What is Honey?
The beauty of honey is that it is natural, safe, delicious to use and available all the year round. There are hundreds of studies all over the world confirming the usefulness of honey as a food and medicine. Honey (botanical Name: Mel, Arabic Name: Asal) is produced by bees called Apis (honeybees). It can be found in its standard amber state but may also be red, brown, and even nearly black.
How is Honey made?
The bees collect nectar from local flowers into its mouth. Enzymes in the bee saliva then create a chemical reaction that turns this nectar into honey, which is deposited into the walls of the hive. Incredibly rapid movement of the bees’ wings aerates the honey, which decrease the water content and makes it ready to eat.
Nutritional Benefits of Honey:
The three main components of honey are:
Historical Content of Honey:
The use of honey bee products in the maintenance and promotion of good looks and beauty, particularly women’s beauty, dates back to early civilisation.
The earliest written records of honey used as medicine was in Sumerian clay tablets dated from 1900 to 1250 B.C and in one of these, honey was used in 30% of the prescriptions.
Ancient Egyptians also used honey as a medicine, the most common usage of the time being to make salves or ointments for treating diseases of the eyes and skin. Many well-known historical personalities such as the Queen of Sheba (Malikah Sabaa) used honey bee products in her beauty routine.
Greeks apparently used honey to prevent fatigue: athletes were often given a mixture of honey and water before major athletic events. It has been reported that Hippocrates was a great believer in honey. He considered it a very good cough expectorant, it being able to bring up phlegm from the lungs.
Similarly, honey has been documented as being used as a medicine throughout Europe, as well as through areas of Arabia and China. In these cultures, honey was generally used as a remedy for gastric and intestinal complaints. (Healing Honey: A natural remedy for better health & wellness, Lynne Chepulis, page 30-31).
Religious studies on Honey:
In the Bible:
My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. (Proverbs 24:13)
In the Quran:
Rivers of purified honey, in which they will have from all [kinds of] fruits and forgiveness from their Lord (Surat Muhammad 47:15)
In the Torah:
“A land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus. 3: 17)
Unique Properties & Recommendations:
Disclaimer:
This information is provided for education and information purposes only. Please consult your healthcare professional for personal advice.
© 2009 by M. Salim Khan M.D. (M.A.) M.H. D.O.
Consultant Herbalist, Nutritionist and Iridoligist Mohsin Health
Founder and Principal of The College of Medicine and Healing Arts
www.mohsinhealth.com
www.comha.org.uk
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