Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
Let me first tackle, why I chose the specific terms in the title.
The term “immortal” since honey does not get spoiled even if stored for thousands of years because of the fact that it is not conducive to growth of spoiling bacteria. One botulism causing bacterium can lurk in there in a dormant form (spore) and as such honey is avoided in kids under one year of age.
The science of medicinal uses of honey called “Apitherapy.” The healthy part comes from the fact that honey, in contrast to other sweeteners actually provides several health benefits that I have discussed below.
In fact, even the honey bee venom contains a variety of proteins that may be of medicinal use.
What is honey
Honey is complex product produced by honey bees, insects scavenging nectar from flower to flower. It is comprised of sugar, enzymes, amino acids and anti-oxidants in water in varying quantities.yet its use spans the spectrum of uses:
- Medicinal
- Religious
- Cosmetic
- Sweetener
- Nutritional
Beehive
Each beehive contains one queen bee, several male drone to fertilize the new female bees and tens of thousands of worker bees. Honey may be collected from wild beehives or produced in domesticated ones.
Production of honey by bee
Bee collects nectar from flowers, and when back in the beehive repeatedly regurgitates the partially digested nectar. Once it is of appropriate quality it is stored in the honey comb. The water evaporates so as to reduce risk of fermentation.
Certain wasp species also feed on nectar and produce honey.
Role of honey for the bees
It is a source of energy for during its foraging nectar from flowers as well as storage for of food in the beehive.
A Historical Perspective on Honey
Humans have been producing honey for at least 8000 years. It has been used by ancient civilizations across the planet including but not limited to Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese and Romans.
Mention of the use of honey can be seen in holy scriptures of multiple religions including old and new Testament and Holy Quran.
Al-Waili and colleagues from Waili Foundation for Science, Queens, NY, quote from Quran that states,” And thy LORD taught the bee to build its cells in hills, on trees and in men’s habitations, then to eat of all the produce of the earth and find with skill the spacious paths of its LORD, there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men, verily in this is a sign for those who give thought.” Prophet Mohamad advocated use of honey for treatment of diarrhea.
Honey has been used for treatment of wounds long before the discovery of infectious bacteria
Nutritional value of honey
Carbohydrates comprise about 95% of honey. Most of the crabs are made up of monosaccharides like fructose and glucose. Larger sugars including sucrose is also present in small quantities. Many of these sugar compounds are actually not present in the original nectar and is created during honey production process.
A smaller portion is made up by proteins including all essential aminoacids, vitamins and minerals. Pure honey has many medicinal components like antioxidant polyphenols and flavonoids, cardiac glycosides etc. A variety of acids in honey give it acidic flavor, although honey can also act as a buffer.
All honey are not created equal
- There are about 300 types of honey.
- Honey may be from single flower source or mixed. Single flower source or specific blends are frequently used in research.
- Type of honey depends in part on variable sources of nectar. They may be derived from single flower, may be blended version or derived from diverse wild flowers. Nectar from different flower sources yield distinctive flavors.
- The most commonly used honey is produced by Apis bees, hence the name Apis honey. There are other types of honey bees as well as insects that may produce honey as well, although it is smaller in quality differ significantly from Apis honey. Honey is the storage form of primary food source of honey in the beehive.
The sweet characteristic of honey is due mainly to its fructose and glucose content. Its unique baking characteristics and flavor make it attractive to chefs as a sweetener in a variety of recipes.
Risks from bees
Risks from bees is not restricted to stings. Honey may contain allergic substances are known to occur although severe allergic reaction of anaphylaxis type is rare
Allergic reaction is more likely in subjects with history of other allergies and those with chronic lung disease.
Honey contamination
Honey and other bee products may be contaminated by pesticides, antibiotics used on the farm etc.
- There may even be presence of radioactive materials. Presence of these harmful materials may cause mutations in genes while antibiotics may cause antibiotic resistant.
- Widespread use of antibiotics on the farm animals results in accumulation of antibiotic residues in honey,
- Pesticides are used to protect against bee diseases and pests as well as to protect crops. Thee unregulated use creates major problems for the habitat.
- Adverse effects of pesticides depend on type and extent of exposure and can have far reaching consequences including but not limited to birth defects, allergies and cancer.
A wide variety of micro-organisms may be seen in honey including bacteria and fungi. Clostridium botulism is obviously the best known and documented with potential for botulism in infants. The degree of contamination depends on source and they may be seen in as many as 16% of honey samples.
Honey Poisoning
- Mad honey intoxication due to contamination of honey by certain toxins in Turkey has been documented since 401 BC.
- Some types of honey can be toxic!
- Honey poisoning may occur on ingestion of honey derived from certain plants. Even death may occur.
- Toxic effects may result due to adulteration just like for any other food.
Caution
Raw honey that has not undergone sterilization should not be used in infants.
Bees are becoming less frequent and it is not good for us!
Existence of bees is under stress as it is for humans.
- Recent declines in bee colonies has been attributed to parasites diseases, and pesticides. Harmful effects of pesticides like Neonicotinoid led to their ban in many countries.
- The stressors include newer and newer chemical pesticides given in various potent combinations along with newer parasites being spread by humans.
- Flowers are fewer in number and the rich diversity in types of flowers is adding to the woes.
According to Dr. Goulson and colleagues from the School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, UK., “It seems certain that chronic exposure to multiple interacting stressors is driving honey bee colony losses and declines of wild pollinators.”
Dr. Goulson’s team recommendations include incorporating “flower-rich habitat into farmland, reducing pesticide use through adopting more sustainable farming methods, and enforcing effective quarantine measures on bee movements.”
Therapeutic benefits of honey
I will be reviewing in another post, the medicinal use of honey including but not limited to cough and upper respiratory infections.
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