The three healing properties of honey (anti-microbial, antioxidant, and hygroscopic) make honey a potent medicine in addition to being a popular and tasty food.
Honey has been used since ancient times for open wounds, sore throats and upset stomachs but lost favor when antibiotics rose to prominence in the last century. Nowadays it is seeing a resurgence for medicinal use because many bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics.
I recently used ordinary honey on my diabetic foot ulcer and it closed the wound up within 12 hours of applying it. It did better than the expensive Iodosorb salve I was prescribed at $74 for a 3 gram tube. If you're not having luck with other treatments, I highly recommend you give honey a try. Just make sure you apply a thick coating to the affected area after thoroughly cleaning it.
These are the three main properties that make it so effective in healing:
Continued...1. Honey Absorbs Moisture
Honey has an absorbent nature, meaning that when exposed to air, it soaks up moisture from its surroundings. In caring for open wounds, honey is invaluable because it could help prevent scarring... keeping the skin moist, advancing the development of new tissues, and permitting easy removal of any bandages by preventing dressings from becoming stuck to the skin.
Honey’s hygroscopic attributes likewise make it a perfect component in many cosmetics because it helps skin stay hydrated, fresh and prevents drying. Because of these facts, many people call honey a natural "humectant" since it draws in and retains moisture. When used in skin and hair treatments, honey immobilizes and locks in the moisture leaving skin soft and supple, and hair lustrous and healthy.
2. Honey Kills Bacteria
In the early part of the twentieth century, investigators set about to document the healing properties of honey. This ended when the development of antibiotic drugs captured the attention of most health practitioners. However, lately the evolution of resistance to antibiotics in bacteria has resulted in a revival of interest into the curative properties of honey.
A powerful disinfecting agent in honey prohibits the growth of certain bacteria. It relies upon an enzyme found in honey that produces hydrogen peroxide... a commonly used wound disinfectant. This is thought to be the chief reason for the anti-microbial activity of honey.
Honey is a valuable treatment for wounds, scalds, cuts, scrapes and blisters. These insults to the body can be covered in a thick honey dressing to keep bacteria from getting into the wound and boost healing.
Honey can also aid the treatment of minor acne by attacking the bacteria that cause skin eruptions while moisturizing the affected area to assist skin rejuvenation.
Types of honey differ greatly in their effectiveness, varying as much as one hundred fold. Ordinary honey can be very effective but honey derived from the Manuka bush (found in abundance in New Zealand and some parts of Australia) claims the highest potency with regard to its healing powers.
3. Honey Contains Antioxidants
Honey has effective antioxidant factors that destroy damaging chemical agents in the environment associated with a lot of illnesses such as cancer.
Investigative reports have concluded that darker colored honeys such as Buckwheat, appear to have more antioxidants than lighter colored forms.
Not only can honey’s antioxidants help to get rid of free radicals in the body, they also form part of the nutrient supply for the development of new body tissues.
Honey's antioxidants also help protect the skin under the sun and help it to regenerate and stay younger looking.
For this reason, there have been an expanding number of producers of honey skin care products that include sun blockers and facial cleansing products for treating damaged and dried-out skin.
Conclusion:
The healing properties of honey make it effective in treating wounds and healing infections. It is also a beauty aid and can help help prevent other illnesses when eaten on a regular basis. It is noteworthy that it not only has medicinal value but can also be enjoyed at the breakfast table.
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