MANUKA HONEY

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF HONEY:

Antioxidants: darker honey is high in antioxidants.

In the “Journal of Medicinal Food”, honey was shown to stimulate antibody production during primary and secondary immune responses.

In a study done, natural honey lowered plasma glucose as well as C-reactive protein and Homocysteine in healthy and Diabetic patients.

Honey aids in the growth of good bacteria, bifidobacteria.

Honey has been used in the treatment of burns, scrapes. A new type of wound honey used in the treatment of non-healing wounds or diabetic wounds is now being used in New Zealand. Manuka honey is a type of honey produced by the manuka bush, Leptospermum scoparium. In Australia, honey with similar properties has been found in the Leptospermum polygalifolium plant. These plants produce honey which has a UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) which enables the honey to penetrate deep into the tissues and heal wounds without being affected by catalase, an enzyme that would otherwise break down honey without the UMF.

Studies are now being down out of the University of Waikato by Dr. Peter Molan in New Zealand. Only a few doctors have started using Manuka Honey here in the United
States.

Honey has also been used for sore throats, and for bacterial infections, stomach ulcers, canker sores, Hypertension, constipation, menstrual cramps, alcoholism
Cholesterol: Patients with hyperlipidemia have shown to have a decrease in their triglyceride levels versus patients who had plain sugar. Sugar increases the triglycerides.

Colitis: A study on rats has shown that honey acts as a protectant against colitis; the enzymes that protect the cells from being damaged are at a high level in patients who ate honey.

Cancer: In the “Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture”, some Croatian researchers showed a decrease in tumor growth of bladder cancer, as well as metastases in mice when honey was given orally or was given in the form of an injection.

It was also shown to prevent Colon Cancer in animals by shutting down the activity of phospatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipooxygenase. These are enzymes involved in the production of cancer producing compounds.

Menstrual Cramps: Honey has been shown to encourage the production of PGE1 prostaglandin as GLA (gamma linolenic acid). Taking 1 tablespoon of honey with hot water or herbal tea has been shown to help.

Wound healing: Honey has antibacterial and wound healing properties. It has been approved as a wound care gel in the treatment of ulcers, especially those containing MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staph Aureus)

CAUTION:Honey should not be used in children under 18 months of age. This is because honey has dormant endospores of Clostridium botulinum or botulism spores in it. Infants do not have the ability to kill the botulism spores, and intake of honey by infants could result in death.
Honey is still a sugar and should be used with caution in patients with Diabetes.
Do not keep honey for longer than 6 months, since it loses its antioxidant properties.

Do not refrigerate honey, because it absorbs moisture and becomes thick when it is cold. However, honey can be stored in the freezer.

COOKING WITH HONEY:All the sources say to use ½ the amount of honey as the sugar you would normally use. They also say that when baking with honey, decrease the liquids by ¼ for each cup of honey used. They say to add ½ a teaspoon of baking soda for every cup of honey. The oven temperature has to be decreased by 25 degrees to prevent over baking or over browning.

INTERESTING FACTS:CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder): When bees leave their hives and never return again. No known cause. It is being investigated. The Science Daily, on April 23, 2007 reported on Colony Collapse Disorder. An alarming number of honey bees are dying; about 50% of the hives have disappeared. This is detrimental to crop-growers and to beekeepers. On April 26, 2007, The Science Daily reported that scientists at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center and the University of California San Francisco had identified a virus as well as a parasite that may be the cause of the honey bee deaths. They used the IVDS (integrated virus detection system) to screen samples for pathogens, and found the virus and pathogens. The fear is that without honey bees to pollinate crops there could be a huge economic, and agricultural impact on the entire world.

Honey also has been known to have anti-aging properties, due to its humectants properties. It attracts and retains water and keeps the skin soft and supple.

A recipe for a face mask is as follows:
1 Tbsp of Honey, 1 Egg White, 1 Tsp of Glycerin, ¼ all purpose flour: Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse.
Americans consume 285 million pounds of honey a year.
There are even songs about honey:
“Kisses like Honey”: by the Bee Gee’s
“Lips like Honey”: by Sean Dresman

Not only do bees make honey, but they also make a substance called Propolis, and Royal Jelly.

1. Propolis is a resinous substance collected from leaf buds and barks of trees, such as Conifer and Poplar trees. It is a yellow/brown waxy, bitter-flavored substance. Propolis has antibiotic qualities which helps the hive block out viruses, bacteria and organisms. It can also be used to treat colds, Gastrointestinal Infections, URI (upper respiratory infections); it is an immune enhancer, and a topical anti-inflammatory.

2. Royal Jelly is a thick, milky substance which is produced by worker bees to feed the queen bee. The worker bee mixes the honey and the bee pollen with an enzyme in the glands of their throats to produce the royal jelly. Due to the queen’s size, strength, stamina and longevity compared with other bees, the royal jelly may be a nutritional supplement.

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