Honey has been a highly sought-after culinary delight and an effective medical treatment over the course of thousands of years. All over the world our ancestors appeared to have been well-aware of the numerous benefits that honey has to offer. Its first documented use as a prescription for medicine is discovered inside Sumerian clay tablets, which could be more than 4000 years old. About 30% of Sumerians’ treatment regimens included honey. In India honey is a key component of Siddha and Ayurveda which are the oldest traditional medical systems. In the past, in Egypt it was used in treating eye and skin ailments, as well for a bandage to burns and wounds. Many other cultures have employed honey for different medicinal purposes. Honey is currently the center of much scientific research conducted by the medical profession, which is investigating and proving the numerous uses for honey our forefathers had in mind. Let’s look at some of these.
Benefits of Honey for Health Benefits of Honey
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Honey is good for your blood
When honey is mixed with the form of a drink that is diluted with water it will have a beneficial influence upon the red blood cells (RBC) amount in blood. RBCs are responsible for transporting oxygen from the blood to different parts within the human body. The honey-tepid mixture increases hemoglobin levels in the blood that help treat anemia. Anemia due to iron deficiency can be a sign of anemia that develops when absorption or intake of iron is not sufficient and the oxygen carrying capacity of blood is reduced. The diminished capacity of oxygen transport causes fatigue, breathing problems and depression, as well as other issues. Honey can alleviate these issues by increasing the capacity of oxygen transport of blood. The increase in oxygen in blood is vital since how healthy your body is as well as how quickly it can regenerate itself is dependent on the amount of oxygen in blood. Research has already demonstrated the beneficial effects of honey on hypertension, also known as excessive blood pressure. Traditionally, honey is consumed to help reduce the effects of hypotension and the effects of low blood pressure. There is some preliminary evidence to suggest that honey may help to reduce low white blood cells (WBC) numbers in patients undergoing chemotherapy. In a tiny study that included 40% of patients with low WBC count did not experience symptoms after drinking two teaspoons therapeutic honey daily during chemotherapy.Honey can affect your body in various ways based on the way you consume it.
2. Honey is less harmful than sugar
There’s been a lot written about the negative consequences that white sugar has on our bodies. Honey is an excellent alternative that is just not as sweet but healthy to consume. While honey contains basic sugars within its chemical composition It is unlike white sugar in the sense that it has around 30% glucose and 40 percent fructose, two monosaccharides or simple sugars. It also contains 20% of other complex sugars. Honey also contains dextrin, which is a starchy fiber. This helps to control sugars in the blood.
3. Honey is beneficial for Yoga practitioners.
For those who practice yoga that involve yogic practices, honey consumption can restore harmony to blood chemistry. It is highly advised. Regular consumption of honey makes the system healthier. A glass of water that is tepid and lightly sweetened with honey at the beginning of the day prior to starting the exercise will help to open up the system.
4. Honey is antibacterial and Antiseptic
Consuming honey leads to an increase in antioxidants, which stimulates the immune system and fights harmful microbiological activity. A number of studies have also examined honey for wound healing. One study employed the therapeutic honey which was subjected to a unique purification procedure, which killed the bacterial strains that were present within wounds of the patients in the study. Another study treated wounds as well as leg ulcers for 59 people who, in the majority of cases, did not respond to standard treatment with honey that was not processed. With the exception of one patient, all of the wounds had improved. Furthermore the wounds infected by infection turned sterile within a week after the application of honey. Traditional medicine states that one of the benefits of honey is treatment of respiratory illnesses. Honey consumption is used to treat problems such as excessive cough and asthma. Research has shown that medical-grade honey has the ability to kill foodborne pathogens that cause illness, such as Eschetichia Salmonella and coli. Honey also has shown promise in fighting bacteria that have developed resistance antibiotics. Research has shown that honey is effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Honey is a powerful weapon against infections on a variety of levels, making it hard for pathogens to develop resistance against honey. The majority of antibiotics attack bacteria as they grow, which gives them the opportunity to evolve resistance. Honey also has been found to cause disruption to what is called quorum sensing which decreases the virulence of pathogens that cause bacterial infections, and permits antibiotics to work.
5. honey is an Energy Food
One of the most important applications that honey is used in conventional medicine that it acts as an instant energy boost. Like I said honey has a variety of types in sugar molecules. including fructose and glucose. In contrast to white sugar, where fructose and glucose are incorporated as sucrose, which requires an additional stage in digestion In honey, these two sugars exist in a separate form. This means that glucose can be used as an instant source of energy. It is the United States National Honey Board suggests that you consume honey as it has a variety of minerals and vitamins in tiny quantities. Some of them include Niacin, riboflavin pantothenic acid, calcium magnesium, copper, iron manganese, phosphorus and manganese zinc, and potassium.
6. Honey aids in digestion
Honey is a great remedy for gas, constipation, and bloating due to its role as moderately laxative. Honey is also a great source of probiotics, also known as “friendly” bacteria such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which help with digestion, improve the immune system’s health and help reduce the risk of allergies. The use of honey instead for table sugar was proven to lessen the harmful effects on the gut caused by mycotoxins created by the fungi.
7. Honey fights skin and Scalp Infections
There are numerous health advantages of honey to scalp and skin too. In a study of a smaller scale with 30 patients , which examined the effect of honey in treating seborrheic and dandruff Participants applied diluted honey each day, gently rubbing their affected areas for about 2 to 3 minutes. The honey was then left on the skin for 3 hours, then removed with warm water. All patients experienced improvements after the treatment. Itching and scaling went away after a week, and lesions vanished within two weeks. Hair loss condition also improved. Furthermore patients who continued with this treatment over a period of six months applying honey every week were not afflicted with the repeat relapse.
8. Honey helps Children Sleep Soundly
The preliminary results of several studies suggest that honey may enhance the quality of sleep for children. Based on the views of parents they concluded that Pure Honey helped reduce cough in children at night, and also helped to sleep better.