Exploring the Health Benefits of Raw Honey: Nature's Golden Elixir

When we talk about the health benefits of honey, we are specifically talking about raw honey benefits.

The perfectly clear honey that most grocery stores carry has been highly processed.

Unfortunately, when honey is processed, it becomes nutritionally depleted. In fact, processed honey is no more nutritional than ordinary table sugar!

Processed honey has been heated to very high temperatures, past the point of pasteurization, around 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius).

This temperature kills most of the bacteria and fungi that naturally occurs in the honey.

This prolongs the shelf life of honey by many months which converts honey into a more profitable product for food manufacturers.

Heating honey to high temperatures also makes it a thinner fluid so it can be filtered through a very fine mesh to fully remove the particulates which some consider to be more aesthetically pleasing.

Again, this is more profitable (or so they think). Thinner liquids can also be poured more easily into containers.

With the above information in mind, let's discuss three amazing raw honey benefits:

Raw Honey Contains Pollen

Bee pollen is so nutritious it is considered a super food.

It contains almost all the nutrients required by humans to survive. It is 40 percent protein and contains more essential amino acids ounce for ounce than beef or chicken.

Furthermore, pollen protein is in the form of free amino acids which can be immediately utilized by the body, unlike having to wait for hours for your digestive system to break down the amino acids in meat and most vegetable proteins.

Bee pollen is so full of vitamins it is like taking a natural multi-vitamin, which is far more healthy than taking a synthetic form of multi-vitamin (most bottles of vitamins sold in drug stores).

It should be specially noted that bee pollen is high in vitamin D, which is quite difficult to find in other foods, unless it has been "fortified" with synthetic vitamin D that does not confer the same health advantages natural vitamin D.

Bee pollen is also a very effective natural allergy remedy and it is highly anti-inflammatory.

Bee pollen is filtered out of processed honey so you will not get these benefits if you buy filtered honey!

honey bee covered in pollen flying towards a flower

Raw Honey Contains Propolis

Propolis, also called bee glue, has been highly prized for its medicinal value going back for thousands of years.

To look at propolis, you'd probably never guess it is such an amazing natural healer because it looks like an amorphous mass of "gunk." It is thought to have at least four hundred chemicals of medicinal importance. Scientists are only beginning to discover all the health values that propolis bestows, and the more they study it, the more they find!

Propolis is known to contain the most powerful natural antibiotics known!

In fact, these antibiotics are so powerful, they have been proven to effectively kill MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infections that very few synthetic antibiotics are able to kill.

In this regard, Propolis holds great promise.

Propolis is also being fervently studied for its anti-cancer properties.

For example, it has also been shown to prevent the new formation of new blood vessels around cancerous tumors, thereby preventing them from metastasizing (spreading).

Bee glue is filtered out of processed honey so you will not get these benefits if you buy processed honey.

unfiltered honey and a spoon and pollen and propolis

Raw Honey Contains Far More Micronutrients

Suspended in the matrix that is honey is a wide host of micronutrients treasured by natural health experts.

These include trace minerals that are difficult to find anywhere else, a variety of antioxidants, living enzymes, and every form of natural vitamin that is easily absorbed by the body.

Pasteurizing honey denatures the vast majority of the micronutrients raw honey contains, rendering them useless to the human body.

In fact, denatured micronutrients can sometimes actually be harmful to the body.

Thus, this is another major advantage of eating raw honey over processed honey

There's one more important thing you should know about raw honey benefits.

Scientists have tried for years to artificially synthesize "raw honey" in the lab.

However, they haven't even come close.

This is is a super food that only Mother Nature can produce and the only source is raw honey.

Raw Honey Benefits Its a Super Food

Honey has been used all through history as a superfood and a remedy for a variety of ailments. It contains enzymes and nutrients that benefit the body in so many ways.

Raw honey is used today to treat wounds and rid the body of free radicals that harm the cells and DNA. Research shows that replacing refined sugar with raw honey in your diet offers incredible health benefits and beauty

1. Antioxidants source

Taking raw honey can fill your body with antioxidant. Some types of honey contains many antioxidants as found in vegetables and fruits. With regular intake of antioxidants, your cells will be protected from damaging free radicals. These contribute significantly to the aging process and development of heart diseases and cancer development. The phenols in honey have been shown by various studies to prevent heart diseases.

