| Benefits | Rare Sugar | Know Pure Honey | Sundarban Honey | Honey Hunters | Precaution |
Honey- The Natural Healer
Let us have a quick peek at what the leading religious scriptures say about honey, for This will help us get into the journey of knowing about raw Sundarban honey.
And your Lord inspired to the bee, “Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct.
Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you].” There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought.
“Make use of the two cures: Honey and the Quran” (Sunan Ibn Majah)
It is said that Prophet Jesusas ate fish with honey comb along with his disciples after surviving the crucifixion:
“While they were still in disbelief because of their joy and amazement, He asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honey comb, and He took it and ate it in front of them.”
(Luke 24:42)
“From honey sprang this Plant to life; with honey now we dig thee up. Make us as sweet as honey, for from honey hast thou been produced.”
A young man’s love-charm, Hymn 34, Hymns of the Atharva Veda
The liquid gold
Honey has been a popular food item throughout the ages. This is because of its sweet taste and incredible healing power.
The flavor and composition of honey can also vary widely depending on the source, i.e, flower it is collected from. Each type has its specialties and health benefits.
For example, There are more than 40 different floral honeys sold across Europe. Also, Arab countries alone produce 400 kinds of honey.
And this was clarified by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira , who explained a verse saying- “Of varying hues”: The Arabs have found 400 types of honey because in the Arabic language, there are 400 different names for it. (Badr, 10 February 1910)
In this way this liquid gold is found in thousands of different tastes, look and composition all over the world.
Virtues of honey according to today’s science:
Composition of Raw Honey
Honey is a mixture of complex sugars. There almost 80-85% is regular sugars like fructose and glucose. Rest is comprised of rare sugars. This makes honey unique among all other natural foods.
Rare sugars are found in nature in a limited amount. This is why it is called ‘Rare Sugar’.
This type of sugar can be used as a better alternative for the regular sugar since it has no harmful effects to our body.
Below is a typical honey profile, according to Bee Source
Benefits of rare sugars
1) They contain fewer calories
2) They show lower glucose response than glucose
3) Rare sugars have no harmful effects on teeth
4) They can improve sugar digestion and metabolism
5) They lower adipose by improving the body’s ability to oxidase lipids
6) Rare sugars are beneficial for gut bacteria and immune modulator y effects.
Other common benefits of eating Honey
Raw honey contains strong anti-oxidant:
Anti-oxidants play a great role in our biological system by Cleaning up the free radicals which are considered as the waste materials of our body and are created in metabolic system. In addition, it helps control diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure & cancer.
Anti-oxidants are also good for having nice skin. In addition, it is a secret behind anti-ageing.
Prevents Heart Disease:
Intake of pure natural honey increases polyphonic antioxidants in the blood. This in turn prevents Heart Diseases and improves cholesterol levels.
Honey has antiseptic property:
Though honey is being used as an antiseptic material since long ago, recent researches has also found its authenticity. There are numerous reasons behind its having antiseptic property:
Firstly, raw honey has a lower pH level (pH: 3.2-4.5-slightly acidic). On the other hand, a neutral environment is suitable for the growth and reproduction for most bacteria (pH: 6.5-7). . This makes honey is bacteria resistant (inhibition effect).
Secondly, it has a high sugar content (high osmolarity), which also hinders the growth of microbes.
However, different kinds of natural honeys from different floral origins show different levels of anti-microbial properties. Honey from all sources might not fight bacteria effectively.
Therefore, it is recommended to buy honey that is sold with standardized levels of antibacterial activity. For example, Manuka (Leptospermum) honey and Tualang (Koompassia excelsa) honey fall in the finest category.
Raw honey provides instant energy:
The glucose is easily digestible. Hence, our bodies can absorb the energy from it through blood very rapidly after consumption. At the same time, the fructose present in honey is absorbed slowly. This sustained release of energy ensures an elongated provision of energy flow in our body.
It prevents maldigestion:
Honey helps in lowering the secretion of Hydrocloric acid. Thus, it is good for your digestive system too.
Prevents constipation:
Are you suffering from constipation? Don’t worry. Have 1 teaspoonful of honey every morning and enjoy the magic!
Natural healer of asthma and cough:
Honey is a tested remedy for cough. Though certain types of honey may perform better than others. Honey does so by producing a lubricating material which set wet the dry walls of sore throat.
Besides, it can eliminate some common side effects of asthma and cough. So, some might take it as guaranteed that honey can heal asthma. To be honest, they are partially right, since no profound proof behind its effectiveness against asthma has been found yet.
However, recent undergoing research results on animals have brought to light the fact that inhaling honey is also an effective medicine for asthma.
Creates Red blood Cell , fights Anaemia:
Natural honey contains iron, copper, and manganese. For this reason, it helps create red blood cells. So, those who are suffering from anaemia can try raw honey as a natural healer.
It also cleans blood and helps improve blood circulation.
Honey can heal burns and wounds :
It can absorb the air moisture which is very necessary for the wound to recover soon. Plus, Honey does not stick to the wound or newly grown epithelial tissue. So, there is no harm to the wound while dressing process. Additionally, it helps new tissue to grow faster.
Can makeup water deficiency:
Have 50 ml of pure honey mixed with 1L of water when you suffer from diarrhoea. It can restore the water and salt (minerals) that you lose that time.
