Most people see honey as a delicious treat used to naturally sweeten everything from tea to breads, pastries, and more. And while this is certainly true, not everyone is aware of the holistic benefits of honey. As one of nature’s best medicines, local honey can be used to treat countless ailments. Here are just a few holistic benefits that local raw honey can provide.
As mentioned, honey can help to treat a number of common ailments. Many of the symptoms honey can treat are associated with the common cold, e.g., coughing and respiratory infections. Furthermore, it can be applied as a topical salve to aid in the healing of burns, as discovered in a 2008 study by researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
But that’s not all — local honey can serve as a digestion aid because it’s full of healthy enzymes. Next time you have indigestion or pain from an ulcer, try drinking a hot cup of tea with a spoonful of honey stirred in.
Benefits for Allergy Sufferers
You may be familiar with the theory that eating localized and raw honey helps support the immune systems of those who frequently suffer from allergies. While there’s not a whole lot of research to back this idea up, it does have sound logic, and people do report feeling allergy symptom relief after systematically eating local honey. Here’s why:
“Allergies are triggered by continuous exposure to the same allergen over time. Even if a particular plant is not allergenic initially, it can potentially become very allergenic if you spend much time in the same environment as the plant. Honey made by bees in the vicinity of the allergenic plant will contain tiny amounts of pollen from that plant,” writes Danielle O’Connell on Livestrong. “This honey will act as a sort of vaccine if taken in small amounts — a few teaspoons per day — for several months, and can provide relief from seasonal pollen-related allergies.”
Other Beneficial Properties
If you still aren’t convinced to pick up a bottle of raw and local honey next time you make a trip to the farmer’s market or grocery store, consider this: even if you don’t suffer from allergies — or any of the ailments listed above, for that matter — you can still reap the benefits of local honey based on its natural properties. Even a mere one ounce serving of local honey contains copious vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B3, and vitamin B5. Raw and local honey is also full of essential minerals like copper, calcium, iodine, manganese, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, selenium, sodium, zinc, and iron.
There’s no denying the wide array of holistic health benefits that honey can provide, but make to to consume it properly. Experts strongly suggest waiting until your child is at least 12 months old before giving them honey. This is because honey can contain spores of the same bacteria responsible for causing botulism. An infant under one year of age often can’t properly digest these spores, and botulism is a potentially deadly toxin. Of course, it poses no risks for children or adults.
Now that you’re aware of these amazing benefits of honey, you can find just about any excuse to add it to your favorite sweet treats. Enjoy!