2. Alleviate allergies

Consuming locally produced honey in its raw form helps alleviate allergies caused by local allergens. When you consume honey which usually contain various pollen, you body develops immunity making you strong for that particular environment. According to [Dr. Mathew Brennecke], honey acts as a natural vaccine that exposes the body to small amounts of the allergen and triggers the immune system to create specific antibodies that make the body stronger with time. When you then get exposed to the allergen, the immune response will be minimal and negligible. Persons with birch pollen allergy can experience a [70 percent] decrease in severe symptoms and a 60 percent reduction in allergic symptoms by taking honey produced during the birch pollen season.

3. Reduced body fat

Honey consumption has been linked to weight reduction in people. A study at San Diego State University found out that when you replace sugar with honey, you prevent adding weight and your blood sugar also reduces. Honey effectively [lowers serum triglycerides]. Raw honey has also been shown to activate the hormone that [suppresses appetite] in humans. This is the bet natural way to reduce body fat. Limiting food intake without starving is a healthy form of weight management and raw honey is at the center of it all.

4. Energy boosting

Using honey can help beat the afternoon energy slump. The unique carbohydrate composition of honey, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, and vitamins make it a natural energy booster. Use it pre-exercise or as a snack after expending energy at the gym. Just add a tablespoon of honey to a glass of water and make your budget-friendly energy drink.

5. Honey and athletes

Other than helping in quick recovery, honey boosts performance for athletes. It also increase endurance levels while reducing muscular fatigue due to the combination of fructose and glucose in honey in a perfect ratio. Honey is a simple yet effective natural alternative to sports drinks. Honey does not induce hypoglycemia, only a mild increase in blood sugar is experienced. The blend of natural sugars in honey takes longer to digest hence the slow release into the blood. This makes honey act as a time-release for muscle fuel especially when exercising. Its low glycemic index makes honey a healthy source of energy.

7. Treatment of burns and wounds

With its natural antimicrobial properties, honey can treat wounds and burns effectively. This practice date back several thousand years. This is why honey can last so long protecting itself from bacteria. It works both externally and internally as a natural antibiotic agent. Unprocessed honey has been shown to effectively treat ulcers and wounds that fail to respond to conventional treatments like the [methicillin-resistant] bacteria that is treated by honey in some European. raw honey contains effective antibacterial and antifungal activity to kill the unwanted bacteria on and in the body. The natural hydrogen peroxide in honey makes it a natural antiseptic. The effectiveness of raw honey in fighting bacterial and fungal infections depends on the honey type and the source of nectar.
When used on the skin and face, honey clears the skin complexion. Just wash with diluted honey to help remove acne and pimple spots.

8. Treats cough

Honey has been used for centuries to treat a cough both in children and adults. This natural cure helps clear persistent cough by taking just a couple of teaspoons. Giving children two teaspoons of honey before bed helps reduce the frequency of coughing. Make your natural cough syrup by mixing honey, ginger roots, marshmallow root, cinnamon and water, and boil. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice once it is cool enough then serve in a cup.

9. Treats digestive issues

Taking raw honey regularly can help in treating digestive problems like diarrhea and H. Pylori that is known to cause peptic ulcers. Just one to two teaspoons of honey will soothe the pain and help heal the digestive system. Due to its antioxidant properties, raw honey can prevent colon cancer from developing by neutralizing the free radicals released during the digestive process. Honey also prevents other forms of cancer that may develop in the body from damaged DNA that results from the effects of free radicals.

10. Relieves stress side effects

When undergoing a stressful situation, the body takes the toll, and this creates some side effects like sleeplessness, lack of appetite and poor mental health. Taking honey can help you get a full night’s sleep. Honey increase the production of serotonin, the mood promoting hormone. The body then converts this hormone to melatonin which is responsible for proper regulation of sleep. You will have longer sleep duration even when stressed. The high levels of tryptophan in honey aids in better sleep.

If you are experiencing a hangover, consider taking some honey to relieve the feeling. It helps the body break down alcohol to get your head back to normal working devoid of the headaches. Taking honey before drinking helps prevent a rapid increase in blood alcohol level that is responsible for the throbbing headaches.