Raw Honey: The Complete Guide to the Health Benefits

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Raw Honey: The Complete Guide to the Health Benefits
What are the health benefits of consuming raw honey? Find out everything you need to know about this sweet superfood in this complete guide!
Studies show that a traditional beehive can produce up to 100 pounds of harvestable honey, as long as it is a strong hive. Not only is this honey an amazing sweetener, but it also provides countless other health benefits as well!
Do you want to learn more about this sweet superfood and the different types of raw honey you can eat?
Keep reading this guide to learn about the top health benefits of consuming raw honey.
Source of Antioxidants
One of the biggest benefits of eating organic honey is that it is a great source of antioxidants. These antioxidants are naturally found in honey and can help protect you from cell damage in your body caused by free radicals.
Free radicals are molecules with an odd number of electrons, which make them unstable. While many free radicals are necessary, they can contribute to the aging process and are thought to lead to many diseases, like cancer.
The antioxidant compounds in honey can protect your body from these conditions!
Soothes Skin Issues
Another great health benefit of raw honey is that it soothes sensitive skin. It acts as a moisturizer and can be used all over your body.
For example, many people use honey to treat minor sunburns. Applying a mixture of honey to your sunburn will ease the pain of the burn. It will also keep your skin from peeling, as it promotes healing in your skin.
Because honey prevents skin from peeling and keeps it hydrated, honey can also help with dandruff.
The antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties can reduce skin lesions that come with dandruff and can prevent flakiness on your scalp. Simply using a diluted honey mixture will act as a deep conditioner for your scalp.
Lastly, honey can even help improve acne! First, honey will moisturize your skin. This will prevent excess oiliness and will prevent your skin from becoming dry and irritated.
The antibacterial properties of honey can also kill any bacteria that cause your acne. Simply apply it to acne-prone areas for about 30 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water.
Promotes Healing
Honey is often used as a natural healing salve. When applied topically, it promotes healing. This is because raw honey is a natural antiseptic and has many components that help heal wounds, like hydrogen peroxide.
Raw honey also contains propolis. This is a compound in raw honey that kills bacteria, which helps your skin heal properly without infection.
The sugar in raw honey will also absorb moisture in small wounds, which can prevent bacteria from growing on your wounds. Raw honey should only be used to treat minor wounds, like small burns, cuts, and scrapes.
The antibacterial and antifungal features of honey also make it a holistic treatment option for things like yeast infections.
Good for Allergies
Eating raw honey is also good for allergies if it was produced close to where you live. Many people even think that honey acts as a natural vaccine for allergies.
This is because raw honey contains a small amount of pollen. Once your body has some of the pollen found in the honey, it will produce antibodies to prevent future reactions to the same type of pollen.
This is why it is important that you buy raw honey from local beekeepers, as the honey will contain pollen from plants and flowers that are commonly found in your area, which may be what is causing your allergies.
Not only does raw honey help you prevent allergies, but it can also soothe allergy symptoms. This is due to the natural anti-inflammatory properties of honey, which can help reduce itchy eyes, a runny nose, and other uncomfortable allergy symptoms.
To get the best allergy benefits from raw honey, you must consume unfiltered and unheated raw honey!
Contains Many Beneficial Minerals and Compounds
Raw honey also contains many beneficial minerals and compounds, which make it good for nutrition. The nutrition content of raw honey will vary, depending on where it was produced and other factors.
Still, most raw honey contains many micronutrients. These include calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, zink, and more.
Raw honey is also a great source of amino acids and enzymes that your body needs to thrive. Incorporating raw honey into your foods will help you boost your vitamin and mineral consumption!
Cough Suppressant
Many people also use raw honey as a natural cough suppressant. This is because of its soothing properties.
The stickiness of honey allows it to coat your throat and soothe the nerve endings that are inflamed from your coughing. This protective film that honey provides is just as effective as any over-the-counter cough medicine.
If you have a minor cough or sore throat, you can mix a tablespoon of honey with hot water to create a natural alternative to cough medicine.
Boosts Energy
Another great benefit of raw honey is that it is known to boost your energy! When you are tired and feel like you cannot do anything, it may be tempting to drink a cup of coffee or an energy drink.
However, these sources of energy may make you feel jittery and can even disrupt your sleep. Honey is a better, more natural alternative to increase your energy.
One reason that honey can boost your energy is that it is high in carbohydrates and unprocessed sugar. The glucose and fructose in honey will get into your system quickly and can provide you with the extra burst of energy that you need.
Improves Sleep
Raw honey is also known to help you improve your sleep and promote relaxation.
One reason that honey improves sleep is that it causes your insulin levels to rise, which boosts your body's serotonin production. Your body will then convert serotonin to melatonin, which will help your body sleep more soundly.
You can simply take a spoonful of raw honey each night before you go to sleep to see how it improves your sleeping patterns.
Good for Gut Health & Digestion
Something else to consider when consuming raw honey is how it impacts your digestion. Honey is good for your gut health and is often used to treat digestive issues.
This is because honey has prebiotics, which is used to nourish the bacteria that live in your gut. These bacteria are necessary for your digestion, so your overall digestive system will benefit from eating honey and you will find that you have healthier digestion.
Eating honey will help you keep your gut balanced. It can also help you soothe pain in your gut, due to digestive issues.
Boosts Immune System
Eating raw honey can also help you boost your immune system, which will keep you from getting sick. Regularly eating honey helps prevent sickness because it has anti-bacterial properties and is full of antioxidants.
Because honey helps with gut health and digestion, it can also help cleanse your digestive system to improve your health.
Many people think that some types of honey, like Sardinian honey, can even prevent other serious diseases, like cancer. Because honey is a superfood, they believe it has anti-metastatic properties, which can prevent tumors from growing.
While honey can boost your immune system, more research needs to be done to prove the effectiveness of using raw honey for specific diseases.
Reduces Inflammation
Because of the antioxidants found in honey, honey is also known as a natural anti-inflammatory. Inflammation can lead to many serious health conditions, like autoimmune disorders and even heart disease.
The antioxidants found in bitter honey, also known as strawberry tree honey, can protect your body from inflammation. This can help you lower your risk for many serious health issues.
Good for Brain Health
As we age, it can be difficult to keep our brains healthy and sharp. Luckily, consuming raw honey is good for your brain health.
One reason why honey is good for your brain health is that it is high in antioxidants. These are known to feed your brain cells which can keep your memory sharp for years.
Many people also believe that the natural elements found in honey are able to prevent and counter inflammation in your hippocampus. Because of this, your memory is less likely to be affected as you age.
Learn More About the Health Benefits of Raw Honey Today
Raw honey provides many benefits when consumed and even when used topically. Learning more about the benefits of this sweet superfood can help you take control of your health and find ways to incorporate raw honey into your diet.
If you want to start using raw honey in your diet, Asphodel Honey can help! We offer many types of organic honey, including Mediterranean bush honey, white thistle honey, bramble honey, and more.