Health and Beauty Benefits of Honey

Definitely one of the sweetest treats that nature has to offer, honey is a very popular food product that is said to have numerous health benefits. This sticky, amber-colored liquid not only gives one gustatory delight, it acts as a natural vitamin for the body. Those who would rather avoid taking drugstore-bought creams and pills have resorted to using honey as their organic solution for health and beauty problems.
What makes honey such a wonderful health product? Honey is made of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that work like a miracle on several ailments. The nutritional properties of honey are dependent on several factors. The first one is the kind of flowers that the bees choose to pollinate. Another is the manner in which the honey is stored. Honey should not be stored for a long time, because it will turn into a darker color and may lose some of its healing properties. This is why light colored honey is more valuable than darker ones.

Here are some of the most popular health and beauty benefits of honey:

• Honey as Energy Booster

Honey contains lots of carbohydrates, which makes it a great natural energy booster. A spoonful of honey can already provide that much-needed energy boost during the day. Instead of energy drinks, you can take honey instead to maintain your endurance and prevent fatigue during your workout. Glucose is responsible for the quick boost while fructose helps sustain energy.
Those who have discovered the energy-giving capabilities of honey have adapted it to their daily diet. Aside from taking it straight from the spoon, you can also enjoy consuming honey by using it as spread for your toast or as sweetener for your tea. This will work well for kids who are active at home and school. Boost their energy naturally by putting honey in their sandwiches, which they can eat as snacks.

• Honey as a Soothing Treatment for Cuts and Burns

Honey is known as one of the best natural home remedies around. It antibacterial properties serve as a natural cure for cuts and burns. Instead of reaching for the antibacterial cream in your first aid kit, why not use honey and apply it topically on your wounds? Honey promotes healing because of its ability to absorb moisture from air. It also serves as an anti-inflammatory agent and can lessen pain and swelling as well as prevent infections.
The healing benefits of honey for wounds are numerous. Aside from the ones mentioned above, honey also has the capability to deodorize smelly wounds. The healing process is faster with honey because the liquid stimulates wound tissues. Dormant wounds can also benefit from regular application of honey.

• Honey as Cure for Hangovers

Everyone knows how terrible a hangover feels. Usually, one reaches for coffee to combat the feeling of drowsiness produced by consuming too much alcohol. Next time you had one beer too many, try to soothe your hangover using honey. The natural sugars in honey help the liver in faster oxidation of alcohol. For best results, mix 15 ml of honey with 70 ml of natural yogurt and 80 ml of orange juice. This smoothie will help make your hangover disappear in no time.

• Honey as Treatment for Sore Throat

Now you can have a natural substitute for good ‘ol sore throat tablets like Strepsils and Fisherman’s Friend. Honey’s anti-microbial properties kill bacteria that cause throat infections. It is a wonderful product to use for soothing one’s voice, which is why a lot of professional singers consume honey before they perform. Mix honey with salt and lemon juice to heal sore throat naturally.

• Honey as Weight Loss Agent

A lot of people assume that honey can make one gain weight because of its sweetness. What they don’t know is that the sugars of honey and table sugar are different. Common table sugar lacks the vitamins and minerals that honey has, thus contributing to higher cholesterol levels and faster weight gain.
Meanwhile, honey has lots of minerals and amino acids that help improve one’s metabolism, which leads to healthy weight loss. To make your weight loss diet more effective, you can combine honey with other ingredients such as cinnamon and lemon. Honey and cinnamon dissolved in warm water is a great pre-breakfast drink for weight loss diets.

• Honey as Natural Cure for Sleeplessness

If you’re having sleeping problems and you’re not keen on taking sleeping pills to solve the problem, try taking honey instead. Honey is well-known for its relaxing qualities. Before bedtime, put a teaspoon of honey in a glass of warm milk. You can also add honey to chamomile tea to help promote better sleep.

• Honey as Cure for Diarrhea

Honey has the ability to promote hydration of the body, which makes it a great diarrhea treatment. It can soothe stomach pains and vomiting. The peroxide and non-peroxide anti-bacterial properties of honey work well in fighting bacteria’s MRSA strains.

• Honey as an Anti-Aging Treatment

Honey is an excellent skin care treatment for those who want anti-aging properties but none of the chemicals and additives found in commercial anti-aging creams. The powers of honey for anti-aging are immense; legendary historical figures such as Cleopatra used honey in their daily skin care regime. The antioxidants in honey work beautifully on the skin.
Honey retains moisture very well, which makes it an excellent anti-aging treatment. What’s more, it can be used not only on skin, but also on hair. There are many shampoos and conditioners that use honey as a main ingredient.
To make the best out of honey’s beautifying properties, it is best to mix it with other natural ingredients to create a facial mask. Find fruits that have ability to take care of the skin. These fruits include avocado and papaya. Mash the fruit and mix honey to create a natural facial mask. What’s best about this mask is that since it doesn’t have any chemicals or additives, it can be used on sensitive skin.