Raw Honey

This is a guest post by Donna Young, a member of our MiCommunity Team.

HONEY…   AND THOSE AMAZING HONEYBEES

Raw, unrefined honey. This remarkable powerhouse of nutrients and healing agents has been used to cure numerous ailments and diseases for thousands of years.

But what are these elements in honey that have so much power to heal and regenerate?  After all, isn’t honey just a yummy and nutritious sweetener that every household has stashed away in their cupboards for whenever?   The answer is “yes,” err… and “no.”  Honey is not just a sweetener.

Good for your health, it is rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, carbohydrates, proteins, and antioxidants.  It promotes energy, helps to build strong bones and teeth, and is beneficial for nerve, muscle, organ, and normal brain function.  Are you anemic or have low blood pressure? Honey can help—it increases red blood cells which is a vital aid in curing anemia and stabilizing blood pressure. It also improves blood circulation, which supports healthy, glowing skin.  And of course, honey is that all-around delicious, natural sweetener, without the harmful side affects of refined sugar.  Please note though, if you have Diabetes or a sugar sensitivity, you may need to regulate your intake even of natural honey.

Let’s take a look at some of the medicinal benefits that raw honey has to offer.  It is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral, fights off the common cold and flu, soothes a sore throat, and alleviates minor insomnia. It acts as an anti-septic by flushing away toxins from the system, promoting good digestion and a happy colon. Have blemished skin? Just dab a little honey on the blemished area, cover with a band aid over night, and by morning the area should be largely healed.  Due to the antioxidants contained in raw honey, in lotions it is an awesome skin protector that restores and refreshes.  It will stop a painful burn from damaging skin if applied immediately after a burn, and it speeds up the healing process of skin wounds, cuts, even surgical incisions.  Raw honey also has anti-aging nutrients to help slow down the aging process. As if that weren’t enough, it protects the skin from harmful UVA rays when taken internally as it supports the skin’s natural defenses, and offers mosquito bite relief due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

But we can’t have real, raw honey without the honeybee.   God has furnished these humble little creatures with mindboggling talents in the production of honey.  These hardy labor workers go about extracting nectar from flowering plants, storing the nectar in their stomach pouches, and then safely carrying the load back to their beehives.  This continuous process of going back and forth can sometimes result in hundreds of miles just to produce one pound of honey!  At this wonderful beehive “production factory,” hundreds, sometimes thousands of inhabited honeybees are meticulously and systematically processing the nectar into honey.

As if this perfect plan of creation is not enough, inside the beehives is where the honeybees construct honeycombs and produce beeswax.  After the wax has been refined and purified by the bees, it provides many health benefits for our skin. Beeswax works as a protective shield on the surface of the skin against irritants, pollution, and allergens while still allowing the skin to breath.  It also protects the lips against chapping and will leave them soft and supple.  It can also be used to sooth certain types of eczema.  The skin conservation properties of beeswax is powerful. In ancient Egypt, beeswax was used in the embalming process, and around 200-300 A.D. in China, doctors treated their patients with skin problems by treating the affected or wounded area by applying beeswax directly on it, then covering it with a bandage until it was healed.

Who can deny the benefits of enhanced health, beauty, and longevity that burst from the workings of the honeybee?   Honey and beeswax are just a few of many great sources of nutrition made available to us by the honeybee – they are also in large part responsible for the pollination of most edible vegetation.

Raw, unrefined honey and beeswax are very beneficial for our health, and can be found at your local bee farm or farmers market.  It is extremely important to support your local farmer.  Many of your local farmers practice sustainable agriculture and often times use organic farming methods which produce more healthful foods without the use of harmful agricultural chemicals.  Supporting your local farmer will strengthen your local community,  and it will give you the “feels like home” sense of well-being because you have the freedom of getting to know and trust your own farmer and his respectable practices.

Need a prescription for your ailment?  Honey might help!

Although honey is truly an amazingly healthy food, it is not recommended for infants under the age of one. Their stomachs and intestines are not yet fully matured and cannot properly digest honey.  We are not doctors – just people who love and use honey and have found it to be rather amazing.  If you have specific medical concerns, please consult a qualified holistic doc.