24 Honey Health Benefits

People can enjoy honey in tea, on toast, or on a slice of bread with some peanut butter. What most people do not know is that honey helps you with more than just sweetening your food and drink. Below are some of honey’s best health benefits. Add this cure-all to your diet to improve your overall health.

Honey Health Benefits

1. Equivalent Exchange

Honey does not have an overabundance of healthy minerals and vitamins, but it does have antioxidants and bioactive plant compounds.

2. Diabetes Treatment

Yes, honey is a sugar and sugar is usually thought of as a bad thing when it comes to diabetes. However, some studies are showing that honey might actually help diabetes.

Honey has shown to raise good cholesterol while lowering the bad, it also lowers inflammation and triglycerides.  On the note that honey is a sugar and can raise the blood sugar levels slightly, people with diabetes should be careful of how much honey they intake

 

3. Antioxidants

Antioxidants can do amazing things for the body and they should be given more credit. The antioxidants in honey are made in part of enzymes, organic acids, phenols and flavonoids. These together could help to reduce chances of various kinds of cancer, strokes and heart attacks, and increase the health of your eyes.

 

4. Fewer Triglycerides

Replacing sugar with honey as often as you can is a great way to lessen the amount of triglycerides you consume in a day. Triglycerides are bad for a couple of reasons. They can interfere with insulin resistance, which can help lead to type two diabetes and they can drastically raise your chances of getting a heart disease.

 

5. Lower Blood Pressure

Because of the high number of antioxidants in honey, its good for lowering blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to heart disease and other complications.

 

6. Burns and Wounds

Honey can be used to induce the healing of minor burns, diabetic ulcers, minor wounds, and infection after surgery. There is some controversy that comes with this as some doctor think that the lather of honey can actually keep heat from a burn in the skin, so it might be best to talk to a professional before using honey to treat a burn.

7. Child Coughs

Honey has antioxidants that can help to fight infection. Honey can also coat the throat and soothe coughs. This method should not be used on children younger than a year old. This is because infants cannot digest honey properly.

 

8. Moderation

Honey, though it has many medicinal properties, is also high in calories and carbs. So while it is healthier for you than say high-fructose corn syrup, it can still be bad for you if you consume too much of it.

 

9. Gastrointestinal Disorders

Honey can help to keep gastrointestinal disorders and things like stomach ulcers at bay because of the antioxidant properties.

 

10. Athletes

Honey has been used since the times of the ancient Greece (alongside figs) to increase how athletic performances. This was found to be true because the honey improves recovery time and maintains glycogen levels.

 

11. Probiotic

Not only is honey an antioxidant, it also turns out to be a probiotic. It is a probiotic because of the four kinds of bifidobacteria and six types of lactobacilli.

12. Different Kinds

There are a number of different kinds of honey, and each of them vary from the last in different ways, not just in what they do but also where they are from. Wildflower honey is Kosher; Manuka honey is good for the immune system; Black Locust honey is known for having the lowest glycemic count of any honey. Darker honeys have higher levels of antioxidants.

 

13. Weight Management

Eating honey, rather than sugar, can lower blood sugar and serum triglycerides, and can awaken hormones that suppress appetite.

 

14. Pollen Allergies

Eating a tablespoon of raw honey can help to slowly introduce pollens to your body so that  your immune system is not so poorly affected by the pollens. Think of it as a painless vaccine that tastes good and has far less side effects.

 

15. Sleep Aid

Eating raw honey an hour or so before bed can help you to sleep because of the honey triggering the start of tryptophan. Tryptophan is that broken down into serotonin, and the serotonin into melatonin.

 

16. Energy

Eating honey early on in the day can help to boost your energy and keep you going for longer without the crash you get from caffeine.

17. Nausea

When you are feeling ill, try mixing raw honey and lemon juice and eating it. If lemon juice is too strong for you, then try apple cider vinegar rather than lemon juice. This mixture, either with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, can prevent vomiting or nausea all together.

 

18. Asthma

Honey, partly because of the antioxidants, can calm and/or stop the mucus build up in the bronchial tubes and help to ease asthma attacks.

 

19. Skincare

Applying honey directly to your face can control acne and other blemishes because of the antiseptic and antibacterial powers.

 

20. Dandruff

There are countless kinds of shampoos that you can buy that are supposed to stop and/or slow the production of dandruff. You can make a cheaper hair mask that you can even eat.

Mix raw honey with an equal amount of water and rub it into your scalp as well as the strands. Leave the water and honey in your hair for one hair before washing or rinsing it out.

 

21. Memory

Antioxidants support your brain cells. Seeing as honey is absolutely packed full antioxidants, if you add as little as a teaspoon of honey into your diet, it can absorb calcium (which also increases brain health).

22. STDs

Again because of the antioxidants, honey can be applied to sores and/or rashes. The mass of sugar can also stop the microorganisms that grow and can worsen the STD.

 

23. Moisturizer

You can make a good moisturizer from honey. If you do not want to take the time to make it from scratch, you can make it just add honey to you pre-existing condition, lotions, and shampoos.

If you are willing to take the time to make your own shampoos, conditioners, and locations, there are some ways to do it.

Conditioner: All that you need is a fourth cup of extra virgin olive oil and a half cup of honey. You mix the honey with the oil and apply it to your hair. You should leave this in your hair for half an hour before washing it out like you do with a normal conditioner.

Lotion: For this one, you need a couple more ingredients than you did for the conditioner. You need a bottle, two cups of almond oil, five tablespoons of honey, and two tablespoons of rose oil. You mix the ingredients together in a bottle and use the lotion like you would a normal lotion.

Exfoliating Scrub: This one only has three things you need. You need one teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, six tablespoons of crushed almonds, and three teaspoons of honey. Once have it mixed together, you apply it to your face and rinse it off with warm water.

Shampoo: You need one tablespoon of raw honey, a couple drops of on essential oil (optional), and three tablespoons of filtered water. You mix all of this together over a low fame to make the honey more like a liquid and apply it to your dampened hair. Most people who use find that they do not need a conditioner.

 

24. Hangovers

Drinking water and eating some honey can do wonders for a hangover. The honey, as an antioxidant, helps your liver to dispose of the toxins from the alcohol more promptly, so it can reduce the effects faster.

If just honey and water does not work for you, there is also a smoothie you can try. You blend two cups of orange juice, a tablespoon of honey, and one cup of Greek yogurt.    

Do you know of any other great health benefits of honey? If so, comment below!

 

References

https://empoweredsustenance.com/diy-honey-shampoo/

http://www.realfoodforlife.com/health-benefits-of-honey/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-honey#section1

https://www.well-beingsecrets.com/health-benefits-of-honey-ultimate-guide/