Honey: More than a Sweet Treat

You wake up with a scratchy throat. It hurts to swallow and even your best efforts won’t raise your voice above a whisper. Instead of reaching for that trusty bottle of cough syrup, why not choose a cup of hot tea laced with the nectar of the gods—honey! Many professional performers reach for the honey jar to soothe the symptoms of a sore or irritated throat, but they certainly aren’t the first to realize the health benefits honey has to offer.

Honey is a thick, sweet, golden liquid food produced in the sacs of bees from the nectar of flowers. Honeybees must fly a distance equal to more than three times around the world and tap over two million flowers to make one pound of honey. Bees store honey in honeycombs and use it for food in the winter.

There are more than 300 types of honey, varying in flavor and color determined by the type of blossoms visited by the honeybee. Some common honeys are orange blossom, alfalfa, buckwheat, and tupelo, but some of the most desirable honeys are produced from clover. Honeycomb is commonly sold by beekeepers as a delicacy, or the wax may be extracted for various purposes.

Honey is presumably older than written history, which dates back to 2100 B.C. It was mentioned in Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiform writings, the Hittite code, and the sacred writings of India and Egypt. Israel was often referred to as “the land of milk and honey” in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Honey was highly valued and often used as a form of tribute, offering, or currency. In the 11th century A.D., German peasants paid their overlords in honey and beeswax.

Honey was the first sweetener used by man. It was used to make mead, a fermented beverage, which was called “nectar of the gods”. Honey was mixed with wine and other alcoholic drinks; honey-wine was extraordinarily popular with the Romans. In India and other Asian countries it was used to preserve fruit and make cakes, sweetmeats, and other foods.

Honey was used as an embalming material by the ancient Egyptians, who also used it to treat cuts and burns. Greek physician Hippocrates used honey to cure skin disorders, and the Romans cleaned wounds with it. When honey is applied to a wound, it is combines with diluted fluids from the damaged tissue and an enzyme added by the bee which forms hydrogen peroxide, the same disinfectant we now find in pharmacies; as it is slowly released into the wound, this naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide encourages healing and reduces scarring.

Doctors used honey to treat wounds as recently as World War I, with its use declining after the advent of antibiotics. However, scientific research is now rediscovering honey’s natural healing power.

• Researchers in New Zealand found that honey actually killed a number of highly contagious antibiotic-resistant viruses known as ‘superbugs’. The team showed that honey killed 100 different strains of methicillin-resistant MRSA. The New Zealand team has not yet identified the powerful antimicrobial agent believed to be in honey.
• Several studies have shown honey’s effectiveness as a treatment for burns and other skin disorders. In India, 104 burn patients were studied. Half were treated with honey, the other half with a standard burn-treatment compound. Of those treated with honey, 87% improved within 15 days compared with 10% treated with the standard treatment.
• In a recent study, University of Illinois researchers found that the chemicals in honey may act as a dietary antioxidant, ridding the blood of toxins or harmful substances.

In Australia, honey has been considered a medicine since 1999. Medicinal honey is even available in pharmacies as a wound dressing. Unlike most commercial honey, the honey used for medicinal purposes has not been pasteurized or heated.

Scientists at the University of Tennessee conducted a study with competitive cyclists and found that honey was as effective as pure glucose in providing athletes the extra energy they need to enhance performance.

Honey is an effective healer, a natural sweetener with no additives, easily digested, has an indefinite shelf-life and, as an added bonus, can also be used as a facial.(See recipe below) What could be more perfect?

Honey Blueberry Facial
(One application)
½ cup blueberries, either fresh or frozen
½ cup pure honey
½ cup plain yogurt

Rinse blueberries and place in blender or food processor. Add honey and yogurt, blend until smooth. Apply blueberry smoothie onto clean skin using fingertips, allow to set for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove with cool water and damp cloth.