Honey Used to Treat Burns, Allergies

Honey Has Many Benefits Beyond Taste
By Peggy Ussery, Dothan Eagle, 7/22/2009

For centuries, it has been used as a sweetener, a medicinal remedy and as a beauty aid. Cleopatra reportedly took regular milk and honey baths to maintain a youthful appearance, according to the National Honey Board. Honey’s antimicrobial properties made it a common wound dressing and infection fighter before the days of antibiotics. Today, some people still use honey — particularly manuka honey — to treat burns.

Some people swear by a dose of honey a day to ward off allergy attacks.

Honey has 64 calories, 17 grams of carbohydrates, zero fat and 16 grams of sugar per tablespoon. It is a carbohydrate that supplies the body and muscles with energy and contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids and acts as an antioxidant.

Honey’s benefits, flavor and coloring all goes back to the nectar bees bring back to their hive.

“The darker the honey the more twang and a little more bite there is to it,” said Phillip Carter, an urban regional extension agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

And it’s believed the darker the honey, the more powerful it is as an antioxidant.

Buckwheat honey — produced in Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — is dark and full-bodied…