8 Little-Known Facts About Honey
Oh, sweet honey. You may have heard it referred to as liquid gold, and this couldn’t be more accurate. Honey is one of nature’s most valuable gifts for so many reasons, and its uses go way beyond just sweetening your coffee. Here are 8 interesting facts about honey that you probably didn’t know!
1.Honey collection has been practiced since ancient times.
Honey collection dates back an estimated 10,000 years to ancient Europe and Africa, and the practice of beekeeping and domestication was practiced by the ancient Egyptians as far back as about 4,500 years ago, according to cave paintings analyzed by experts.
2. Honey is one of the only foods that doesn’t spoil.
In fact, while excavating the Egyptian pyramids, archeologists found pots of honey estimated to be about 3000 years old, and they were still perfectly fine to eat! Over time, honey will crystallize but this doesnt mean it’s bad. According to the national honey board, just place the jar in warm water and stir until the honey is no longer crystallized.
3. Honey has antibacterial properties.
Various types of honey have been used extensively throughout history as an antibacterial disinfectant, and to assist in wound healing. Honey can even effectively kill antibiotic resistant bacteria! Today, there are several wound care products on the market that utilize honey. (Ex. Medihoney)
4. Honey is also very effective as a burn treatment.
In fact, the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, published an article which analyzed the use of honey dressings compared to traditional silver sulfadiazine dressings, and they found that the honey dressings nearly doubled the speed at which burns healed!
5. Honey can have many different colors and flavors.
It all depends on the bees’ habitat. You may have heard of wildflower honey, buckwheat honey, orange blossom honey, etc. But what makes these flavors unique? It’s all about convenience to the bees. The bees are going to congregate at the nearest place they can get nectar. So if you put your beehives in the middle of an apple orchard, your bees will preferentially use apple blossoms as their nectar source, and will make apple blossom honey. (This doesn’t mean 100% of the nectar is from apple blossoms, but a vast majority will be). If you dont have a specific crop of fruits or flowers near your hives, this means the bees will probably create a wildflower honey by visiting several different types of flowers.
6. Honey is an excellent beauty product.
You can use honey for a whole slew of different things including shampoo and conditioner, face wash, exfoliating mask, lip balm, as a bath additive, for acne and scarring, and the list goes on. Check out this great article in Women’s Healthon how to use honey as a beauty product!
7. Honey can stabilize blood sugar.
Despite being very sweet, honey can actually help stabilize blood sugar. This is because honey has a low glycemic index, which means its sugars are slowly released into the bloodstream over time compared to refined sugar. This prevents blood sugar spikes that are seen with refined sugar.
8. Honey can aid in weight loss.
Honey can aid in weight loss by providing an energy boost to your cells and increasing your metabolism. Compared to refined sugar, honey is a much healthier alternative and when combined with proper dieting and regular exercise, can help give you the edge when working toward your weight loss goals.
Conclusion
Honey is a wonderful, nutrient rich food, with a ton of health and beauty benefits! This list that I have created is far from exhaustive because there are just so many great things to say about it! Next time you get to enjoy some honey, take a moment to appreciate how amazing the liquid gold truly is, and don’t forget to thank the honey bees!
Thank you so much for sticking around. If you enjoyed this article and would like more content just like it, please subscribe to our blog below!
Cody earned a Master’s Degree in Nurse Anesthesia from Albany Medical College in 2017, after working as a Critical Care Registered Nurse for 6 years. Though he spends a lot of time in the operating room administering anesthesia, his passion lies on the farm. Cody grew up on Thistle Downs Farm, and a lot of the lessons he has learned over the years are reflected in his articles. For him, there is no place he’d rather be than right at home on the farm.