Honey: 8 properties and benefits for our body

Honey is a food known to humans since ancient times. There are cave paintings that refer to honey gatherers, as well as different references to different peoples such as the Babylonians.

Egyptians and Greeks saw it as a sacred product, and it is that honey is food and medicine at the same time. In this article we will review 8 properties and benefits of honey for our body, a food that bees provide us and which humans are lucky to be able to enjoy.

10 properties and benefits of honey

Honey is a very sweet food that everyone likes. It is excellent that it is a rich and healthy food at the same time, since this means that we can enjoy eating it while it acts to our benefit. Anyway, it has a high caloric intake and we cannot overdo it by taking too much.

Taking honey in moderation is a great help for our body for several reasons. Next we will see what are the 8 most remarkable properties and benefits of honey for our body.

1. Sweetening power

Today we have refined sugar and many more alternatives to sweeten our desserts, breakfasts, snacks, etc., but if we throw back a little in our evolutionary history we will see that we do not It was like that.

The only natural sweetener that existed in the past was honey, and today it is still a great option, if not the best. It is an excellent substitute for natural sugar because its composition makes it much healthier for our body as we will see below.

2. Nutritional composition

Its main contribution is energy since it provides many monosaccharides or simple sugars, such as fructose and glucose (which are actually what provide the sweetness in honey). It is for this reason that we must moderate its consumption, as it has a considerable caloric intake.

ButIn addition to sugars, in honey we find other interesting micronutrients such as folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin B, niacin, iron or zinc. These guarantee the correct activity of the immune system and our metabolism.

3. Antioxidants

Antioxidants are natural substances that help fight free radicals, substances that give cells problems. Basically free radicals hinder the normal activity of the cell and also make it age.

That means that all foods that contain antioxidants are very interesting to eat. They help us prevent diseases of all kinds and make our cells age more slowly. Its presence in our body helps the immune system to do its job and inhibits inflammation.

4. Helps digest

Honey helps us digest because it contains enzymes, proteins that help facilitate and accelerate chemical reactions related to digestion. Examples of them are amylase, catalase, peroxide oxidase or acid phosphorylase.

If we notice that we need to digest a meal, it is an excellent idea to take an infusion of some herb that helps to digest (chamomile, mint, boldo, anise, lemon balm, fennel, ...) with a tablespoon of honey. In addition, you can add other foods that also go well such as cinnamon or lemon juice.

5. Antibacterial action

Some compounds found in honey have antibacterial power, such as phenolic acid, hydrogen peroxide, glucose oxidase or some flavonoids.

In addition, the high concentration of sugars makes it very difficult for microorganisms to reproduce. When there is a food with a high concentration of sugar accompanied by very little presence of water, microorganisms cannot thrive

This bacterial inhibition is such that perfectly preserved honey samples have been found in jars in Egyptian excavations. Its dating revolves around 2000 years, but this honey was perfectly consumable only by heating it.

6. Relieves a sore throat and cough.

The antibacterial properties of honey also make this product help fight disease such as colds, pharyngitis, and other sore throats.

In addition to calming pain, it also helps calm coughs thanks to its soothing action. That is why it is once again advisable to have a hot drink with honey to which we can add lemon juice, also a natural disinfectant.

7. Helps us regulate our energy

Among the benefits and properties of honey, we must also point out its revitalizing capacity when we need that extra point of energy.

The particularly good thing is that, while this food is capable of giving us more energy, largely thanks to the contribution of sugar, it also promotes our sleep and improves symptoms of stress. Therefore, They are good for us to combat weakness and fatigue and at the same time promote rest and relaxation of our body.

8. Regenerates the skin

As we have discussed in the introduction, honey is also a medicine. We have talked about the antibacterial properties to fight colds and sore throats, and the truth is that honey also has antiseptic power.

Ancient civilizations already used honey to treat skin wounds such as abrasions, burns, ulcers or infections. An ointment was made with honey and some herbs to heal thanks to its emollient and antibiotic power.

Bibliographic references

• Bardy, J., Slevin, N.J., Mais, K.L. and Molassiotis, A. (2008). A systematic review of honey uses and its potential value within oncology care, J Clin Nurs, 17 (19), 2604–2623.
• Majtan, J. (2014). Honey: an immunomodulator in wound healing. Wound Repair Regen, 22, 187–192.
• Molan, P.C (1999). The role of honey in the management of wounds. Journal of Wound Care, 8 (8), 415–418.
• Rao, P.V., Krishnan, V.T, Salleh, N and Gan, H. (2016). Biological and therapeutic effects of honey produced by honey bees and stingless bees: a comparative review. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia, 26 (5), 657–664.