[SUPERFOODS] 16 proven health benefits of Honey for urbans

Honey benefits: Modern day miracle healer

Honey – known to some as the nectar of the gods – is a delicious, thick golden liquid that’s made by honeybees and savoured by people around the world. Honey makes a great alternative to processed sugar- certainly sweet enough to replace it, and also has a more intricate flavour. But most of all, it has a lot of health benefits that you won’t find in your everyday processed table sugar.
In terms of nutritional benefits there are some differences between different types of honey- depending on which flower was used to extract nectar. There is, however, a huge difference in the health benefits of honey that has been processed and packaged. You’ll want to buy raw honey as often as possible because its nutrients won’t be damaged. But the best type is the special manuka honey.

• Table honey is processed, inconsistent in terms of quality, and generally nowhere near as healthy for you as an unprocessed honey or manuka honey.

• Raw honey can be made from any plant, just like table honey, but this variety has undergone minimal processing and hasn’t been treated with heat. The raw product has most of its bioactive compounds intact, making it much healthier for you than table honey.

• Manuka honey is made from the manuka tree. This tree is only found in New Zealand. In particular, manuka honey is known for being high in methylglyoxal, an antibacterial compound. For much of this article, we’ll be referring to manuka honey.

• Carbohydrates – 11.54% of your daily recommended intake (D.R.I.). Being practically made of sugar, honey is naturally quite high in carbohydrates.

• Vitamin B2 – 1.18% of your D.R.I. Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, plays a role in energy production and tissue maintenance.

• Copper – 1% of your D.R.I. Copper helps your body grow strong tissues and bones, much like the more well-known mineral magnesium.

• Manganese – 1.5% of your D.R.I. Manganese also helps your body’s bones grow strong, as well as helping to regulate the growth of strong skin.

• Iron – 1% of your D.R.I. Iron helps your body produce blood cells and can lead to anemia if you don’t get a regular supply.

Honey also contains between 0.01% and 0.99% of your D.R.I. for zinc, sodium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, pantothenic acid, folate, choline, and vitamin B6 and a fair number of phytonutrients (plant-based nutrients). That’s a huge variety of vitamins and minerals for any one food to contain, even if they’re in trace amounts.
Documented research through ages shows a huge number of honey benefits when consumed in healthy amounts of one to two teaspoons daily.

2. Honey is comparable to pharmaceutical cough medicine

Honey has shown itself to be very effective as a cough suppressant- traditionally a popular home remedy for sore throats and coughs. Not only does it suppress coughs, but it eases the pain and soreness associated with having a cough. It can be easily made into a simple syrup and statistically honey has been shown to be as effective as over the counter medicine.
 

3. Honey helps body wounds heal faster

Honey’s a great antibiotic. This means that if you apply it to wounds, your body can focus more on closing and repairing the actual wound instead of having to deal with fighting off bacteria and infections.
Manuka honey’s “Unique Manuka Factor,” a compound or compounds yet to be identified by researchers, is very useful when applied to wounds on the human body. The honey helps fight infections and allows the body to repair itself quicker.
 

4. Honey improves cognitive functions

Antioxidants help the brain absorb the nutrients it needs to function properly. Honey has a bunch of antioxidants in it that are known to help improve the brain’s function. These antioxidants help brain cells receive proper nourishment, allowing them to function better.
 

5. Honey has antibacterial properties

Studies have shown that honey’s extremely effective at disinfecting wounds from certain bacteria, like those that cause staph infections – particularly Staphylococcus aureus, which has shown to be extremely resistant to lots of typical antibiotics.
Honey is a potent antibacterial compound. It’s been shown to fight staph infections, which are notorious for resisting antibiotic treatments.
 

6. Honey can improve sleep quality

Honey is very useful for those who struggle with sleep. It contains the amino acid tryptophan, which is directly used in the synthesis of serotonin. It also causes an insulin spike which releases more serotonin. Serotonin is used to create melatonin, which is a hormone available in over-the-counter sleep aids. Achieving a healthy balance of melatonin is important for sleep.
 

7. Honey fights dandruff

Honey treats the skin pretty well. It’s been shown to eliminate dandruff when applied to the scalp.
Honey’s a great anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. Fungus, skin inflammation, and bacteria are things that can all lead to dandruff. These are also things that expensive shampoos aim to eliminate. Again, it seems that you’ll be able to save money on your bills if you use honey instead of different hair products.
Making a simple paste with honey and water can compare to using anti-dandruff shampoo. Honey is also a great moisturizer and will leave your hair nicely conditioned; its ability to fight oxidation will keep your hair and skin looking healthy and fresh.
 

8. Honey can help fight Herpes infections

Honey has been studied for its efficacy as an agent to treat herpes outbreaks. It was shown to be more effective than acyclovir, which is one of the leading treatments. Using honey resulted in less sores, and the sores that emerged dwindled quicker.
 

9. Honey is a great source of natural energy

Honey is a great source of natural energy that doesn’t have as many drawbacks of more stimulating substances like coffee. While it can still be easy to overdue your honey intake, the risk is much lower. Honey can be used to reduce your intake of caffeinated products.
The positive benefits of honey’s massive antioxidant ability, combined with all the phytonutrients and other healthy surprises, vastly outweigh the fact that it’s very sugary. Besides – most benefits become apparent with only a teaspoon or two of honey consumed daily. Unless you’re eating entire jars of honey every day, you’ll be okay.

10. Honey helps fight allergies

Taking honey regularly before allergy season can help the body prepare for the pollen. It contains trace amounts, and ingesting it regularly allows your body to build an immunity – similar to taking vaccines for specific diseases.
 

11. Honey helps relieve heartburn

Honey is good for fighting acid reflux and combating the symptoms of heartburn. It coats the throat like a layer of mucus would, which can take away the burning sensation. It also helps promote fluid digestion.
 

12. Honey prevents acne

Acne can strike during teenage-hood and adulthood, but either way, nobody likes to deal with it. Honey’s well-known for its ability to fight acne. It targets a number of different causes for acne and eliminates them. It can prevent bacterial acne, it can unclog pores filled with dirt and can stop the skin from producing excess oil, which can also clog pores.
 

13. Honey can be used as an aphrodisiac

Honey has been used since ancient times as an aphrodisiac. It produces more testosterone in men, balances estrogen in women, and is said to improve fertility.
 

14. Honey treats sinus issues and colds

Honey’s an anti-inflammatory and is used to eliminate some of the side effects caused by sinus inflammation. It’s also an antibacterial and can help get rid of the bacteria that caused the cold in the first place.
 

15. Honey can treat yeast infections

Yeast infections can be tremendously uncomfortable for women. They can be caused by a number of things – menstruation, improper hygiene, allergy, exposure to different situations… the list goes on. Honey is a very effective anti-fungal agent. It can be used to prevent Candida from proliferating – effectively halting yeast infections in their tracks.
 

16. Honey can help slow onset of cancer

Honey possesses natural carcinogenic fighting properties. Carcinogens are compounds that are known to cause cancer.
Honey is an anti-metastatic- means it can fight off cancer by shrinking the size of tumours. There are several phenolic compounds in honey that are responsible for its anti-cancer properties. This is all in addition to the rest of the antioxidants present in honey, which generally inhibit oxidative damage. Oxidation is one of the leading causes of cancer.