BENEFITS OF HONEY
The benefits of honey have been well documented over the centuries, so I shan't attempt to list them all here. Besides, the benefits depend quite substantially on the quality of the honey in question! (Scroll to the bottom for a list of benefits.) As bees move from plant to plant the pollen that collects on their legs is only as healthful and diverse as the plants themselves. Then there's the honey-processing to consider, since some processes remove many of the phytonutrients existing in raw honey within the hive. Small amounts of the same resins found in bee propolis are contained in raw honey. This 'bee glue' is used by honeybees to seal their hive, protecting it from bacteria and other micro-organisms. They first need to manufacture it from a combination of plant resins and their own secretions! Propolis is highly prized for its anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal resins, which represent just a small part of the phytonutrients found in propolis and honey.
ARIZONA HONEY
TOP TIP: Buy honey produced in the summer by flower-fed bees as it is most likely to contain friendly lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. (Forever's beehives are located among the very varied exotic flowers of the high desert regions of Arizona and the American West, in a pristine environment that eliminates contaminants such as pesticides and pollutants!) WARNING: You can only buy Forever Bee Honey by clicking this picture if you live in one of the countries where it is currently available - e.g. the USA, Canada and some others. Keep checking, though! If it isn't there yet, your country could be added at any moment!
Some phytonutrients (including caffeic acid methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate) found in both propolis and honey have been attributed with anti-tumour and cancer-preventing properties. Research has shown that these substances prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down the activity of the enzymes phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipoxygenase. But these phytonutrients' benefits are in the main eliminated when raw honey is extensively processed and heated.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF HONEY
Here's a list of likely benefits, as discussed at the First International Symposium on Honey & Human Health, held in Sacramento, 8 January 2008, where a number of research papers were presented: Different varietals of honey possess a large amount of friendly bacteria, which might explain many of the 'mysterious therapeutic properties of honey'. Honey may promote better blood sugar control in its role as 'ideal liver fuel'. There's experimental evidence to indicate that honey consumption may improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity compared to other sweeteners. The body's tolerance to honey is significantly better than to sucrose or glucose alone. A year-long animal study comparing the effects of sucrose, honey and a low GI sugar-free diet showed that rats on the honey-based diet had reduced weight gain and percentage of body fat, decreased anxiety, better spatial recognition memory, improved HDL cholesterol (15-20% higher than rats fed sugar or sucrose diets), improved blood sugar levels and reduced oxidative damage. Honey as a cough suppressant for children aged 2-18 has been shown to be more effective than dextromethorphan. (However, it is not recommended to feed honey-containing products or use honey as a flavouring for infants under one year of age.) Honey boosts immunity. 32% of cancer patients involved in immunity research conducted in several hospitals in Israel reported improved quality of life. Leaving the best till last, honey's most promising medicinal quality may prove to be its wound-healing properties! For centuries honey has been used topically as an antiseptic therapeutic agent for the treatment of ulcers, burns and wounds.Here are the results of recent studies in India on benefits of honey in wound-healing: After one week's treatment, 91% of honey-treated 104 first-degree burn patients were infection free compared with just 7% receiving conventional (silver sulfadiazene) treatment. Finally, a larger percentage of honey-treated patients' burns were healed more readily. Another study examined the wound healing benefits of honey applied topically to patients following Caesarean section and hysterectomy. And the honey-treated group was infection free in fewer days than the group receiving the standard iodine and alcohol solution. They also healed more cleanly and had a reduced hospital stay!
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