey daily
for 29 days in addition to their regular diets, and drew blood samples at given intervals following
honey consumption. A direct link was found between the subjects’ honey consumption and the level
of polyphenolic antioxidants in their blood.
Honey Helpful for Healthy Individuals and Those with High Cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes
In a series of experiments involving healthy subjects and those with either high cholesterol or type
2 diabetes, honey has proved itself the healthiest sweetener.
For 15 days, 8 healthy subjects, 6 patients with high cholesterol, 5 patients with high cholesterol
and high C-reactive protein (a risk factor for cardiovascular disease), and 7 patients with type 2
diabetes were given solutions containing comparable amounts of sugar, artificial honey or natural
honey.
In healthy subjects, while sugar and artificial honey had either negative or very small beneficial
effects, natural honey reduced total cholesterol 7%, triglycerides 2%, C-reactive protein 7%,
homocysteine 6% and blood sugar 6%, and increased HDL (good) cholesterol 2%. (Like C-reactive
protein, homocysteine is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.)
In patients with high cholesterol, artificial honey increased LDL (bad) cholesterol, while natural
honey decreased total cholesterol 8%, LDL cholesterol 11%, and C-reactive protein 75%.
And in patients with type 2 diabetes, natural honey caused a significantly lower rise in blood sugar
than either dextrose or sucrose (refined sugars). So, enjoy a little honey in your morning coffee,
lunchtime yogurt or afternoon cup of green tea. Looks like a daily spoonful of honey may help your
need for medicine go down.
Although our food ranking system did not qualify honey as a dense source of traditional nutrients, it
did emerge as a source of vitamin B2, vitamin B6, iron and manganese.
Raw Honey Description
Honey is a delicious viscous sweetener made naturally by bees for their own nourishment. The
fascinating process of making honey begins when the bees feast on flowers, collecting the flower
nectar in their mouths. This nectar then mixes with special enzymes in the bees' saliva, an
alchemical process that turns it into honey. The bees carry the honey back to the hive, where they
deposit it into the cells of the hive’s walls. The fluttering of their wings provides the necessary
ventilation to reduce the honey's moisture content, making it ready for consumption.
Honey comes in a range of colors including white, amber, red, brown and almost black. Its flavor
and texture vary with the type of flower nectar from which it was made. While the most commonly
available honeys are made from clover, alfalfa, heather and acacia flowers, honey can be made
from a variety of different flowers, including thyme and lavender.
Raw Honey History
Honey has been used since ancient times both as a food and as a medicine. Apiculture, the
practice of beekeeping to produce honey, dates back to at least 700 BC. For many centuries,
honey was regarded as sacred due to its wonderfully sweet properties as well as its rarity. It was
used mainly in religious ceremonies to pay tribute to the gods, as well as to embalm the deceased.
Honey was also used for a variety of medicinal and cosmetic purposes. For a long time in history,
its use in cooking was reserved only for the wealthy since it was so expensive that only they could
afford it.
The prestige of honey continued for millennia until one fateful event in culinary and world history –
the “discovery” of refined sugar made from sugar cane or sugar beets., Once these became more
widely available, they were in great demand since they provided a relatively inexpensive form of
sweetening. With their growing popularity, honey became displaced by sugar for culinary use.
Since then, although honey is still used for sweetening, much of its use has become focused on its
medicinal properties and its use in confectionary.
How to Select and Store
Honey is sold in individual containers or in bulk. It is usually pasteurized, although oftentimes at
farmer’s markets you can find raw honey. Raw honey that has not been pasteurized, clarified, or
filtered - provided it is of the highest organic quality - is your best choice. Look for honey that
states “100% pure.” While regular honey is translucent, creamy honey is usually opaque and is
made by adding finely crystallized honey back into liquid honey. Specialty honeys, made from the
nectar of different flowers, such as thyme and lavender, are also available. Remember that the
darker the color, the deeper the flavor.
It is important to keep honey stored in an airtight container so that it doesn’t absorb moisture from
the air. Honey stored this way in a cool dry place will keep almost indefinitely. One reason for this is
that its high sugar content and acidic pH help to inhibit microorganism growth. Honey that is kept at
colder temperatures tends to thicken, while honey that is kept at higher temperatures has a
tendency to darken and have an altered flavor.