Health Benefits

Honey’s thick consistency helps coat the throat while the sweet taste is believed to trigger nerve ending that protects the throat from regular coughing. Honey is believed to be equally effective as common cough syrups. The traditional practice is to mix ginger with honey and consume it for better results.

Honey has a mild laxative effect which can help combat constipation and bloating. It is also rich in friendly bacteria which act as a probiotic and keep the digestive and immune system healthy. For a homemade digestion aid, try tea with honey and lemon. Honey has diastase & invertase enzymes which are beneficial for digestion.

Honey’s is known to have antioxidant and antibacterial properties which helps to improve immunity. It is a powerhouse of antioxidants, which are very effective for the removal of free radicals from the body. With significant high ORAC values, it contributes to stronger immune system.

Honey is an excellent first aid remedy as it is a natural antiseptic. It inhibits the growth of bacteria and therefore helps keep wounds clean and free from infection. Honey has natural antibiotics which may help in faster healing of wounds.

Honey is full of antioxidants and is antibacterial, so it is believed to slow down aging, treat and prevent acne. Some believe it to be moisturizing and soothing, so it helps to create a glow.

Honey can be a health aid for sleepless nights. Similar to sugar, honey can cause a rise in insulin and release serotonin — a neurotransmitter that improves mood and happiness. “The body converts serotonin into melatonin, a chemical compound that regulates the length and the quality of sleep,” Rene Ficek, registered dietitian and lead dietitian nutritionist at Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating in Chicago, Ill., told Medical Daily in an email.

Moreover, honey also contains several amino acids, including tryptophan that is commonly associated with turkey. Honey’s steady rise in insulin, according to Brennecke, causes the tryptophan in honey to enter the brain, where it’s then converted into serotonin and then into melatonin, which is a sleep aid. This hormone is responsible for regulating sleep and wake cycles.

Some varieties of honey possess large amounts of friendly bacteria. This includes up to 6 species of lactobacilli and 4 species of bifidobacteria. This may explain many of the “mysterious therapeutic properties of honey.

Honey has been used in ayurvedic medicine in India for at least 4000 years and is considered to affect all three of the body’s primitive material imbalances positively. It is also said to be useful useful in improving eyesight, weight loss, curing impotence and premature ejaculation, urinary tract disorders, bronchial asthma, diarrhea, and nausea.

Honey is referred as “Yogavahi” since it has a quality of penetrating the deepest tissues of the body. When honey is used with other herbal preparations, it enhances the medicinal qualities of those preparations and also helps them to reach the deeper tissues.