HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SICK BEE?

Whenever my son gets a sore throat and runny nose, he always finds a cup of milk with honey very soothing, or so I feel because he stops coughing for a while. Is this just a myth or is there something more to it? Just think about it, honey is simply a pure form of sugar. I thought “What good can it be to your body other than help thin people put on a little weight?” I am an exceptionally busy woman if you consider, household chores coupled with running after a two and a half year old kid tedious. It is indeed a little overwhelming if you do everything especially if you are used to the ‘Bai’ system in India and find yourself alone in the US. In spite of that I did think about doing my research to consider honey as a medication for cough. Well nevertheless to prove myself wrong, I tried some other recipes with honey to gain maximum mileage out of it. One of the most common one being boiling a few cloves with ginger and bay leafs mix it with a teaspoon of honey and administer to the patient (In my case, myself, my son and hubby). Not surprisingly it worked. Use this mixture when you have that initial feeling that you might catch cold and this concoction works wonders. So I guess I am now in a position to state that HONEY indeed is apt for treating common cold. Now even researchers are putting my mind to rest by coming up with more medicinal properties of honey.

In the ancient times, honey had been used for several purposes, one of them being contraception. Hearing this I can only chuckle quietly. Had I known that using honey will keep me from being “MUMMIFIED” I would have probably used that as a literally sweet technique to keep naughty kids at bay. Well it doesn’t matter; today I can proudly say I am the mother of the cutest kid ever. I could not have gotten a better one. Keeping that in mind let me also add here that in ancient Egypt honey was used to preserve the dead (MUMMY). Coming back to the point, other than contraception and mummification, honey was also used to treat small pox, eye disease and indigestion. However these are yet unsupported by scientific evidence. In spite of this why is honey considered to be very good for health? This was a question that bothered me a lot. Come on now Honey is sweet after all. What do they say about eating sweets? It’s just bad calories you add on.

Well no, “Honey prohibits the growth and reproduction of any kind of microorganism”. Isn’t that a little surprising, did we not know that microbes love to grow and reproduce on sweet surfaces? And did you know Honey is 40% fructose and 30% glucose? Well high levels of sugar would have attracted microbes but the presence of acid in honey prohibits their growth. The pH level of honey is commonly between 3.2 and 4.5. Another insightful statement that I can make here is honey diluted with water will give you hydrogen peroxide, which again many of us keep in our medicine closet don’t we! Diluted honey when administered to a person kills a lot of bad microbes present in the person’s body meaning “hydrogen peroxide which is created through chemical integration, acts as a natural antiseptic. What does this mean to us, simple housewives? Do we simply throw out our Benadryl’s and antiseptic creams and just get a bottle of fresh honey for our medicine closet. This truly sounds amazing doesn’t it? I do not know what you think but for me honey appears to be The Miracle Drug. As if all this was not enough, now ladies get ready to throw out your entire collection of fair and lovelies because now you can replace all your beauty products with one can of pure honey. Yippy! Can it can better than this for us. Considering how much we spend every month on skin care products. Honey has the natural property of reducing sun damage and it also acts as a natural moisturizer. I am definitely getting rid of all the products in my vanity case. I can just imagine that smile on my husband’s face; I think it’s worth the try.

Studies done throughout the world has proven time and again the healing properties of honey in medical procedures and day to day lives. Now I think I know why honey seems to be healing my son’s sore throat every time it happens. It is simply because honey kills the bacterium that causes the same. This is stupendous. I am beginning to get a little excited, I am sure so are you.





But Caution!!

Do not give honey to children below the age of one- The reason is Infant botulism

Although honey is very good for practically every illness, there is something called Clostridium Botulinum spores. This is harmful for infants below 1 year of age. Children of that age group are not yet equipped to tackle these spores in their system. Once these spores reach the digestive tract, it can multiply and cause irreversible damage to a child, namely paralysis. This is a fatal nervous disorder. Botulinum toxin is the most poisonous natural substance known to man. The lethal dose is only 0.0000001 mg per kg of body weight -- an amount that would be invisible to the naked eye. This tiny amount in the blood stream can cause death within minutes through paralysis of the muscles used in breathing. (Wikipedia)

By the time the child is over 1 year of age, there are enough beneficial bacteria’s which renders these spores inactive. So if you have an infant suffering from cold, please refrain from using honey, simply consult your doctor.

So to sum it up:

1. Honey reduces allergy symptoms

2. Honey is good for skin

3. Honey has laxative properties

4. Honey kills organism responsible for many ulcers and much abdominal discomfort (J R Soc Med, Jan 1994).

5. Honey reduces the gastritis caused by drinking too much alcohol (Scandinavian Journal of Gastoenterology, Mar 1991).

6. Honey has been proven to decrease the cancer-producing effects of many carcinogens, and to be effective in eradicating yeast (Cytologic Genetics, Nov-Dec 1996).

7. Topical honey is known to be useful in treating gangrene, preventing both death and amputation (Surgery, Feb 1993). Burns heal faster when treated with honey than when treated with Onsite burn dressings (British Journal of Plastic Surgery, Jun 1993).

8. In Russia, honey was even proven to effectively preserve vision when cataracts begin to form in the elderly (Vestn Oftalmol, Nov-Dec 1990).

9. Do not forget contraception ( however this has not been proven, so please do not try this )

However it is important to test honey for purity before you actually buy it. Remember the purest form of honey is the only one that can replace your meds and your face packs. You get all kinds of honey in the market. Look for added ingredients. If it doesn’t have any then it’s good to go. There is another test which you can do. Pure honey doesn’t dissolve in water. Pour a few drops of honey in water and see. If it dissolves it isn’t pure. Pure honey is viscous, so it will settle at the bottom.

So ladies it’s now time to clear your medicine closet

Now we know why a bee is never sick. (Or maybe it doesn’t live long enough to go through any illness, who knows)