12 Natural Remedies with Honey

According to research the average North American consumes more than 150 pounds of refined sugar, plus an additional 62 pounds of high fructose corn syrup every year. In comparison, we consume only around 1.3 pounds of honey per year on average.

Now if you can switch out your intake of refined sugar and use pure raw honey instead, the health benefits can be enormous.

My personal favorite sweetener is raw honey. Unrefined and unpasteurized, it’s the healthiest type of honey to eat, containing all of the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that the bees collected during their forage. It’s a source of vitamins B2 and B6, iron, manganese, amino acids, and enzymes. For thousands of years, honey has been used medicinally, but only recently has scientific research revealed how it helps heal and soothe inflammation.

What are some of the benefits of raw honey? It can help with everything from low energy to sleep problems to seasonal allergies. Switching to raw honey may even help weight-loss efforts when compared to diets containing sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

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Health Benefits of Raw Honey

1. Antioxidant Powerhouse

Studies have shown that a daily dose of raw honey raises levels of health-promoting antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants help block free radicals in the body that cause disease. It also boosts the immune system, acting as a preventative against any number of diseases. Honey contains polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants that have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

2. Wound Healer

Honey-infused bandages are known to aid healing.For the treatment of burns and wounds, honey is typically applied directly to the problem area or in a dressing that’s changed every 24 to 48 hours.

A very good kind that i use for my family is Medi Honey purchased from Amazon, but i’m sure you might find other brands somewhere else.

3. Natural Cough Syrup

Raw honey has been shown to be as effective in treating coughs as over-the-counter commercial cough syrups. Increasing scientific evidence shows that a single dose of honey can reduce mucus secretion and coughs. In one study, honey was just as effective as diphenhydramine and dextromethorphan, common ingredients found in over-the counter cough medicines.

I like to mix the raw honey with Vitamin C Crystals for an even more effective way of treating coughs in my family, and it always works like a charm.

For a cough, a half teaspoon to two teaspoons of honey at bedtime is a studied and recommended dosage for anyone over the age of one.

4. Diabetes Aid

Consumption of raw honey can reduce the risk of developing diabetes and help aid medication used to treat diabetes. The combination of raw honey and cinnamon can be especially beneficial to healthy blood sugar management, as well as many other health concerns like gingivitis and acne.

It has been observed to cause a lower elevation of plasma glucose levels in diabetics compared to dextrose and sucrose. Some suggest that the insulin-boosting power of cinnamon can counteract this glucose elevation in honey, which would make your honey and cinnamon mixture a low glycemic index food combination.

Raw honey increases insulin and decreases hyperglycemia. Try consuming a little at a time and see how your blood sugar reacts to it, and add both raw honey and cinnamon to your diabetic diet plan.

5. Counters Pollen Allergies

Raw honey contains bee pollen, which is known to ward off infections, provide natural allergy relief and boost overall immunity.

Honey’s ability to prevent allergies is based on a concept called immunotherapy. How so? The bees in your neighborhood go from flower to flower collecting pollen that causes you to suffer, but when a you consume local raw honey, you also consume that same offending local pollen. After some time, an allergy sufferer may become less sensitive to this pollen that previously caused problems and experience less allergy symptoms. We buy pollen from our friendly local farm in Ontario.

12 Natural Remedy Uses for Honey 

If you wish to incorporate raw honey into your diet,see these below.

1. Improve digestion – Ingest one to 2 tablespoons of honey to counteract indigestion since it doesn’t ferment in the stomach.
2. Relieve nausea – Mix honey with ginger and lemon juice to help counteract nausea.
3. Acne cure – Honey can be used as an affordable face cleanser to fight off acne, and it’s gentle on all skin types. Take half a teaspoon of honey, warm it between your hands and spread it on your face gently. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then rinse with warm water and pat dry.
4. Exfoliator – Honey makes a great exfoliator ! Use honey on dry winter skin by adding two cups of honey to a bath, soak for 15 minutes, then add one cup of baking soda for the final 15 minutes.
5. Lower cholesterol – Honey can help reduce cholesterol and, therefore, decrease your risk for coronary artery disease.
6. Improve circulation – Raw honey makes your brain function optimally by strengthening the heart and improving blood circulation.
7. Restore Sleep – Raw honey promotes restorative sleep. Add a tablespoon to warm milk to help increase melatonin and help you sleep.
8. Improve allergies – If sourced locally, raw honey can help reduce seasonal allergies. Add one to 2 tablespoons to your diet daily.
9. Lose weight – Substituting raw honey for white sugar can help in weight management.
10. Moisturize – A spoonful of raw honey mixed with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon can be used as a hydrating lotion.
11. Hair mask – A raw honey hair mask can help boost shine by hydrating your hair. Simply mix 1 teaspoon of raw honey with 5 cups of warm water, apply the mixture to your hair and let it sit, then rinse thoroughly.
12. Reduce inflammation – Raw honey has anti-inflammatory agents that can treat respiratory conditions such as asthma.

As always everything is good while used in moderation, do not feed honey to infants under the age of one, if you have a compromised immune system you should talk to a medical professional before consuming honey, if you’re allergic or sensitive to celery, pollen or have other bee-related allergies, you should not consume raw honey and also keep in mind as far as benefits if raw honey is overly processed and heated, the health benefits are largely eliminated.

In the end support you local honey farms and stores buy purchasing directly from them. I always try my best to do so.