The precious sweet fluid, honey has been in use since immemorial. One of the oldest traditional medicine – nutritional and medicinal purposes. It is one of the traditional food preservatives. Honey’s health benefits cannot be ignored.
Astonishingly, bacteria cannot survive in honey for more than 10 minutes.
Religious backing
The importance of honey is backed by the Holy Scripture – the Quran. A whole Chapter is named after the honeybee.
And your Lord inspired the bee, “Take for yourself among the mountains, houses (i.e. hives), and among the trees and (in) that which they construct.
Then eat from all the fruits and follow ways of your Lord laid down (for you)”. There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colours, in which there is healing for people. Indeed, that is a sign for people who give thought (Qur’an, 16:68-69).
At the same level, the holy prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) recommended the use of honey for medical purposes.
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: (The Prophet said), “Healing is in three things: A gulp of honey, cupping, and branding with fire (cauterizing).” But I forbid my followers to use (cauterization) branding with fire.”
Buddhists celebrate a religious festival called Madhu Purnima, whereby honey is given to monks. And for the Jewish tradition, honey is considered a symbol of a new year.
Contains minerals
Honey contains protein, enzymes, aromatic acids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants.
Honey gives the body some activeness. Interestingly enough, one kilogram of honey is said to be equal to 5 litres of milk or 26 pieces of banana, or 50 pieces of eggs or over 10 gram of milk.
Read more: Milk and cereals, simply the best healthy breakfast
Suffering from reduced appetite? Honey helps in raising the intake of food. And contains special vitamins such as B, B2, B5, B6 and vitamin G.
Honey also contains different types of minerals, which we all know, play a substantial role including the growth and development of the body structure, strengthening bones, manufacturing of hormones, normalizing heartbeat and transmitting of nerve impulses.
These minerals are potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, silicon, among others.
Helps conditions
When honey is used with ginger juice, black pepper powder and garlic juice, it forms home remedies in treating conditions such as poor vision, common cold, cough, asthma, blood pressure and purification of the blood.
Generally, consuming honey regularly enhances a healthy life. A point to note is the usefulness of honey for the liver and the ailments related to it.
According to National Center for Biotechnology Information, the healing properties of honey can be ascribed to the fact that it offers antibacterial activity, maintains a moist wound environment that promotes healing, and has a high viscosity which helps to provide a protective barrier to prevent infection.
Although infants below five years shouldn’t be given honey, children, above that age can be given to treat the common cold, poor appetite and as a source of nutrition.
Honey, therefore, provides strength to the body. Related to that it also improves the immune system by strengthening the white blood cells that protect the body from disease-causing microorganisms.
Scientific evidence also reveals the antibacterial and healing properties of honey.
Healing properties
Experiments and studies on honey have shown that honey is an antiseptic, antimicrobial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergen, antitoxic, sedative, laxative, anti-anemic, antioxidant, healing and cleansing (external and internal), moisturizing and blood-purifying.
It promotes rehydration, is easily digestible, stimulates immunity, and is beneficial for all types of skins diseases.
The merits of using honey can never be exhausted. Apart from the health advantages mentioned above, it helps in treating ailments and medical conditions such as infections of the throat, diarrhea, tuberculosis, hiccups, obesity, dizziness, fatigue, constipation, infection of worms, hemorrhoids, eczema, ulcers, hepatitis and improving bad digestion.
Other honey-treated conditions are diabetes, vomiting, moisturizing the skin and reducing pimples.
