Honey is a viscous, sticky and sweet liquid which is rich in minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium. Bees; called industrial bees, produce honey from the floral nectar of plants or from secretions of other insects (like honeydew), by enzymatic activity, and water evaporation. Bees store honey in wax structures called honeycombs. The variety of honey produced by honey bees is used for commercial production and human consumption. In this article, let us focus on top 10 benefits of bee honey. The flavor of honey depends on the flowers/plants from which nectar is collected.
10. Gives smoothy and shiny hair
Honey is a natural agent that provides moisture to hair and to cleanse the scalp, giving silky and smoothy hair. By mixing a teaspoonful of honey mixed with usual shampoo you use or by mixing with olive oil allows a deep conditioning treatment and then can be washed off using shampoo. It contains plenty of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants that provide nutrition and moisture to hair. Honey has both emollient and humectant properties. Emollients smooth the hair follicles and add shine to dull hair while humectants bond with water molecules, adding moisture to dry strands. Therefore, honey can help restore the natural luster of your hair.
Moreover, honey can bring temporary relief to the scalp by targeting dandruff. Applying honey with warm water to problem scalp areas and leaving it on for three hours before rinsing, led to itch relief and no scaling within a week as it moisturizes both the hair and the scalp. In total, it can promote cell growth, help to retain moisture, and restore nutrients to the hair and scalp and alleviate inflammatory skin conditions when used with other therapies.
9. Gives a glowing skin
Honey is a fantastic moisturizer. Honey can be used to soften up knees and elbows. It works as a natural exfoliator when mixed with some sugar and applied to skin. Powerful antioxidant, antiinflammatory and ultra-moisturizing properties of honey do wonders on your skin, as it helps to rid your skin of blackheads by removing dirt from pores. Moreover, removal of excess oil from the surface of the skin prevents formation of acne and pimples on the skin. Candida overgrowth even can be controlled by applying honey to your skin. It then hydrates and tightens skin pores for clear glowing complexion. It minimizes any inflammation and helps to heal the skin faster.
Additionally, the anti-oxidants present in honey help repair damaged skin and provide nutrition to the damaged tissues, making it an amazing remedy for sunburns. Honey is a natural humectant, which draws moisture into the skin from air hence reduce wrinkles. Honey helps healing process of skin, which may help fade acne scars. Raw honey is more expensive than other kinds of honey, but it’s relatively cheaper compared to other skin cosmetics.
8. Helps in weight loss
Drinking warm water with honey and a splash of lime early in the morning is an effective anticellulite treatment, as it helps to enhance body metabolism and helps in weight management. Honey helps control the appetite. The body burns more fat during sleep, if honey is consumed before bed. Honey acts as a fuel to make the liver to produce glucose which keeps the brain sugar levels high and forces it to release fat burning hormones. An advantage of using honey for weight loss is that it helps to curb small hunger pangs throughout the day which would help you in avoiding unnecessary snacking by keeping you satiated. In addition to lime, consumption of bee honey with cinnamon and garlic can be done to lose weight.
7. Prevents cardiac diseases
Consumption of natural honey increases polyphonic antioxidants in the blood which aids in preventing heart diseases. Moreover, honey controls the cholesterol level in blood and hence decrease the risk of heart attacks. It reduces LDL cholesterol which is known to be “bad” while significantly raising “good” HDL cholesterol. Antioxidants help the arteries in heart to dilate, increasing blood flow to the heart and help in preventing blood clot formation, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes where the sugar, known as trehalose, activates a protein that causes immune cells to remove fatty plaque from arteries. Regular honey consumption would lower triglyceride levels reducing risk of cardiac diseases.
6. Boosting of immunity
Boosting of immunity in the body is done with the help of antioxidant and antibacterial properties of honey that help to improve the functioning of digestive system. It also contains antioxidants, helps in the removal of free radicals from the body. Honey is also known to increase T and B lymphocytes, antibodies, eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes, and natural killer cells generation during primary and secondary immune responses in the body. Due to increased immune responses triggered by the consumption of honey, body gains the ability to fight against infections.
5. Treats wounds
Honey helps promoting of healing, making it a natural first aid to cure for wounds, burns and cuts using the water absorbing ability of glucose and fructose present in it. Antiseptic properties of bee honey inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and help keep external wounds free from infection. It helps to reduce swelling due to osmotic effect, pain and even scarring as it works as an anti-inflammatory agent. It can be used as a wound dressing to promote rapid and improved healing. These effects are due to anti-bacterial action, secondary to high acidity, osmotic effect, anti-oxidant content and hydrogen peroxide content in honey. Acidic pH encourages the blood to release oxygen, which is important to wound healing and also reduces the presence of proteases that impair the wound healing process.
4. Improves sleep
Honey releases serotonin and the body convert serotonin into melatonin that regulates the length and quality of sleep. Consuming honey at night re-stocks the liver with glycogen and that helps you have a good sleep. It contributes to the body’s natural production of tryptophan as well, hence you can consume honey for good sleep. Even though there has not many direct links between sleep problems and how can one use honey for sleep issues. It is considered a traditional remedy for sleep issues, since ancient times.
3. Treats coughs and cold
Antimicrobial properties of honey allow soothing the throat by coating your mucous membranes with a thick and naturally sticky coating. Just two teaspoons of honey can help cure a persistent cough. Honey contains an enzyme that converts into hydrogen peroxide when combined with salt and water. Honey is also hydroscopic (attracts water) and actually pulls the water out of bacteria cells – essentially killing them through dehydration. Raw honey has anti-septic properties and contains a number of beneficial phytochemicals that help support the body’s immune system. Hence honey can fight effectively against coughs and cold. It is mentioned that raw honey should never be given to children under 1 year old therefore this remedy is better for adults.
2. Replacing added sugar in the diet
Sweet flavor of honey makes it an ideal substitute for sugar in the diet. Added sugar in the diet provides excess calories with no nutritional benefit and can lead to an increased body weight, which causes an increased risk of high blood pressure and diabetes. Honey can be added to food and beverages to sweeten the taste without any negative health impact of added sugars.
However, since honey is still a sweetener, it is important to remain mindful of how much honey being is used for your diet. Most commercially blended honeys have a moderate Glycemic Index; GI of between 45 and 64 which is lower than sugar ; white or brown, at 65 so that it is way better to be used in diet than sugars.
1. Acts as natural energy booster
Natural sugars prevent fatigue during exercise, hence good for improving athletic performance. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly, giving an immediate energy boost, while the fructose provides sustained energy since it is absorbed more slowly. Honey has also been found to keep levels of blood sugar fairly constant and does not lead to spikes in blood sugar, when compared to other types of sugars. Since carbohydrates are the primary fuel that the body uses for energy, honey which is rich in carbohydrates, provides a quick and all-natural boost when needed. An easily digested carbohydrate composed of fructose and glucose sugars in honey, the body can easily convert pure honey into energy: a dose of 20 g of honey providing 3% of daily energy requirements.
As energy in the body is boosted, honey can fix moods and improve memory as well. Consumption of honey prevents metabolic stress and helps calm and soothe the brain, which helps in augmenting memory. The natural antioxidants and therapeutic properties in honey help in boosting cholinergic system of the brain and circulation and receding cells that cause memory loss. Hence bee honey helps to boost the energy of body and brain both.
As a natural product, bee honey serves to be one of the best healing, curing and energy-boosting agent which can be used as an effective cosmetic product as well.
