Manuka Honey: natural sweet remedy

Let me guess... it is cold outside, you are surrounded with coughing people trying to make it through with NSAIDs or even antibiotics, for the nth time of the year?

What about getting through a year without getting sick? Or at least without taking any chemical medicine with negative side effects?

Today I am going to talk about a sweet natural treasure that can significantly help you through those tough times in a nice, sweet, tasty way: RAW HONEY.

What is Honey?

We know that bees make honey, but how many of you know that it takes about 60,000 bees, traveling overall about 55,000 miles, visiting more than 2 million flowers, to make about 1 pound of honey? The bee stores the flower extract in its extra stomach to mix it with enzymes. Through regurgitation, it passes it through its mouth to another bee, and this process is repeated until the nectar becomes pre-digested and kept in a honeycomb. It dries up there thanks to the bees fanning the air with their wings.

Honey is a blend of sugar (53% fructose), trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids.

Only raw, unfiltered, unprocessed, 100% pure honey is really beneficial for you. Unfortunately, the majority of commercial honey in supermarkets is highly processed today - so make sure you go to your local farmers market or that your honey is well sourced.

Raw Honey Healing Properties

Honey has been used for its antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial properties for thousands of years. All kinds of burns, cuts or insect bites would be treated topically with good raw honey. Before penicillin, raw honey was the go-to remedy for all kinds of wounds.

Anthropolologists found evidence that ancient Egyptians used it 5,000 years ago. And today it is still being used regularly in tribal areas in Africa.

Raw honey can help heal ulcers, sunburns and even viruses like herpes. It is a potent antibacterial agent - by keeping wounds moist, it helps accelerate the healing and repairing process. It also helps balance your gut flora by promoting healthy bacteria and fighting off the bad ones in your digestive tract.

Common infections such as chronic sinusitis, sore throats/coughs and even genital herpes can be overcome by regular use of good quality raw honey.

Because it decreases your levels of homocysteine (high levels increase your risk of blood vessel inflammation), it helps support your heart health. It also helps relieve allergies - the pollen spores in good quality raw honey contain a small amount of allergens that can activate your immune system and build up your natural immunity. But this requires local raw honey, sourced from the same plants you might be allergic to.

Manuka Honey

Manuka honey is a darker honey that comes from bees feasting on Manuka trees in New Zealand.

Special interest has been given to Manuka honey because its antibacterial properties have been experienced for thousands of years in Australia and New Zealand.

Recent studies show that Manuka honey kills even the worst bacteria known to man. This is highly important as we are living at a time when antibiotics start failing because bacteria are developing resistance to them. Manuka honey doesn't have the harmful side effects of antibiotics.

One of the first medical uses of Manuka honey was to clean catheters against bacterial biofilm growth. Manuka honey has been proven to be very effective, even at very low concentration, to slow down bacteria development and clustering.

Manuka honey also has a broad spectrum antimicrobial activity that is increasingly interesting for regular clinical use, with an inhibitory effect on some fungi and viruses.

Between 1960 and 1980, it was effectively used to help kill pathogens infecting patients with burn wounds, cystic fibrosis, acute leukemia or organ transplants. The powerful property of Manuka honey is that the pathogens it fights against don't develop resistance to it.

Conclusion

Manuka honey is the only approved honey for medical use. Its potent antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties make it an effective remedy to help stop, slow down or prevent any types of infections.

The quality of the honey is essential: it MUST be raw, unfiltered, 100% pure. Choose one with a UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) rating - this is proof of real, well-sourced Manuka honey.

Because it is high in fructose, don't overindulge just because it is healthy! Have some especially when you feel weak or are fighting an infection, and don't hesitate to use it topically on any wounds.

I like to have 1-2 teaspoons of Manuka honey with my golden latte, especially during winter days. I have even tried it topically on some pimples and honestly, it worked incredibly well.

Hope you enjoyed this sweet truth about raw honey. Again, Nature knows it better.

In Health and Happiness,

Stephanie