New Age Gathering

The healing power of honey: From burns to weak bones, raw honey can help


The healing power of honey: From burns to weak bones, raw honey can help

(NewsTarget) Raw honey – which has not been pasteurized or filtered, and
ideally taken directly from the hive – is a treasure chest of nutritional
value and medicinal remedies. It contains an abundance of vitamins and
minerals and is a natural and powerful medicine, both internally and
externally. The list of honey's beneficial functions is a long one. Honey
increases calcium absorption; can increase hemoglobin count and treat or
prevent anemia caused by nutritional factors; can help arthritic joints,
when combined with apple cider vinegar; fights colds and respiratory
infections of all kinds; can help to boost gastrointestinal ulcer healing;
works as a natural and gentle laxative; aids constipation, allergies and
obesity; provides an array of vitamins and minerals; and supplies instant
energy without the insulin surge caused by white sugar. Many have found raw
honey helpful for its positive effects against allergies and hay fever, and
one or two teaspoons last thing at night can help with insomnia. As an
antiseptic, honey is also a drawing agent for poisons from bites or stings
or infected wounds, and has outperformed antibiotics in treatments for
stomach ulcerations, gangrene, surgical wound infections, surgical incisions
and the protection of skin grafts, corneas, blood vessels and bones during
storage and shipment.

"Raw honey is exceptionally effective internally against bacteria and
parasites. Plus, raw honey contains natural antibiotics, which help kill
microbes directly. Raw honey, when applied topically, speeds the healing of
tissues damaged by infection and/or trauma. It contains vitamins, minerals
and enzymes, as well as sugars, all of which aid in the healing of wounds."

So writes Dr. Cass Igram, D.O. in The Survivor's Nutritional Pharmacy. In a
fascinating modern development, scientists and doctors are beginning to
rediscover the effectiveness of honey as a wound treatment. In recent years,
honey has been used effectively in clinical settings for the treatment of
fist-sized ulcers extending to the bone, as well as for first, second and
third degree burns. Complete healing has been reported without the need for
skin grafts and with no infection or muscle loss. It can be applied full
strength to such conditions, covered with a sterile bandage, and changed
daily. When the wounds are clean, honey acts as a healer. This also is the
same procedure for infected wounds, ulcerations and impetigo. Garlic honey
can also be applied directly to infected wounds, which will help clean up
the area of infection.

Dr. Peter Molan, professor of biochemistry at Waikato University, New
Zealand, has been at the forefront of honey research for 20 years. He heads
the university's Honey Research Unit, which is internationally recognized
for its expertise in the antimicrobial properties of honey. Clinical
observations and experimental studies have established that honey has
effective antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Astonishingly, it
painlessly removes pus, scabs and dead tissue from wounds and stimulates new
tissue growth. "Randomized trials have shown that honey is more effective in
controlling infection in burn wounds than silver sulfadiazine, the
antibacterial ointment most widely used on burns in hospitals," explains Dr.
Molan.

Dr. Molan believes that if honey were used from the start in cases of
septicemia, there would be far less tissue damage resulting. "The remarkable
ability of honey to reduce inflammation and mop up free radicals should halt
the progress of the skin damage like it does in burns, as well as protecting
from infection setting in", says Dr. Molan. "At present, people are turning
to honey when nothing else works. But there are very good grounds for using
honey as a therapeutic agent of first choice."

Researchers believe that the therapeutic potential of honey is grossly
underutilized. With increasing interest in the use of alternative therapies
and as the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads, honey may
finally receive its due recognition as a wound healer.

Indeed, it works: Raw honey makes a sterile, painless and effective wound
dressing. Apply it directly to open cuts, abrasions and burns, and cover it
with a piece of gauze. The results will occur quicker than with conventional
alternatives, such as salves and creams.

Honey is also exceptionally effective for respiratory ailments. One
Bulgarian study of almost 18,000 patients found that it improved chronic
bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis, chronic and allergic rhinitis and
sinusitis. It's an effective treatment for colds, flu, respiratory
infections and a generally depressed immune system. Whereas sugar shuts down
the immune system, a good quality honey will stimulate it into action.

