It’s brown, sticky and sweet. For some, it is a natural sweetener that makes everything sweet minus the preservatives. However, did you know that there is more to its sweetness that makes a tablespoon of honey a super food? Yes, honey is a wonder food that many take for granted.
In today’s world, where food is either processed, considered junk or stale, there are still quite a number of healthy and considered essential natural therapies for you that can be munched and eaten raw. Yes, the connotation that healthy food is raw food is true – as far as honey is concerned, that is.
Most of us use honey for our afternoon teas, drizzled over hot baked bundt cake or with lemon in our water. However, the usage of honey is as endless as our imagination. It is not limited and used only as a sweetener but honey is also best with its many medicinal benefits. From wounds to burns to stomach ulcers, a tablespoon goes a long way.
However, not all types and kinds of honey have the medicinal and antibacterial components that our bodies need. Of the many organically produced and readily available in the market, look for a bottle of Manuka Honey for its superb natural healing therapies.
Produced from the crisp white flowers of the Manuka bush that grows in unspoilt areas in New Zealand, this particular type of honey contains a unique non-peroxide antibacterial component that makes it suitable to treat wound infections and other health conditions. Others also believe that the Manuka Honey is considered a type of natural therapies for cancer and natural therapies for people suffering from high blood pressure.
Nevertheless, this unique non-peroxide antibacterial component, said to be found in manuka honey, varies from one kind to another. To say the least, its potency greatly depends on the season it was harvested/produced and its source. For the longest time, the determination of its potency became a big issue especially to those who do not anything about it. Nowadays, with the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor), identifying manuka honey potency is now easy – every bottle comes with a trademark.
But, what makes manuka honey better than the rest? Other than its natural healing therapies, manuka honey is believed to contain a higher dose of hydrogen peroxide that gives honey its antibacterial qualities. Then again, the percentage still depends on the kind of manuka honey harvested. It is best then to know and read the labels on the bottle before making a purchase.
Primarily, Manuka Honey, aside from its sweet goodness, is used as an ointment to cure wounds. To say the least, manuka honey is best applied to open and minor wounds and burns. Its antibacterial component relieves the burning sensation thus leaving a cooler effect on the wound.
Other use for Manuka Honey includes:
- Help reduce high blood cholesterol
- Help reduce inflammation due to its high antibacterial quality
- Help aid in the treatment for diabetes (it neutralizes blood sugar)
- Treatment of eye, ear and nasal infections (sinusitis)
- Treatment of gastrointestinal problems such as stomach ulcers
Nevertheless, one must not depend on Manuka Honey – or any other honey, for that matter. Although considered one of the many natural therapies provided by Mother Nature, it is still best to consult and seek professional help from medical practitioners before doing self-medication.