Sunday, July 22, 2007

Philippine ‘Green Honey’ Adulterated

Green Honey Analyzed
R. Valencia and S. Bismark, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 7/21/2007

Sometime ago, a friend gave us a bottle of green honey. She was excited about it and was raving about its great effects. Is this product genuine?, we asked.

The story given by its distributors is that a special bee locally called turong gathers chlorophyll from green algae and combines this with nectar to produce green honey.

Recently, we received a letter from Dr. C.R. Cervancia, head of the National Center for Excellence for Bee Research and Development, who explained the true nature of the product. Her main points:

1. The turong is not a bee but a wasp. Cervancia tells us, Unlike bees, which have a receptacle for honey in their bodies, wasps are unable to collect and transfer it to their nests for storage. Since theyre not known to consume algae, their production of green honey is even more unlikely. Strike one.

2. Some people claim that green honey is found in the forests of Palawan. Thus, investigators from UPLB went off searching for it in its natural environment. Cervancia discloses: Investigations confirmed that it can’t be found in nature! Strike two.

3. How did the honey become green? Chemical analysis indicates that green honey is adulterated with blue and yellow pigments. Strike three.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this article. Although it's quite late for me to know now because my bottle of green honey that was given to me by a family friend is half way empty. I started taking 1 tbsp everyday to help me with my colds. Unfortunately, It's almost 2 weeks now and I still haven't recovered from my colds. Even develope a cough now. I just hope the green honey didn't have something to do with my delayed recovery.

Anonymous said...

Rey bigstone

I'm lucky to have my green honey here from palawan. Every time I used it for my fighting cocks, it shows excellent fighting performances. In this situation, i do believe that green honey is one of the factors that lead my fighting cocks to a better performance.

Anonymous said...

For me, science only believes by " To see is to believe " but they didn't believe of what they can't seen.

Green Honey for me is real, as I am from Palawan. On my childhood, I remembered that my cousin was died because of harvesting the green honey. He was bit on the back 3 times and my Uncle was hospitalized for 5 days.

On my high school days, I also go to forest to gather Honey (ordinary Honey) to support my studies. That time our place has been developed and modernized by our Mayor for subdivision type, and all the Bee's living in our place moved faraway.

It is hard now to gather Green Honey in Palawan mostly found at Quezon and or Espanola. On my high school days, we harvest the Honey at Brooke's Point Palawan.

It is hard to make believe those people who just depending on science and not the the creation of God. People who believe on science makes themselves foolishness to the God's hand creations.

Anonymous said...

just a few hours ago i got hold of a green honey, that is why i started to research of this strange colored honey. my first time to see and hear. according to the gatherer, while selling honey, he came across to a couple, the man a foreigner, who refused his honey (natural) but instead asked if there is available green honey around. they searched and asked in many places until they met a man who pointed to them these strange looking bees the size of maya birds residing in a hive in the ground like termites. using a bobo to trap the bees, they were able to get the green colored honey which tasted bitter-sweet. the foreigner wished to get all but they gave only 10 out of the 13 bottles gathered at P500.00 per "lapad" . . . . according to him it is very good medicine. . .curious of the "strange" honey and the medicinal value that it could possibly contain, i pleaded to buy 1 bottle, i it is really bitter-sweet and green colored.i don't think these people from such a remote barangay could invent such stories. . lumads daw call the bees mayamaya and are very dangerous it can kill intruders. . . i"m from Zamboanga del norte.

Anonymous said...

i think there is really a green honey because i got hold of one just a moment ago. it tastes bitter-sweet and is green in color. the testimony of the gatherer, which i believe is authentic and not concocted story is corroborated by separate incidents and stories of another friend who hails from another place in our province. . . edsel from Zamboanga del Norte.

Anonymous said...

We have green honey here sold for 400 pesos/ botle around 375ml
they say it came from antique when i taste it taste bitter-sweet, and i also try to deep a match and try to make fire and it did. I rememered my father said to me the if you do that to a honey and it works its the original.
We at Papas Minimart here in Boracay, located at Brgy. Balabag Malay Aklan Ground floor of boracay Plaza.

Anonymous said...

Where do you think here in palawan can i buy a pure green honey cause i need it for my science research in my school