The therapeutic benefits of honey do not
require any testimonial or proof from its users. The history of honey dates
back to more than 8000 yrs and that has been depicted in the cave painting in
Spain. In India, Ayurveda and Islamic texts overflow with the benefits of
honey. Honey not only has religious significance but is also used in cooking,
baking, preparing beverages and flavoured sauces.
Honey mainly contains sugars such as
fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose along with trace elements and vitamins.
The quality, colour, flavour and texture of honey depend on the nectar source. The
colour of honey can vary from colourless to dark brown. The light colour honey
has a mild taste as compared to the dark ones which have presumably strong
flavour. Usually different types of honey are blended together to maintain a
consistent texture and taste.
Therapeutic
uses of honey:
Honey possesses anti-microbial and healing
properties. The viscosity of honey heals the wound and prevents infection by
forming a barrier. Due to the hygroscopic nature of honey (absorb moisture)
from the environment, it kills the bacteria by dehydrating it. In addition to
this, the high sugar and low pH put a check on the growth of bacteria.
Honey has also been reported to be very
effective in recovering burns. The flavonoids in honey help to reduce the risk
of heart diseases. Since it is a natural sweetener, it is used in preparing the
base for syrups and medicines. The sugars present in honey provides instant
energy and thus widely used by the athletes. It soothes the irritation of
throat and upper respiratory tract and hence used in cough syrups.
There were just the few good things about
honey. In the recent years due to its endless list of benefits, it has been the
focus area of research.
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