2.5
September 2, 2012

Eight Reasons to Get Some Honey. ~ Amber Scriven

Update: Bonus Video featuring Waylon and an almost-as-handsome troublemaking Beekeeper:

How to Save the Bees & have a Yummy Time doing so.

Honey (especially raw or “unprocessed”) is amazing for you and tasty as all get up.

In Chinese medicine certain herbs, like licorice root (gan cao), can be “honey fried” to increase their value as a nourishing and replenishing medicinal herb. This has been done for centuries for numerous reasons. Below are just eight of the many things honey can do for your body.

1. It’s an antiviral! The bees themselves smear their hive with an antiviral enzyme that is then nourishing to humans when we snack on the honey. Note that heating or processing honey will kill these enzymes.

2. As a sweetener, it helps to balance out blood sugar levels quickly, leading to improved cholesterol levels, lower body fat and less weight gain. This is because it provides the liver with fructose as well as glucose at an even rate and may also improve insulin sensitivity.

3. Honey boosts the immune system immensely.  A high fever can kill white blood cells, which is your immune system’s way of fighting off anything. Honey reduces the death of these cells during a fever, providing you with the strength to get better sooner. The health and diversity of the plants used by the bees is important as to how healthful the honey is too. For example, buck wheat honey has been found to act as a cough suppressant.

4. The antibacterial affects mostly come from raw honey. Propolis, or “bee glue,” is made by honeybees to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro—organisms. This is great for humans. Once processed or heated propolis is eliminated from honey, the honey can be eaten raw.

5. Raw honey also contains lots of friendly bacteria that help our bodies run smoothly and prevent dis-ease in digestion.

6. In India, honey is used topically to help heal wounds (particularly severe burns) as it lowers the infection rate thanks to the antibiotic effects and prevents white blood cell death.

7. Other helpful tumor fighting substances are often present in honey too but most cancer research in this department has been focused on honeys use to improve quality of life and effectiveness of other treatments based on its positive effects on the immune system.

8. Your local honey is great for pollen allergies because it is made from your local flowers. This is not for grass or dust allergies though, as there is no pollen involved there (try Rooibos tea for that).

With all that said, I think that our little buzzy friends deserve a big round of applause. Good job bees.

Got a bee hive out back? If no one is allergic then leave it alone (let them “bee”) and make sure you have some Apis (a homeopathic remedy made from honey bees) on hand to use in case of stings. It effectively and efficiently eases any discomfort and is great for kids.

Happy honeying!

 

Amber Scriven. California acupuncturist, herbalist, food lover, health writer and yoga enthusiast, Amber Scriven is the co founder of The Acupuncture & Homeopathic Studio in San Anselmo, California. She writes for various online publications and runs a multi disciplinary clinic treating orthopedic injuries, women’s health and sleep deprivation disorders.

Website: www.wellbeingacu.us
Read More: www.TheHealthBlog.us
Facebook: facebook.com/acu.studio
Twitter: twitter.com/AcupStudioSR

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Editor: Edith Lazenby

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