The Magic & Many Uses of Honey
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 
Honey is one of the most interesting and beneficial products available to mankind. Honey is one of the oldest folk remedies that can be traced back as far as ancient civilisations. Numerous healing properties have been found for Honey including the treatment of skin aliments as well as internal infections. Honey has also been recommended for it ability to enhance general health and energy levels. There have been reported cases where the use of certain types of Honey has been credited with the successful treatment of aliments such as Duodenal and Stomach Ulcers. Honey derives much of its digestive benefits from the fact that it is a natural product that has already been digested by the Honey bees before it is harvested from the Honeycomb.
A substantial amount of research about the benefits of Honey has been done by Dr Peter Molan, MBE, who is the Associate Professor in Biochemistry at The University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, who has been researching the ancient healing properties of honey since 1981. Honey can also be used together with other products such as lemons, and also vinegar to provide relief for colds, diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach upsets, as well as weight loss and numerous other applications. In 1996 a New Zealand research Company studied the benefits and concentrations of Manuka Honey needed to inhibit the growth of fungi responsible for tinea and found benefits in its application.
Many clinical studies and reports on the uses of Honey for aliments such as burns, surgical wounds and various types of ulcers, including use of Honey as a source of carbohydrate for oral hydration therapy, have shown positive and beneficial results. One beneficial property of Honey is known as its low “water activity” which acts as a restriction to the growth of most bacteria, moulds and yeasts. Therefore when Honey is applied externally to wounds for instance; an osmosis reaction occurs which draws moisture from the wound into the Honey which in turn helps to dry the infected area and reduces the incidence of bacterial growth. Honey also has a low pH value (between 32. and 4.5) making is slightly acidic which also contributes to inhibiting many pathogenic bacteria.