Insomnia:
If you have trouble sleeping, drink a glass of water mixed with 2 spoonfuls of honey before going to bed at night. That will help you have a quality sleep.
Prevents tooth decay:
Honey is a good medicine for our teeth. It prevents the decaying of the teeth when applied on them.
In addition, it can ease the gum pain or inflammation too, when you rumble with water mixed with honey.
Raw honey improves Sexual weakness:
According to the Persian polymath Avicenna (10th century AD), the mixture of honey, ginger and pepper is a cure of impotence. The magical action of honey on sexual weakness is also described in the Kama Sutra.
Honey contains Boron (7.2 mg/Kg), which helps create strong bones and improve muscle coordination. This in turn improves sexual weakness.
A chemical named chrysin is found abundantly in raw honey. It restricts the conversion of testosteron into estrogen. So, according to the latest research, chrysin can create a short-term testosteron boost.
Honey increases the nitric oxide level in blood. Nitric oxide is released by the blood vessels during physical activity or arousal. Therefore, honey acts as an aid behind penile erections.
Huge source of vitamines and minerals:
Honey is composed of sugars like glucose and fructose and minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron and phosphate.
It contains vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 all of which change according to the qualities of the nectar and pollen. Besides the above, copper, iodine, and zinc are also present, albeit in small quantities.
Other branches of medical science like Ayurveda and Unani also declares honey as a great cure for many diseases.
How to recognise Pure honey:
Place a single drop of honey on a blotting paper and observe. If the honey-drop is not soaked into the blotting paper, then it is a pure honey.
Take a glass of water and put a drop of honey in it. If the drop reaches the bottom of the glass without being dissolved into the water, then the honey is pure.
CLICK TO BUY RAW SUNDARBAN HONEY
Why honey solidifies:
When there is more glucose than fructose in honey, then it solidifies very fast. Eg: So, no worries! Feel free to have it.
There are some other possible reasons too:
Firstly, Presence of much dust particles, pollen or air bubbles in the sample.
Secondly, When temperature is between 11o & 18oC
& finally, If there is much water in it.
However, it melts when some heat is applied. But it is recommended to finish it within 6 months of packaging.
Top Honey producing countries:
According to Wikipedia, China, like it did in the previous years (check in world map), held the 1st position in honey production in 2018. The country alone produced 24% of the total production (19,00,000 tonnes) in the world.
Raw Sundarban Honey:
Sundarban is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It occupies around one million hectors of land and water. This forest is well-known for its trees, rivers, deer and of course for the world renowned Royal Bengal Tigers.
Why raw Sundarban honey is special:
The authors of the scientific paper named “Protective Effect of Sundarban Honey against Acetaminophen-Induced Acute Hepatonephrotoxicity in Rats” have found something extraordinary in raw Sundarban honey.
They applied APAP (N-acetyl-para-aminophenol, better known as acetaminophen or paracetamol) to some rats. APAP causes hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in the body.
Among all the rats that were under the examination, some were pretreated with multifloral Sundarban honey. Those rats showed significantly reduced levels of all negative impacts induced by APAP.
Therefore, the researchers have summerized that a regular intake of honey can be an inexpensive alternative to get protection against toxin-induced acute hepatic and renal damage. In addition, this attributes to the antioxidant properties of honey too.
Additionally, another scientific paper named “Sundarban Honey Confers Protection against Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarction in Wistar Rats” describes how pretreatment with Sundarban honey is good for the myocardium (the muscular tissue of the heart)
How this raw Sundarban honey is collected:
The brave honey hunters:
The people living near the Sundarbans are mostly engaged in:
fishing
cutting woods and gollpata
honey collection
catching crabs and shrimps
The honey collectors or ‘mowals‘ face more difficulty than other groups do. Each step is full of danger for them. The Sundarbans is a forest where the famous Royal Bengal Tigers rule the lands and the Crocodiles the waters. Hence, attack may come from any direction!
So, the honey-hunters must keep close to one another in a group to keep safe.
To get some more money they accept these challenges where danger lurks in all directions. It is them who make it easier for us all to buy raw Sundarban honey from the groceries nearby or even buy online these days from any online service provider like the Makkah Madinah Shop.
Besides life risk, the ‘mowals’ have to undergo enormous financial crisis. They usually have no savings of their own. But they need cash for days or weeks-long mission into the deep forest. So, they have no other way than to borrow money from a local ‘Mohajon‘ or lender.
In fact, the interest rate is too high. Moreover, the ‘Mohajons’ compel the ‘mowals’ to sell their collected honey to them in a cheaper rate compared to the market price. Therefore, this is a double trouble.
Precautions:
There are tons of good reasons behind having honey regularly. However, there are a few yet important points that you should consider before consuming honey or prescribing it to someone else. Those are:
1) Please avoid giving honey to babies under 1 year as it may cause a life threatening disease “infant botulism” in them. Some common symptoms of this illness are constipation, partially closed eyelids, lethargy, breathing problem, paralysis etc.
2) Those who are allergic to bee stings, should avoid products that are directly or indirectly dependant on bees. For example, royal jelly is a product that comes from bees.
3) We know that there is a wide variety of honey in terms of colour, taste, concentration, composition and quality. Naturally, all of these depend on the source flower that the bees are collecting nectar from.
If someone is allergic to any specific plant, then he or she should better avoid the honey produced from it.