New Book Outlines Health Benefits of Honey

Life Is Sweet With Honey
By Samantha Booth, Scottish Daily Record, 10/22/2007

HONEY has been enjoyed by humans for more than 20,000 years, which isn't surprising given its health benefits, sweet flavour and a myriad of uses…

Many even believed it to be the elixir of life, as new book Honey: A Handbook For Home, Health and Happiness, by Clova McQueen, shows us…

Honey consists of about 38 per cent fructose, 31 per cent glucose and one per cent sucrose, nine per cent other sugars, 17 per cent water and trace minerals.

It has a Glycaemic Index of 55 and has a calorie level 40 per cent lower than sugar but it is 25 per cent sweeter.

Honey is also cholesterol free.

While the four main natural by-products of honey production are pollen, royal jelly, beeswax and propolis…

Honey contains minerals, enzymes and antibiotics and it can be an effective treatment against colds and sore throats.

People swear by drinking a glass of honey and water several times a day. Honey and lemon juice is seen an effective remedy for sore throats as well as adding a teaspoon of honey to your tea or coffee.

Raw honey can also help hayfever, asthma sufferers and to alleviate up to 90 per cent of allergies although it is best to take honey from your local area and hay fever sufferers should start taking a teaspoon three times a day a few weeks before symptoms normally start.

One tablespoon of honey dissolved in a glass of warm water can also help headaches and migraines.

Honey is a natural laxative and helps to clean out the system which means it is also good for treating stomach aches as well as dehydration and diarrhoea…

A recommended tonic is one teaspoon of honey and the juice of half a lemon added to a glass of water to be taken first thing in the morning.

Honey has even been thought to help cure baldness. All anyone with a thinning pate has to do is rub their bald spot with raw onions and then they apply apple honey.

The golden syrup has also been thought to help insomnia, stress, acne, halitosis, boils, fatigue and high blood pressure…

There is even some evidence that suggests taking honey regularly helps prevent cancer and heart disease.

Honey also has antiseptic qualities that help to prevent the spread of bacteria, and has long been used as a means of fighting infection…