What Are the Benefits of Wildflower Honey?

The color and flavor of wildflower honey is influenced by the types of flowers used to make it.

Honey has often been called nature's most perfect substance. Wildflower honey, also referred to as mixed floral or multi-floral honey, has long been hailed for its medicinal benefits and as a natural sweetener. Natural honey contains the easily digestible simple sugars fructose and glucose, along with water, pollen, enzymes, organic acids and proteins. This combination is both antibiotic and antibacterial.

What's in Honey?

Simple sugars and disease fighting bacteria are the main benefits of natural honey.

Natural honey is rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals, all of which help to rid the body of free radicals, the cellular by-products that are a result of an unhealthy environment and are blamed for increasing the risk of many chronic diseases. Honey's antioxidants, such as vitamin C, carotenes and vitamin E, reduce the damage caused by free radicals.

Processing at temperatures above 118 degrees Fahrenheit destroys many of honey's natural attributes. For maximum benefit, use all-natural honey.

Honey as a Medicine

Honey in tea can calm a cough.

Honey contains the antiseptic inhibine, a substance which, if applied to wounds, prevents infection. It can also promote faster healing of cuts and burns. Honey spread over an open wound will protect it from insects.

Honey in tea helps dissolve mucous while it fights infection. Treat insomnia by dissolving 1 tbsp. honey in hot water and then pour into bath water. The anti-inflammatory properties of honey have been known to soothe irritated lungs and airways caused by bronchitis.

Studies are also being done with honey in regard to easing human allergies to hay fever and pollen, the idea being that introducing small bits of pollen through honey could, over time, help the sufferer tolerate springtime allergens.

Honey is also credited with curing stomach ulcers by attacking the H. pylori bacterium, which is known to cause gastric ulcers.

Type II diabetes patients who substitute raw honey for sugar have been known to experience a lower rise in blood glucose levels. Cholesterol levels can also be helped by consuming raw honey.

Because honey helps in digesting fat stores in the body, many use it as an aid in weight loss.

The Magic of Bee Propolis

Propolis in honey helps protect hives from disease.

Honey also contains propolis, or bee glue, which bees gather from the sap of trees. Propolis strengthens the immune system and has antibiotic, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral components.

While chemical antibiotics work to destroy all bacteria in the body (even those that are beneficial), the antibacterial agents in propolis only work to destroy harmful varieties. Thus, propolis is an effective weapon against bacteria that have mutated to resist chemical antibiotics.

When used in the treatment of burns, patients have reported less inflammation and shorter healing periods along with fewer allergic side effects.

Honey and Infants

The bacteria in honey can be harmful to an infant's immature digestive system.

Because their immature digestive systems are unable to process certain bacteria, honey should not be given to babies or toddlers.

References

• Ecogreen: Wildflower Honey
• Benefits of Honey
• Lavender Bee Farm: Benefits of Honey