“Well, said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called. ” A.A. Milne
Honey is resource collected and utilised by humans in almost every civilisation across the world for thousands of years with most of us using it daily; but what is it about honey that makes it such a valuable resource?
Uses of Honey
Honey, good quality honey, has many health benefits, is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and steeped in antioxidants, good on our insides and outsides.
Note: The best kind of honey to use is raw, local and sustainable. Not the squeezy kind in a bottle shaped like a bear, although that is fun and is still nice to use with your porridge.
Health wise, it’s highly useful. Perhaps you yourself have had a nice cup of lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat, but there are more:
What can be treated with Honey?
- Burns: Honey has been used as a quick remedy for burns (raw or manuka honey, mind) thanks to those anti-inflammatory and bacterial properties mentioned above.
- Cuts: Similarly, you can slather it on a cut or scrape to keep the wound safe from dirt. Keep it on for as long as you need and wash it, carefully, away. Be sure to seek proper medical advice if you’re bleeding all over the kitchen or something though. We’re talking little cuts, not gouges.
- Nausea: Combine it with ginger in a tea and you have a quick and easy remedy to ease your stomach.
- Guts: Honey is a prebiotic, which means it can do wonders for your innards, helping good bacteria thrive.
- Hay fever: Some folk say that a spoonful of local honey can cure hay fever; maybe an old wife tale but can’t hurt to try.
- Morning After: You can also try adding honey to your tea to help cure a hangover.
- Acne: Honey can work wonders for acne and acne scars, thanks to those lovely anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties it boasts. Apply raw honey to your face and leave it on for ten to twenty minutes then thoroughly wash it off or dap it directly onto an outbreak.
- Dryness: Put it in your bath, make it into a salve, whichever way you go about it, honey can do wonders for soothing and reviving dry skin, from your cuticles to your kneecaps. If the bath idea caught your eye, just dissolve two tablespoons of raw honey into some warm water, then pour the mixture into your bath. Silky smooth with minimal effort, my kind of beauty routine.
- Irritation: If you often get irritated skin from shaving, slather some honey on, let it sink in and dry then rinse it off, et voila.
- Hair: Made into a mask (try a honey and banana mask), honey can give your hair some much needed nourishment and love, that keeps moisture locks in. Or, thin it out with a little bit of water and use it as an easy and cheap everyday conditioner.
Honey can be infused, combined, mixed, melted and otherwise incorporated with just about any other plant, herb or spice you can think off. Get your hands on some raw, organic and as unprocessed as you can manage honey, and keep the one pot wonder around for just about anything life or your body throws at you.
And as always, there is a heap load of more information out there you can research if you want to know more about incorporating honey into your life. Look into local beekeepers as well to make sure you’re getting the best of the best. Bees matter, after all.
What your favourite use of honey? Let us know below!
