Top 11 Benefits of Honey {Science Backed}

by Mir Saeid | Aug 4, 2020 | Fitness & Lifestyle, Foods & Delicacy, Uncategorized

Pure Honey has been extensively used in India both as a medicine and a sweetener for thousands of years now. This sweet nectar is often used as a substitute for sugar, in various beverages as well as desserts and other savory recipes too. Due to the great benefits of honey, every household must have a bottle in stock.

The taste, flavor, and looks of honey majorly depend on the flowers that it has been extracted from. The packaged honey which is found in stores is often adulterated and thus, not in the purest form.

The purer the honey, the better it is. So when we talk about the benefits of honey, we can only expect them from the the pure unadultered version of it.

Honey has been used as a folk remedy owing to its wonderful medicinal properties. You might have heard about the many health benefits of honey. But here we go in detail about the benefits of nautral honey that are backed by science.

But before we get into the benefits of eating honey, let us take a look at the honey nutrition.

Honey Nutrition

A lot of environmental conditions and processing techniques can affect nutrition in honey. However, honey mainly consists of carbohydrates as it is basically 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Along with carbohydrates, honey also contains some minerals, trace elements, vitamins, and proteins but in very small amounts. 

Honey is a much better substitute for sugar. Refined sugar has no nutrition while honey has a superb nutritional value and added benefits. Honey also has a much lower GI or glycaemic index.

Now that we have taken a look at the honey nutrition, let us now take a look at honey health benefits.

Top 11 Benefits of Honey

1. Honey contains antioxidants

Pure and high-quality honey is a good source of antioxidants. It contains a lot of plant chemicals that act as antioxidants. 

Your body needs antioxidants to fight off and prevent the damage caused by free radicals. The free radical damage is often linked to increased risk of heart diseases, cancer as well as several other diseases. Free radicals also contribute to the ageing process. Antioxidants also help delay the process of ageing and make you look young for longer.

The better quality that your honey is, the more its antioxidant content will be. Thus, this is one of the best benefits of honey provided that you are using unfiltered, superior quality honey only.

2. Honey helps to reduce cholesterol

Did you know that honey health benefits include lowering your cholesterol? Yes, honey can help improve your cholesterol levels by reducing the levels of LDL or the ‘bad’ cholesterol.

High amounts of LDL or bad cholesterol in your body can be a huge risk factor for heart diseases. 

Several studies have shown that intake of honey can improve your cholesterol levels by reducing the levels of the LDL while also improving the HDL or the ‘good’ cholesterol in your body.

To keep your cholesterol levels regulated, consider adding honey to your diet. In colder places, honey forms an important ingredient of the cuisine, especially for children.

3. Honey is a great remedy for cough and cold

One of the best benefits of honey is that it is an extremely effective remedy for cough and cold. Do you remember your mom giving you some honey mixed with ginger as a kid when you had a cold or cough? Well, she was right for doing so. 

This is why you see Kashmiri Cuisine full of ingredients such as honey, almonds, walnuts, and saffron; natural foods that are known to have amazing health benefits.

Honey, when mixed with a little ginger or some warm water works amazingly well for curing cough, cold and a sore throat. What’s better is that it is a completely natural remedy and often works better than cough and cold medicines with no side effects.

Try this once and we are sure that you will feel instant relief.

4. Pure Honey has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties

Honey contains hydrogen peroxide and this substance could be the reason for honey’s antibacterial properties. 

Studies and research have suggested that pure and raw honey is quite efficient in killing unwanted bacteria and fungus. 

So, this sweet nectar can be taken internally to kill certain internal infections. 

In fact, the use of honey as an antibacterial and antifungal agent is quite prevalent in India and is being used for thousands of years now. Honey is traditionally used as a medicine since centuries and centuries. 

Isn’t this one of the best benefits of eating honey?

5. Organic Honey can help treat and heal wounds

Organic Honey is quite an effective germ killer and its antibacterial properties can be linked to faster healing of wounds.

Applying honey to wounds and burns can help them to heal faster. This remedy has been used in India as well as several other countries like Egypt for thousands of years now. 