Here are some more ways to utilize the healing power of honey:

BURNS - Apply freely over burns. It cools, removes pain and aids fast
healing without scarring. Apart from being a salve and an antibiotic,
bacteria simply cannot survive in honey.

BED WETTING - A teaspoon of honey before bed aids water retention and calms
fears in children.

INSOMNIA - A dessertspoon of honey in a mug of warm milk aids and
works wonders.

HYPERACTIVITY - Replace all use of white sugar with honey. White sugar is
highly stimulating with no food qualities. Honey provides the energy without
the "spike."

NASAL CONGESTION - Place a dessert spoon of honey in a basin of water and
inhale fumes after covering your head with a towel over the basin. Very
effective!

FATIGUE - Dissolve a dessert spoon of honey in warm water or quarter honey
balance of water in a jug and keep in the fridge. Honey is primarily
fructose and glucose, so it's quickly absorbed by the digestive system.
Honey is a unique natural stabilizer: Ancient Greek athletes took honey for
stamina before competing and as a reviver after competition.

FACIAL DEEP CLEANSER - Mix honey with an equal quantity of oatmeal, and
apply as a face pack. Leave on for half an hour, then wash it off. Great as
a deep cleanser for acne and other unwanted blemishes.

POOR DIGESTION - Mix honey with an equal quantity of apple cider vinegar and
dilute to taste with water. This is also wonderful for the joints – and
promotes weight loss.

HAIR CONDITIONER - Mix honey with an equal quantity of olive oil, cover head
with a warm tower for half an hour then shampoo off. Feeds hair and scalp.
Your hair will never look or feel better!

SORE THROATS - Let a teaspoon of honey melt in the back of the mouth and
trickle down the throat. Eases inflamed raw tissues.

FOR STRESS - Honey in water is a stabilizer, calming highs and raising lows.
Use approximately 25 percent honey to water.

ANEMIA - Honey is the best blood enricher by raising corpuscle content. The
darker the honey, the more minerals it contains.

FOOD PRESERVATIVE – If you replace the sugar in cake and cookie recipes with
honey, they'll stay fresher longer due to honey's natural antibacterial
properties. Reduce liquids in the mixture by about one-fifth to allow for
the moisture present in the in honey.

BABY'S BOTTLE - Four teaspoons of honey to a baby's bottle of water is an
excellent pacifier and multivitamin additive. If the baby's motions are too
liquid, then reduce the honey by half a teaspoon; if too solid increase by
half a teaspoon. (Caution: Don't give raw honey to babies under 1 year old;
it's just too rich.) For teething, honey rubbed on a baby's gums is also a
mild sedative and anesthetic.

OSTEOPOROSIS – Research has shown that a teaspoon of honey per day aids
calcium utilization and prevents osteoporosis – probably not a bad idea for
anyone over 50.

LONGEVITY - The most long-lived people in the world are all regular users of
honey. An interesting fact, yet to be explained, is that beekeepers suffer
less from cancer and arthritis than any other occupational group worldwide.

MIGRAINE - Use a dessertspoon of honey dissolved in half a glass of warm
water. Sip at the start of a migraine attack, and, if necessary, repeat
after another 20 minutes.

CONJUNCTIVITIS - Dissolve honey in an equal quantity of warm water. When
cooled, apply as a lotion or eye bath.

COUGH MIXTURE – Combine 6 ounces (170 grams) liquid honey, 2 ounces (55
grams) glycerin and the juice of two lemons. Mix well. Bottle and cork
firmly, and use as required.

Raw honey may become granulated, as some does after a week and another maybe
only after several years. If the granulations bother you, simply place the
honey into a pan of hot water (not boiling) and let it stand until becoming
liquid again.

Kelly Joyce Neff has an interdisciplinary degree in Celtic Studies which
includes work in cultural anthropology, history, linguistics, language, and
literature.

Posted by Cougar Thursday, February 08, 2007 (04:25:22)