RAW honey is a hundred times better for you than both the highly processed white sugar (nicknamed “white death”) and lifeless “golden honey” you will find on the shelves at your local supermarket or grocery store.

Real honey on the other hand is truly a remarkable substance…

How honey is made – fascinating!

It takes nearly 60,000 bees, collectively traveling up to 55,000 miles and visiting more than 2 million flowers, to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey!

Once the nectar is gathered, the bee stores it in its extra stomach where it mixes with enzymes, and then passes it (via regurgitation) to another bee’s mouth. This process is repeated until the nectar becomes partially digested and is then deposited into a honeycomb.

Once there, the honeybees fan the liquid nectar with their wings, helping the water to evaporate and create the thick substance you know as “honey.” This honeycomb is then sealed with a liquid secretion from the bee’s abdomen, which hardens into beeswax. Away from air and water, honey can be stored indefinitely, providing bees with the perfect food source for cold winter months.

5 Honey Facts You Might Not Know

Honey, particularly in its raw form, offers unique health benefits that you might not be aware of. Among them…

1. Honey Makes Excellent Cough Medicine

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists honey as a “demulcent” – a substance that relieves irritation in the mouth or throat by forming a protective film.

2. Honey Can Treat Wounds

Honey was a conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century. Now the use of honey in wound care is regaining popularity, as researchers are determining exactly how honey can help fight serious skin infections. Honey has antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidants activities that make it ideal for treating wounds.

In the US, Derma Sciences uses Manuka honey for their Medihoney wound and burn dressings.

Manuka honey is made with pollen gathered from the flowers of the Manuka bush (a medicinal plant), and clinical trials have found this type of honey can effectively eradicate more than 250 clinical strains of bacteria, including resistant varieties such as:

• MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
• MSSA (methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus)
• VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci)

Compared to other types of honey, Manuka has an extra ingredient with antimicrobial qualities, called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF), so called because no one has yet been able to discover the unique substance involved that gives it its extraordinary antibacterial activity. However, research shows that any type of unprocessed honey helped wounds and ulcers heal.

3. Honey Improves Your Scalp

Honey diluted with a bit of warm water was shown to significantly improve seborrheic dermatitis, which is a scalp condition that causes dandruff and itching.

4. Helps Boost Your Energy

A healthy, whole-food diet and proper sleep is undoubtedly the best recipe for boundless energy, but if you’re looking for a quick energy boost, take a tablespoon of raw honey! Great for those athletes looking for a “time-released fuel” to provide energy over a longer period.

5. Reduces Allergy Symptoms

Eating locally produced honey with pollen spores picked up by the bees from local plants can activate your immune system and, over time, build up your natural immunity against the allergen.

The typical recommendation is to take about a teaspoon-full of locally produced honey per day, starting a few months prior to the pollen season to allow your system to build up immunity. The key here is local. This approach only works because it has pollen of local plants you may be allergic to. Honey from other parts of the country simply won’t work!

3 DIY Honey Home Recipes

Honey is a humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture, making it an ideal addition to moisturizers, shampoos, and conditioners. Along with its antimicrobial properties, honey makes a wonderful addition to homemade personal care products.

Here’s a few you can try for yourself:

1. Honey Hair Conditioner: Mix ½ cup honey with ¼ cup olive oil. Work a small amount through your hair until coated. Cover your hair with a shower cap and let sit for 30 minutes. Shampoo as normal and rinse.

2. Honey Body Moisturizer: Mix 5 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons rose oil, and 2 cups almond oil in a medium-sized bottle. Apply as needed onto wet skin.

3. Honey Almond Scrub: Mix 3 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and 6 ½ tablespoons of finely crushed almonds. Rub the exfoliating scrub onto your face gently and rinse with warm water.

Article extract – core facts republished from our friends at Mercola.com