Honey has been used as a medicine for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, Greece, China, India and countless other cultures, honey has been an invaluable substance for wound care and used as a natural cure for infections and diseases. Early thinkers like Homer, Pythagoras, and Hippocrates mentioned that people should eat honey to preserve their health and vigor.
Today honey is a popular ingredient in many foods, desserts, and skincare products, and is still extensively used as a home remedy for the treatment of wounds, colds, coughs, and allergies.
COLDS & COUGHS
When you are coming down with a cold, you can easily relieve your symptoms by consuming honey. Honey has antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties that fight against the virus, bacteria, and fungus to treat the cold and its underlying symptoms. It helps to soothe a sore or scratchy throat naturally and relieves irritation. It boosts the immune system, which reduces the severity of colds and also prevents future colds and other viruses. Take one tablespoon of honey at the first sign of a cold or cough or add honey and lemon juice to tea or warm water.
ALLERGIES
Honey is well known to reduce or eliminate the suffering from seasonal allergies. This effect is essentially because you’re pre-exposing yourself to allergens in a contained and controlled manner. Honeybees collect pollen, a.k.a. allergens, and turn that pollen into calorie rich liquid. So when you’re consuming that honey you’re basically immunizing yourself against what causes your allergies. But you will not get this effect from pasteurized and commercial brands of honey. For true allergy relief you must consume local, raw, unfiltered, totally natural honey.
WOUND CARE
Honey has been used to heal open wounds for thousands of years. It’s antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties are well known. It has also been found to stop necrosis (cell death) in tissue when applied to wounds. Honey can be applied directly to open wounds. It is proven very effective to prevent infections while greatly decreasing the healing time.
ENERGY
Honey is nature’s energy booster! It provides a concentrated energy source that helps prevent fatigue and can boost athletic performance. Honey supplies two stages of energy: the glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost; the fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy.
NOTE: Honey is a little higher in calories than sugar and should be considered the same as sugar to diabetics and treated cautiously.
Disclaimer: Pediatricians strongly caution against feeding honey to children under 1 year old. This is because of the risk of botulism. Honey can contain spores of a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which can germinate in a baby’s immature digestive system and cause infant botulism, a rare but potentially fatal illness.
SOURCES:
http://homeremediesforlife.com/honey-for-cold/