Honey

What is Honey Honey is a natural sweet, thick sugary solution produced by honeybees. Honeybees collect the nectar or sweet juices from blossoms. It also can get from the secretion of living parts of plants or, excretions of plant sucking insects on the living parts of plants. With their tongues, the honeybees suck out the nectar and keep it in sacs with these sweet juices, the honeybees fly back to their hive, store and leave in the honeycomb to ripen and mature. Honey is primarily composed of glucose, fructose and water. It also contains special enzymes, vitamin, amino acids, ash and mineral. (Enzyme that honeybees produce turn the sucrose-a disaccharide- into glucose and fructose (monosaccharide)). Table sugar contains same basic units as honey, is glucose and fructose. Granulated table sugar has glucose and fructose hooked together. Whereas in honey, fructose and glucose remain in individual units. Fructose is sweeter than glucose, that is a reason fructose is used in many food product. However, fructose does not convert to energy as efficiently as glucose. Besides this, honey contains nearly all of the trace elements that human needs. It is also free of fat, cholesterol and sodium. Honey comes in different types of colors and flavors. The color and flavor of honey depends on the how old the honey is and the kind of flavor that the nectar source was extracted from. The color of honey ranges from light brown to dark brown. The flavor varies from delectably mild to distinctively bold. In general, lighter colored honeys are mild in flavor, while darker honeys are more robust in flavor.   History of Honey The history of honey is rich in tradition. This ancient substance has been used for food, drinks, medicine, barter, cosmetics, cooking, food preservation, art, etc. It has been used in religion, mythology, legends and literature as well as studied by scientists. The oldest written reference to the use of honey is thought to be Egyptian, about 5500 BC. At that time Lower Egypt was called Bee Land while Upper Egypt was Reed Land. History has recorded that ancient Egypt used honey as the medicine while in the First World War. Honey mixed with cod liver oil were used to treat soldier's wound. The use of honey was taken to India by Aryan invaders and became associated with religious rites. Honey is also mentioned on ancient submarine clay tablets, possibly even older than the Egyptian reference. Later Babylonian tablets give recipes for "electuaries" - medicine based on honey. An electuary mentioned in the 1st century AD by the Roman writer Pliny the Elder included powdered bees. It was said to be a cure for dropsy and bladder stones. In 1800, some archaeologists working in Egypt found a large jar of honey. They opened it and found that it tasted perfect even thought it was thousands of years old. Honey is also mentioned in the holy book for moslems, the Koran, while the great Napoleon was also used the bees as a symbol of his empire. Benefits of Honey Bee have inhabited this world for more than 42 million years and it has not been  infected by virus or bacteria. It is naturally known as " King of Nature". Indubitable, honey is an excellent food and medicine. Honey is considered the only food that includes all the substance necessary to sustain life. Honey has potent antiseptic and antibacterial qualities. Its antiseptic properties inhibits the growth of certain bacterial and helps keep external wounds clean and free from infection. Its antibacterial properties prevent infection and functions as an anti-inflammatory agent, reducing scarring, swelling and pain. The fact is, more and more as researches are turning up incredible evidence of honey's medical benefit in all directions. Research shows that : Honey can improves chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, sinus problems and allergies. Honey has been used to combat depression, fatigue, insomnia, nervous disorders, urine retention, cramps, headaches, and high blood pressure. Honey also can hastens the healing of wounds effectively. Honey facilitates the digestion and assimilation of other foods. Honey has laxative, sedative, antitoxic effects. Honey is effective in countering anemia. Honey also can be use in beauty industry. Because honey is a strong anti-inflammatory agent that prevents infections and reduces the existing ones when applied on problem, blemish or sensitive skin. It also has antibacterial properties used for preparation of body scrub recipes that cleanse the body and leave it bacteria free. In general, honey is effective in beautifies and soothes the skin, clears many skin disorders. Besides this, honey also can be replace with table sugar for who was in diet. Because honey is fat free and natural sweetener. Fructose and glucose plays an important role in processing fatigue during exercise and are quickly absorbed by the body. The developer of the diet, Mike Mc Innes, a Scottish pharmacist, who discovered that the athletes eating foods rich in fructose( such as honey) burnt more fat and had increase stamina. Honey has also been found to keep levels of blood sugar fairly constant compared to table sugar.