raw honeyWhile reading through some of our past iGOZEN articles I came back to my recent post about my beekeeper friend. I started thinking about the importance of bees and other pollinators. Honeybees in particular, are not only important as pollinators, but also provide an elixir of life. Some swear by the properties of pollen that has been gathered by bees in warding off allergies, or the use of royal jelly (the stuff the worker bees feed to the queen bee as she develops), but I was thinking of the lovely, golden sweetness of…

Honey! It’s Not Just Yummy

I came across an article that was published that bespoke the amazing properties of raw honey. The researchers in this article were able to show that raw honey has antibacterial properties. You can read through the research that was done by Biotechnology Research International yourself if you like. With all the super bugs that seem to be winning against wellness, it is refreshing to hear that there may be something that common bacteria may not be immune to. The researchers noted the following: “The study showed that honey has antibacterial activity (bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect), similar to antibiotics, against test organisms and provides alternative therapy against certain bacteria.” The study goes on to list many areas that the use of honey has proven effective:

  • Postoperative wound care (also burn patients)
  • Use against antibacterial resistant strains of bacteria
  • Stops the growth of Salmonella & E.coli
  • Anti-inflammatory properties
  • Antioxidant activities
  • Boosts immune system

Impressively, they found that, “the mild acidity and low-level hydrogen peroxide release assists both tissue repair and contributes to the antibacterial activity.”

Raw Honey Not Just Another Sweet Treat

Thanks to my beekeeper friend I knew some of the value of honeybees, but not to this extent. The only reason it is not common knowledge is because these official studies have only just recently been done. Previously, the healing properties of raw honey were simply passed down by folklore, culture, and beekeepers. But the growing resistance of bacteria to modern medicine has the medical community turning to honey. The honey you find in your grocery store, unless clearly marked as organic and raw, may be cut with corn syrup or may have been pasteurized. (This means it was heated to such a degree that many of the curative properties have been cooked out.) It basically reduces the previously medicinal honey to nothing more than liquid sugar. On a side note, just remember that children under 2 should not ingest honey directly. Their digestive bacteria are still developing and it can cause a dangerous drop in the good bacteria in their gut.  

Applications & Resources

  • Read Healthy Eatings article on the benefits of Raw Honey
  • Go to Dr Oz’s website for another read on Liquid Gold
  • Find your local Beekeeper’s Association to find the organic raw honey in your location, (many have neat demonstrations! Google for your state)
iGOZEN is our way of life. The philosophy of iGOZEN spurs us on to find out as much as we can to help us live a pure and balance lifestyle. We hope you are able to learn from our articles and blogs as we have. Find your way to healthy living through organic living and iGOZEN.