It has some amazing anti-inflammatory properties as well, making the treatment event faster and more effective. Several studies have shown the effectiveness of honey in treating many kinds of wounds and burns. Honey is also quite effective in treating diabetic ulcers.

Having said that, it is important to note that to get this benefit from honey, the honey needs to be in its purest form for it to work. 

6. Pure Honey is good for your heart

One of the most amazing benefits of honey includes that it is good for the heart. Honey is quite rich in phenols as well as other antioxidants. The presence of these substances in honey make it good for your heart health.

It can help increase blood flow to your heart. Honey can also help in preventing the formation of blood clots thus reducing the chances of heart attacks.

In fact, a new research has suggested that the natural sugars that are present in honey can remove the plaque from your arteries by 30%.

7. Honey can help lower blood pressure

The health benefits of honey also extend to help in lowering blood pressure. Honey contains antioxidant compounds that can be linked to a lowered blood pressure.

Honey is known to soothe your blood vessels thus helping to reduce the pressure from the heart resulting in a lower blood pressure.

That’s why honey is excellent for all those suffering from elevated blood pressure. Time to replace your regular everyday sugar with honey.

8. Honey is a better option for diabetic people

As compared to the everyday white sugar, honey is a much better option for diabetics. 

As much as diabetic people should avoid the consumption of any kind of sugar, if they still wish to indulge in sweet treats occasionally, honey is definitely better as compared to the everyday sugar.

It is much safer to consume given its antioxidant content and other honey health benefits.

9. Honey is great for treating acidity or acid reflux

Acidity or acid reflux is a very common issue faced by people everywhere these days. Consuming honey can provide relief from heartburn and other symptoms of acidity.

Honey contains antioxidants, some vitamins and minerals and has antibacterial and antifungal properties. All of these wonderful properties can together be effective in treating acid reflux. Honey also reduces inflammation in the food pipe, giving you an instant relief.

The viscosity of honey can help in lining the esophagus, thus resulting in relief from acidity or acid reflux.

For this, you can either consume about a spoonful of honey directly or mix it with some warm water for treatment.

This is definitely one of the best benefits of honey.

10. Raw Honey helps in treating diarrhea as well as other digestive issues

Did you know that honey could also help in treating diarrhea and other digestive issues? Well, yet it does! This is yet another one of the effective benefits of eating honey.

Raw honey has a soothing effect on digestion.

A study found out that those who consumed honey recovered better and faster from diarrhea. Not only the duration of diarrhea is reduced but with the consumption of honey, its severity is also reduced. 

So, next time you suffer from diarrhea, you know what to do to treat it. For this, you can either consume raw honey as it is or you can also mix it in something.

11. Honey has some nutrients and is often better than refined sugar

Unlike the refined white sugar, honey has many more nutrients. So whether you are health conscious or not, honey is often a better option as compared to the everyday table sugar.

Honey contains some specific nutrients that can make it a healthy addition to your diet. The sugar content in honey is also natural.

Moreover, it is easy to swap your daily sugar with honey. Honey can easily be added to several beverages for sweetening them. It can also be easily used in an array of recipes. 

All these reasons make honey a healthier option.

Over to You

Here, we shared the top 11 benefits of honey. However, to reap these benefits, it is important that you consume only the pure and unrefined honey. The honey that is easily available in stores often fails to give you these awesome health benefits. Hence, to get the best out of your honey, try to get your hands on the purest, naturally harvested and unadulterated honey only. 

Honey, when consumed in moderation can prove to be a boon for your health.

If you are looking to buy dry fruits online, or want to collect some fine natural attar perfumes, you must check out the products on our store.

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Mir Saeid

Mir Saeid is the Growth Hacker of Kashmirica, a brand that is poised to ‘Bring Exclusives from Kashmir to You’. An enthusiastic cultural entrepreneur, he is driven by a passion to bring about a social impact. He has a Masters in International Business from the University of Bedfordshire and has worked in leading Marketing positions at various SMEs and Startups for 8+ years.

Intrigued by the crafts of his birthplace,  he decided to bring the art on the Global Connoisseur through the internet. A polyglot who speaks English, Arabic, Urdu & Koshur, Mir loves traveling, reading, writing, and spending time on the cricket field – a passion rekindled just recently.

www.kashmirica.com/