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Sunday, June 08, 2008

Honey

I recalled visiting a house once, with swarm of bee right at the porch of the house at the entrance. So far I do not know how the bee sting felt but no way I would like to experience it. I had seen my brother’s swollen upper lip and he cried in pain when he happened to disturbed a beehive in our younger days. I was with a friend then and my friend advised me to go straight ahead and do not mind the busy bees. Gosh! How did she manage to be recognized by these insects I dreaded to have encountered with?

Bees are hardworking insects and pretty much environment friendly. And the fruit of their labor is essential to human bodies. Honey contains vitamins, B1, B2, C, B6, and B3 minerals, like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron and phosphate. Due to its magnesium content, it aids in better absorption of calcium. The antifungal and antibacterial substance in honey is important for disinfecting and speeding up the healing of wounds, scrapes and burns. It is helpful to heat up honey before putting it to the wood. Test the heat to a tolerable level before applying it on wound. Many types of bacteria are unable to survive in honey that explains the speedy healing of wounds.

Honey is effective in treating cough and sore throat. Pour a teaspoon of honey into a bowl and top it with lemon juice. Swallow without water every few hour until sore throat clears up. Honey diluted in water will help you recover from stomach ache and dehydration. There is also and evidence that honey is effective in the treatment of ulcers, particularly stomach ulcers. I lieu of sugar, honey is a good substitute as sweetener. As it is sweeter than sugar, use less one-half to three-quarters of a cup for each cup of sugar. If honey is crystallized place the container in hot water for fifteen minutes. Hot water will return it to its liquid state. Use honey instead of using sugar as sweetener in your tea. You will enjoy honey in your peanut butter sandwich or to sweeten your oatmeal or other cereals you enjoy.

The darker shades of honey according to studies have more antioxidants. Keep honey in airtight container and store in a cool dry place. Due to its high sugar content and acidic ph, in this way it will prevent the growth of microorganism and preserve honey for longer use. Honey kept in colder places thickens. While if kept in higher temperature makes the color darkens and alters flavor. When buying honey, look for label that states “100% pure”. For safety, do not feed honey to infants. Honey may contain Clostridium Botulinum spores and toxins that could cause botulism. Botulism is a severe, sometimes fatal food poisoning caused by ingestion of food containing botulin and characterized by nausea, vomiting, disturbed vision, muscular weakness, and fatigue. Honey is safe for children older that twelve months and adults.


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