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In ancient Egypt honey is used as an offering to their
gods, a dressing for wounds, and an embalming fluid. It has a long medicinal
history.
Today, holistic practitioners consider it one of the best
all-around remedies because of its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
properties. Honey’s health benefits are proven in the area of wound care and
cough suppression.
Let’s
get to know the important facts and warnings from honey.
Never Give Honey To An
Infant
Pediatricians
strongly caution against feeding honey to children under 1 year old because of
the risk of botulism. Babies do not have a developed immune system to defend
themselves against infection.
Honey
can give infants botulism. The spores of botulism bacteria are found in dust
and soil that make their way into honey. Botulism is a paralytic disorder and
the infant must be given anti-toxins and would be placed in a respirator. But
with adults, eating honey is completely harmless because adults have fully
developed gastrointestinal tract and developed immune system to defend against
infection.
Antibacterial Honey?
Honey, in the laboratory has been
shown to hamper the growth of food-borne pathogens such as salmonella and E.
coli. It’s also known to fight certain bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus
aureus, both of which are common in doctors’ offices and hospitals, but if
it does the same in people, well it hasn’t been proven yet.
Honey comes in different varieties.
It depends on the nectar gathered, and the floral source of pollen. When
shopping for honey you’ll see that there is lighter and darker variety. The
darker ones have better antibacterial and antioxidant power.
Manuka honey is from the nectar of
Leptospermum scoparium in New Zealand. It’s the basis of Medihoney which is
used in treating wounds and skin ulcers, but never use it for burns because it
can cause pain.
Medihoney is purified with ultraviolet light
that’s why its antibacterial action is better preserved than those honey
purified with heat. It’s the pH content of Manuka honey that helps in the
healing process... Read more from:
