The healing power of honey: From burns to weak bones, raw honey can help

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The healing power of honey: From burns to weak bones, raw honey can help

January 26, 2007 by: Kelly Joyce Neff

http://www.newstarget.com/021506.html

 

(NewsTarget) Raw honey – which has not been pasteurized or filtered, and

ideally taken directly from the hive – is a treasure chest of nutritional

value

and medicinal remedies. It contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals and is

a natural and powerful medicine, both internally and externally. The list of

honey's beneficial functions is a long one. Honey increases calcium

absorption; can increase hemoglobin count and treat or prevent anemia caused by

nutritional factors; can help arthritic joints, when combined with apple cider

vinegar; fights colds and respiratory infections of all kinds; can help to boost

gastrointestinal ulcer healing; works as a natural and gentle laxative; aids

constipation, allergies and obesity; provides an array of vitamins and minerals;

and supplies instant energy without the insulin surge caused by white sugar.

Many have found raw honey helpful for its positive effects against allergies and

hay fever, and one or two teaspoons last thing at night can help with

insomnia. As an antiseptic, honey is also a drawing agent for poisons from bites

or

stings or infected wounds, and has outperformed antibiotics in treatments for

stomach ulcerations, gangrene, surgical wound infections, surgical incisions and

the protection of skin grafts, corneas, blood vessels and bones during

storage and shipment.

 

" Raw honey is exceptionally effective internally against bacteria and

parasites. Plus, raw honey contains natural antibiotics, which help kill

microbes

directly. Raw honey, when applied topically, speeds the healing of tissues

damaged by infection and/or trauma. It contains vitamins, minerals and enzymes,

as

well as sugars, all of which aid in the healing of wounds. "

 

So writes Dr. Cass Igram, D.O. in The Survivor's Nutritional Pharmacy. In a

fascinating modern development, scientists and doctors are beginning to

rediscover the effectiveness of honey as a wound treatment. In recent years,

honey

has been used effectively in clinical settings for the treatment of fist-sized

ulcers extending to the bone, as well as for first, second and third degree

burns. Complete healing has been reported without the need for skin grafts and

with no infection or muscle loss. It can be applied full strength to such

conditions, covered with a sterile bandage, and changed daily. When the wounds

are

clean, honey acts as a healer. This also is the same procedure for infected

wounds, ulcerations and impetigo. Garlic honey can also be applied directly to

infected wounds, which will help clean up the area of infection.

 

Dr. Peter Molan, professor of biochemistry at Waikato University, New

Zealand, has been at the forefront of honey research for 20 years. He heads the

university's Honey Research Unit, which is internationally recognized for its

expertise in the antimicrobial properties of honey. Clinical observations and

experimental studies have established that honey has effective antibacterial and

anti-inflammatory properties. Astonishingly, it painlessly removes pus, scabs

and dead tissue from wounds and stimulates new tissue growth. " Randomized trials

have shown that honey is more effective in controlling infection in burn

wounds than silver sulfadiazine, the antibacterial ointment most widely used on

burns in hospitals, " explains Dr. Molan.

 

Dr. Molan believes that if honey were used from the start in cases of

septicemia, there would be far less tissue damage resulting. " The remarkable

ability

of honey to reduce inflammation and mop up free radicals should halt the

progress of the skin damage like it does in burns, as well as protecting from

infection setting in " , says Dr. Molan. " At present, people are turning to honey

when nothing else works. But there are very good grounds for using honey as a

therapeutic agent of first choice. "

 

Researchers believe that the therapeutic potential of honey is grossly

underutilized. With increasing interest in the use of alternative therapies and

as

the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads, honey may finally

receive its due recognition as a wound healer.

 

Indeed, it works: Raw honey makes a sterile, painless and effective wound

dressing. Apply it directly to open cuts, abrasions and burns, and cover it with

a piece of gauze. The results will occur quicker than with conventional

alternatives, such as salves and creams.

 

Honey is also exceptionally effective for respiratory ailments. One Bulgarian

study of almost 18,000 patients found that it improved chronic bronchitis,

asthmatic bronchitis, chronic and allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. It's an

effective treatment for colds, flu, respiratory infections and a generally

depressed immune system. Whereas sugar shuts down the immune system, a good

quality

honey will stimulate it into action.

 

Here are some more ways to utilize the healing power of honey:

 

BURNS - Apply freely over burns. It cools, removes pain and aids fast healing

without scarring. Apart from being a salve and an antibiotic, bacteria simply

cannot survive in honey.

 

BED WETTING - A teaspoon of honey before bed aids water retention and calms

fears in children.

 

INSOMNIA - A dessertspoon of honey in a mug of warm milk aids sleep and works

wonders.

 

HYPERACTIVITY - Replace all use of white sugar with honey. White sugar is

highly stimulating with no food qualities. Honey provides the energy without the

" spike. "

 

NASAL CONGESTION - Place a dessertspoon of honey in a basin of water and

inhale fumes after covering your head with a towel over the basin. Very

effective!

 

 

FATIGUE - Dissolve a dessertspoon of honey in warm water or quarter honey

balance of water in a jug and keep in the fridge. Honey is primarily fructose

and

glucose, so it's quickly absorbed by the digestive system. Honey is a unique

natural stabilizer: Ancient Greek athletes took honey for stamina before

competing and as a reviver after competition.

 

FACIAL DEEP CLEANSER - Mix honey with an equal quantity of oatmeal, and apply

as a face pack. Leave on for half an hour, then wash it off. Great as a deep

cleanser for acne and other unwanted blemishes.

 

POOR DIGESTION - Mix honey with an equal quantity of apple cider vinegar and

dilute to taste with water. This is also wonderful for the joints – and

promotes weight loss.

 

HAIR CONDITIONER - Mix honey with an equal quantity of olive oil, cover head

with a warm tower for half an hour then shampoo off. Feeds hair and scalp.

Your hair will never look or feel better!

 

SORE THROATS - Let a teaspoon of honey melt in the back of the mouth and

trickle down the throat. Eases inflamed raw tissues.

 

FOR STRESS - Honey in water is a stabilizer, calming highs and raising lows.

Use approximately 25 percent honey to water.

 

ANEMIA - Honey is the best blood enricher by raising corpuscle content. The

darker the honey, the more minerals it contains.

 

FOOD PRESERVATIVE – If you replace the sugar in cake and cookie recipes with

honey, they'll stay fresher longer due to honey's natural antibacterial

properties. Reduce liquids in the mixture by about one-fifth to allow for the

moisture present in the in honey.

 

BABY'S BOTTLE - Four teaspoons of honey to a baby's bottle of water is an

excellent pacifier and multivitamin additive. If the baby's motions are too

liquid, then reduce the honey by half a teaspoon; if too solid increase by half

a

teaspoon. (Caution: Don't give raw honey to babies under 1 year old; it's just

too rich.) For teething, honey rubbed on a baby's gums is also a mild sedative

and anesthetic.

 

OSTEOPOROSIS – Research has shown that a teaspoon of honey per day aids

calcium utilization and prevents osteoporosis – probably not a bad idea for

anyone

over 50.

 

LONGEVITY - The most long-lived people in the world are all regular users of

honey. An interesting fact, yet to be explained, is that beekeepers suffer

less from cancer and arthritis than any other occupational group worldwide.

 

MIGRAINE - Use a dessertspoon of honey dissolved in half a glass of warm

water. Sip at the start of a migraine attack, and, if necessary, repeat after

another 20 minutes.

 

CONJUNCTIVITIS - Dissolve honey in an equal quantity of warm water. When

cooled, apply as a lotion or eye bath.

 

COUGH MIXTURE – Combine 6 ounces (170 grams) liquid honey, 2 ounces (55

grams) glycerin and the juice of two lemons. Mix well. Bottle and cork firmly,

and

use as required.

 

Raw honey may become granulated, as some does after a week and another maybe

only after several years. If the granulations bother you, simply place the

honey into a pan of hot water (not boiling) and let it stand until becoming

liquid again.

 

Kelly Joyce Neff has an interdisciplinary degree in Celtic Studies which

includes work in cultural anthropology, history, linguistics, language, and

literature. She is a traditional midwife and herbalist, a reiki master, and an

active craftsperson. She lives in San Francisco.