Benefits of Honey

Beautiful flowers aiding in honey production

Since times immemorial man is aware of the benefits of honey to the mankind. The honey provides enormous, amazing and astonishing benefits, which may be short of miraculous.

Honey is produced by the bees and they travel hundreds of kilometers to gather the nectar from the flowers.  Over a million of flowers need to be visited by the bees for honey which may be less than 1 Kg.  The cost of the honey also ranges on many variables like color, texture, area and benefits etc.  Overall the cost of honey is very reasonable. In-spite of consuming honey for over 2 decades I consider myself as an amateur as far as the selection of honey goes. Some of the major religious scriptures highlight the benefits of honey.  It is also used by the alternative medicine practitioners.

The honey is sweet and good to taste. It gives instant energy and it considered as energy booster. It is also used in many culinary delights. If we compare sugar with honey, the calories in the honey are lesser.  For weight reduction honey is better due to reduced calories.

New researches have confirmed most of the benefits of honey. It is a very good anti-oxidant, it has anti-ageing properties and some even have deduced that it has anti-cancer properties.  It is also considered as an immunity builder.  In olden times it has been used by the military personnel for application to the wounds as it helped in healing the wounds.  It has anti bacterial and anti fungal properties.  It is also used for detoxification. Much is discussed about Manuka honey and its utility and its medicinal properties.

It is soothing to the stomach and provides instant energy. I have a personal experience of having a good night’s sleep after consuming a teaspoonful of honey.  But one should be cautious while consuming honey.  The diabetics should take adequate medical advice and precautions before consuming honey.  Some people may also have allergy to honey. Certain types of people need to be generally cautious while consuming honey. It is better if adequate precautions are taken before utilizing it for health benefits. 

There are many discussions about honey and its benefits as a hibernation diet, the efficacy of which is not yet proven. Honey and its products are also considered to be useful in controlling bad breath, hair loss, sleep disorder, arthritis, acne, and yeast infection.

Some personal experiences with Honey has been as follows,

Benefits Lemon and Honey – The combination of lemon and honey was used but it did not reduce my weight but was helpful in maintaining my weight and health. 

Benefits Vinegar and Honey – In-order to reduce weight I tried vinegar and honey formula but was not successful and had to discontinue.

Benefits Honey and Cinnamon – This formula of honey and cinnamon was good and helped me in maintaining my weight but did not help in reducing the weight. However this is a good remedy for certain coughs and cold symptoms.

Benefits Honey and Milk - This is a good combination and benefits in the bowel movements and reducing acidity.

Benefits of Honey and Apple- This is supposed to reduce weight but in my experience it did not help me in reducing my weight.

Benefits of Honey as a hibernation diet – This did not help me in my fight with the bulge.

There are various studies which suggest that a combination of other herbs with honey cures arthritis, Flu etc. but one should be cautious while using any of the combination. Sometimes a person may have problem with using honey alone or with other combinations and there are certain disadvantages to certain people.

Nowadays it is difficult to get pure honey and it is better to get full information before getting into any regimen. For some honey may be beneficial and there are also certain disadvantages in honey. However it is useful when combined with milk/cinnamon/black pepper. It helps in controlling some allergies and cough due to cold or even dry cough. Honey is a good food and can also be considered as a super food. But it has its own limitation. It is not a magic cure or a magic formula. It should be used with proper precautions.