If you're a seasonal allergy sufferer, you may be interested in learning more about local raw honey benefits and the relief some people have experienced from seasonal allergy symptoms along with a host of nutritional advantages.
Can Vegetarians Eat Honey
Honey is made by domesticated honeybees, and as a predigested product, it remains a disputed subject among vegetarians. While some vegetarians consider it a natural sweetener, strict vegans who strive to eliminate all animal products from their diet won't touch it. This article is not written to promote the use of honey by those who choose not to eat it. In fact, there are other natural options for allergy relief. However, this article is meant to be an overview of how local raw honey can be a benefit for vegetarians who do use it as a supplement to their diet.
Honey Healing Properties
Honey has been used as a sweetener for thousands of years, but what some people don't realize is that it also has a long history as a healing agent. When using honey in this way, local raw honey benefits you the most because it is produced by bees from the area in which you live. Foods, including honey, that are locally "grown" hold immune-stimulating elements your body requires to adapt to its environment.
Traditionally, honey is a great sweetener for tea, on biscuits, or as an ingredient in the concoction your mother used to give you when you had a sore throat. Yes, honey is a food with multifaceted uses. For centuries it's been used as a healing remedy. While science is in the process of researching these benefits, generations of people who have used it tout its healing properties such as:
- Help to reduce the side effects of radiation therapy for patients enduring head and neck cancer.
- Increased antioxidants
- Increased endurance and energy
- Improved oral health
- Reduction of muscle fatigue
- Relief from morning sickness
- Soothes sore throats
- Fights impotence in men (Warm raw goat's milk mixed with raw honey is said to improve sperm count).
- Aid with infertility in women
Raw Honey and Cinnamon
While the above general benefits are impressive, mixing raw honey with cinnamon has a host of reported benefits all its own. Some claim to lose weight by mixing cinnamon and honey in a tea-like mixture. Other benefits said to come about from using honey and cinnamon together include relief from the following:
- Arthritis
- Bad breath
- Bladder infection
- Slow hair loss
- Upset stomach
Raw Honey as a Salve
Raw honey is also a popular healing ingredient in salves. In fact, studies on honey salve for diabetic ulcers has proven that the honey treatment is not only effective but works on individuals when other topical antibiotics were not ineffective. A raw honey salve can also be used to treat eczema.Orally, honey has shown healing properties when applied to bleeding gums and canker sores.
Other Raw Honey Medicinal Combinations
Along with the Cinnamon and Honey mixture, honey has partnered with other natural ingredients to provide unique healing properties.
Honey and Apple Cider Vinegar
Mixing raw honey with raw apple cider vinegar in hot water as a tea can be used for a variety of ailments including:
- Stomach aches
- Constipation
- Migraines
Honey and Lemon
This tasty mixture is said to shift extra fat stores within the body so they can be used for energy.
Local Raw Honey Benefits for Seasonal Allergies
If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you know how miserable it can make you. Local raw honey makes a great natural aid in reducing allergy symptoms to local flowering plants. That's because the raw honey contains a small amount of pollen from these local plants and for many users it boosts immunity to local allergens.
Take two or three teaspoons of local raw honey daily to fight allergies, and for best results, start taking raw locally-grown organic honey four or five months before the allergy season starts.
Raw honey can usually be found in your local health food stores and may well be available through other local vendors. Ask about local markets that sell organic goods and you will most likely find a resource for purchasing a variety of locally grown honey. This also helps to support your local independent farmers and helps them stay in business.
Does It Really Work?
As with any folk remedy it's important to remember that what may work for one person doesn't necessarily work for everyone. However, if you are plagued with seasonal allergies, raw honey is worth a try. Even if it doesn't help with your stuffy nose and watery eyes, you'll be giving your body a healthy dose of natural vitamins and minerals including:
- Vitamin B6
- Thiamin
- Niacin
- Riboflavin
- Pantothenic acid
- Calcium
- Copper
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Zinc
- Antioxidants
- Vitamin C
Word of Caution
With all of honey's remarkable attributes, it's easy to think of it as a great option for a sweet treat for kids, but it should NEVER be given to children before they are a year old. That's because honey contains something called botulinum endospores which produce Clostrdium botulinum bacteria. The digestive tract of children under 12 months isn't mature enough to fight the growth of this bacteria and it can cause infant botulism which is a form of food poisoning.
