Uses for raw honey are many and varied. As part of a holistic health lifestyle it is truly beneficial, not just as a nutritional food, but also as a natural product that can be used both as a treatment for many conditions, and as booster to natural body function.
Best Use for Honey (Raw, Unpasteurized) No 1 – Wound Dressing
Raw, natural honey has excellent, natural anti-bacterial properties, and before the advancement of modern medical science, it was used to dress wounds. An article published in the July edition of the British Journal of Surgery, recorded that honey had been successfully used to heal severe ulcerated wounds in 58/59 patients, whose wounds had not previously responded to conventional medicines.
It is the hydrogen peroxide, and the phenolic acids it contains that imbibe raw, unprocessed honey with this healing ability. When topically applied to a wound, it absorbs moisture, removes bacteria, staves off infection, and promotes rapid healing
Best Use for Honey (Raw, Unpasteurized) No 2 – Sugar Substitute
Honey has proven itself to be the healthiest natural sweetener of all. In recent trials, test subjects who suffered from high cholesterol were given solutions containing either processed honey or natural honey. The subjects given the processed honey solution experienced a slight increase in bad cholesterol, whereas those given the raw honey solution recorded an 11% drop in bad cholesterol (LDL), and a 2% increase in good cholesterol (HDL). Follow this link for full details.
The benefits of raw honey also extend to Type 2 Diabetes sufferers. When compared with refined sugars, unprocessed honey causes a markedly less rise in blood sugar levels. Dissolving raw honey in hot beverages such as green tea is a pleasant and healthier way of sweetening the drink.
It sounds as though Julie Andrews might have to start singing “a spoonful of honey makes the medicine go down!”
Best Use for Honey (Raw, Unpasteurized) No 3 – Destroying Free Radicals
Raw honey has a high antioxidant content. A report published in the April 2002 edition of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, showed that raw honey had as much, if not more ability to destroy free radicals than either fruits or vegetables; darker colored honey such as Buckwheat honey in particular.
Best Use for Honey (Raw, Unpasteurized) No 4 – Soothing a Sore Throat
Because of its smooth consistency, its “gloopy” texture, and the natural antibacterial agents that raw honey contains, it is an effective soother of sore throats. It also helps to stop tickly coughs.
Best Use for Honey (Raw, Unpasteurized) No 5 – Boosting Energy
Raw honey is great for boosting energy. It contains high levels of natural glucose and fructose which are quickly and easily absorbed by the human body giving a lasting energy boost. It also contains easily absorbed, simple, carbohydrates which discharge slowly, giving increased stamina. It has long been used by athletes (going back as far as the times of the Ancient Greeks), and when ingested before, during and after physical exertion, it increases performance, and accelerates the time it takes for the body to recover to normal (the metabolic rate).
Best Use for Honey (Raw, Unpasteurized) No 6 – Boosting Immunity
Finally, raw honey gives a significant boost to immunity. This is because it contains a high level of a group of bacterium known as Bifidobacteria. This is a natural probiotic that promotes proliferation of good bacteria. Honey also has anti-inflammatory characteristics and may even help to fight off cancer.
It’s a Natural
As can be clearly seen, the benefits of raw honey are both numerous and wondrous. For anyone chasing a holistic health lifestyle it’s a natural!
Beauty Inside and Out 