The Buzz About Honey

How sweet it is! Honey is one of my favorite super-simple recommendations for so many reasons. It’s great for skin, healing cuts and scrapes, sore throats, and as a yummy alternative to straight sugar. Here’s why honey should be in your cupboard at all times!

Cuts, scrapes, zits, and other skin-ey things!
Studies have shown honey to be as effective as broad-spectrum topical antibiotics. Not only will applying honey to cuts, scrapes, and zits (yes that’s right, zits!) prevent infection, but it will help reduce redness, swelling, and speed healing time. While serving as a good antibiotic substitute, honey spares the beneficial bacteria. How smart! It’s even good against conjunctivitis, or pink-eye. Most importantly, it’s incredibly safe to use because we know it’s completely safe internally. Safe and tasty! Vets often recommend honey topically for surgical recovery in animals due to it’s efficacy and completely non-toxic nature. It’s antibacterial action will decrease if it’s been heated or pasteurized, but will still be effective if you can’t get the raw stuff. 

Try this: as a skin mask for acne, rub raw honey over the entire face and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Inflammation decreases, moisture is retained, and the bad acne-causing bacteria is removed. Add sugar in for an exfoliating scrub once a week.

Soothe sore throats.
Not only is honey great for the reasons mentioned above, but it also serves to provide a soothing coating for sore throats. 

Try this: add finely chopped onion to a small jar of honey. Allow this to sit overnight and use as a cough syrup with enhanced antimicrobial effects!

A better alternative to straight sugar.
Honey is a natural way to sweeten just about anything. Because its sugar content is partially fructose, the body must first convert it into glucose which prevents rapid blood sugar spikes. Also, one study testing the antioxidant activity of natural sweeteners compared to table sugar also found that honey has moderate antioxidant activity, second only to molasses. The effect isn’t that powerful, but off-setting free radical damage is definitely an added bonus.

Try this: substitute the same amount of honey for sugar in any recipe, including tea and coffee (yes, coffee! I’ll vouch for this one!).

That’s the buzz! Have a sweet afternoon!

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