The use of honey for medicinal purposes began a long time ago. Early beekeepers used honey in the healing of various ailments. Today, research has discovered other health benefits of honey that could help you live a healthier, rewarding life:
Honey contains hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a component of honey rich in antibiotic properties. Thus, honey is effective in healing wounds. Honey reduces wound odors, reduces the healing time, cleans the wound and reduces infections. You can use honey on burns, ulcers, abrasions, abscesses, and cuts. However, the amount of hydrogen peroxide in honey can be altered by honey processing and the composition of the nectar used in making it.
“Honey causes heat, cleans sores and ulcers, softens hard ulcers of the lips and heals carbuncles and running sores,” wrote the ancient philosopher, Hippocrates.
True to Hippocrates’s words, honey has been used in the treatment of stomach ulcers due to its high antibiotic properties.
Useful in treating coughs in children
Coughs are common for children with respiratory infections. However, most over the counter cough syrups do not work well in children and might even cause side effects. Using honey helps suppress infant coughs without the risk of lasting side effects. This study found that honey works better in curbing coughs than common cough syrups.
Another research found out that honey helps curb the symptoms of coughs and improve the quality of sleep in infants. Yes, you can use honey for infant coughs and get better results than you would with common cough syrups.
Honey is useful in controlling infantile gastroenteritis
Research done by E. Haffejee and A. Moosa on the effects of honey on children with gastroenteritis indicates that honey reduces the duration of bacterial diarrhea in infants. In this study, honey was used as an oral rehydration solution. The success of this research is one proof, one among many, of the medicinal potency of honey.
Honey is Useful in fighting pathogenic bacteria
Honey is useful in fighting pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Helicobacter pylori. Laboratory research reveals that honey is resistant to MRSA among other infections; it can also be used as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Honey is better than artificial sweeteners
If you have been using processed sugars and would wish to find a natural alternative, honey is for you. Honey is rich in nutrients but lower in calories than processed sugar. You can use honey to sweeten your tea because honey has a lower hypoglycemic index so it won’t hike the blood sugar to dangerous levels.
Honey helps with seasonal allergies
Honey can be used to alleviate seasonal allergies since it is rich in anti-inflammatory properties. When you eat raw honey, you also let traces of pollen into your body. Pollen is an allergen. One of the ways of dealing with allergies is continued exposure to an allergen in small amounts. Honey works as a natural vaccine to allergies. As you continue to eat raw honey, your body gets exposed to allergens (pollen) which makes you less sensitive to allergies. You will thus become less susceptible to allergies in the future.
Honey Treats Dandruff
Are you having a problem with dandruff? Honey is here for you. According to this research, applying honey mixed with 10 percent warm water on affected areas can help clear dandruff. When you use honey in the treatment of dandruff, let the syrup stay on the problem areas for three hours before rinsing with warm water. The research above shows that honey quells the itching effect and heals skin lesions after a week of continued use.
In conclusion, honey is sweet, but it gives you more than just the sweetness. Using honey at home as the primary sweetener will improve your immunity, strengthen your heart, and nourish your skin health. You can never go wrong with honey; sweeten your life as you enrich your health with honey.
