Health Benefits of Honey and Other Bee Products

You may be surprised to know that honey can offer you a lot of benefits and health advantages. You will need to take some every day to harness the full effects and potential. Other bee products are available for you to use for different purposes. You can acquire these products and materials at relatively cheap prices and in different kinds, depending on the source and your personal preference. Here are some more tips and guidelines.

About Honey

Honey is described as a sweet product created by honey bees and other species, derived from flower nectar. Honey does not need any more products to be added to it. It is naturally made and gets its sweetness from monosaccharides fructose and glucose that have about the same sweetness as granulated sugar. Honey has advantageous properties for baking, plus a unique flavor that makes people choose it over sugar and other kinds of sweeteners.

The Many Uses

Honey has several uses such as for cooks, chefs, dieters and therapists. Some of the main uses of honey includes for baking, cooking, bread spreads, tea and food sweetener and skin rejuvenation. Honey is used in different commercial beverages to make these sweeter. It is the main ingredient in mead, also called honey beer or honey wine. It is used as an adjunct in beer. The glycemic index of honey is anywhere between 31 and 78, depending on the type.

Some vegans do not directly consume honey since they consider it as a product of animals. Generally, honey is considered as a non-vegan product. Vegans will eat agave nectar instead of honey. It does not crystallize like honey but has some other features like longer shelf life, lower glycemic index and similar taste.

For Treatment

Honey has been used widely by humans for thousands of years to treat different ailments via topical application. Honey has been discovered to have both antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Wound gels that have antibacterial raw honey and regulatory approval to treat wounds are now available. These help fight drug resistant strains of MRSA, a kind of bacteria. Honey can treat MRSA infections. The antibacterial effect is found to be triggered by low water activity, thereby leading to osmosis, the hydrogen peroxide effect and high acidity. Honey is found to be useful in destroying biofilms that are shown in chronic rhinosinusitis.

Topical honey is used widely to treat diabetic ulcers when the patient is prohibited to use other kinds of topical medications. The pH of honey is about 3.2 to 4.5. This level keeps bacteria from proliferating. Honey has antioxidant properties that minimize the damage caused to the colon in colitis. Honey can be used to treat cough and sore throat. You can mix honey with lemon juice and coat your throat thoroughly. The antiseptic and antibacterial properties will help heal laryngitis and sore throat.

More Therapeutic Uses

Using honey topical can minimize odor, scarring and swelling when treating wounds. It keeps the dressing from sticking to the wound. Allergies may be alleviated by the product. A pollen collected by bees has been found to produce an anti-allergenic effect, due to the limitation of IgE immunoglobulin linking to mast cells. Mast cell degranulation is reduced thereby reducing allergic reaction. Honey is shown to treat conjunctivitis. Oxymellin, a vermifuge, is made by mixing honey, vinegar and water.

Skin Rejuvenation

Several women all over the world apply honey on their skin once or twice a week to help declog and minimize pore size. Women report that their skin becomes fairer, more supple, clearer and softer after consistent use. Several commercial products use honey as a main ingredient, while there are others that always use it as part of the overall formula.

About Beeswax

Beeswax is another product created by bees that has several functions. Beeswax is commercially used to create cosmetic products, fine candles and pharmaceutical products. It can make furniture and shoe polish. Modelling waxes are based on beeswax too. Beeswax can be used as an adhesive material when mixed with pine rosin. The advantages of beeswax candles are that these burn cleanly, with very little dripping and smoke.

Beeswax can be used as an addition to moustache wax and hair pomades. It is used to coat cheese to protect food while aging. It is good as a skin product, when mixed with oil based creams and petroleum jelly. It can be used to make Cutler's resin.