What Are the Health Benefits Of Raw Honey?

Raw honey naturally contains nutrients, yeasts, important enzymes and pollen that have a variety of health benefits and medical uses. Raw honey is honey that has not been heated, pasteurized or processed and is the healthiest form of honey. Manufacturers process honey to improve the color and texture but in doing this, they remove or destroy the beneficial antioxidants and bacteria.

So you may be wondering what can raw honey can do for you. Honey does a number of things for your body, including strengthening the immune system, healing wounds and burns, preventing infections, soothing inflammation in the respiratory system, eliminating coughs and colds, balancing blood sugar and increasing athletic stamina. That’s quite remarkable and is only a small list of what honey can do for you.

Raw honey contains antioxidants called phenolic compounds. Some types of honey have as many antioxidants as fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants help to protect your body from cell damage due to free radicals. Free radicals contribute to the aging process and also contribute to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Buying locally produced raw honey is very beneficial in alleviating allergies because the flowers the bees visit covers the bees in the pollen spores which is then transferred to their honey. By eating the honey produced in your area you build up an immunity to the pollen. Plus, you’re supporting local beekeepers and farmers.

Energy Booster

Did you know raw honey has a unique carbohydrate composition of natural sugars and trace amounts of antioxidants, enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids. This makes honey a smart, natural energy-filled afternoon snack.  Yep it’s true, even eating a teaspoon of honey will give you an energy boost. The recipe below is for a power bar I make for a great boost of energy.

Power Bar recipe

• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 3/4 cup of raw honey
• 2 1/2 cups oats
• 1 cup of raisins / dried fruit
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes

Directions

• Grease an 8×8 square pan.
• Place the honey and peanut butter in a sauce pan and gently heat until it melts, stirring often.
• In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients. When the mixture is melted stir this into the dry ingredients until well blended.
• Turn out into a greased 8×8 square pan and press the mixture into the pan. These are thick bars about 1″ thick.

Antibacterial and Anti-fungal

Raw honey kills unwanted bacteria and fungus. It naturally contains hydrogen peroxide which is an antiseptic. Several hospitals in Europe use Manuka honey to fight MRSA, a type of staph bacterial infection that has become resistant to antibiotics. Applying honey to skin wounds and placing a covering over it will kill any bacteria or fungus, keep the wound clean and speed healing.

This blog post is only a small overview of what raw honey can do for your body. There are so many health benefits for consuming raw honey. Make raw honey a part of your daily diet whether you eat a teaspoon of raw honey every day or mix some into your cup of tea or coffee.

Real, raw honey is the only food that will not rot. Jars of honey from ancient Egypt were uncovered and found to be still in good condition! Isn’t that remarkable? Perhaps the bees know something we don’t… food for thought… with all our technology we cannot make food that lasts that long – yet bees can. Perhaps we should revere and respect these remarkable creatures more (and maybe even stop telling ourselves that we are the most intelligent of all creatures?) Bees certainly need our best efforts to survive right now.

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