Honey

Many traditional medicines used honey to cure various ailments, and it is not surprising, because we know that since 2 500 years ago the man had consumed various purposes. Since the ancient Egyptians and, on this side of the world, several Mesoamerican cultures had found its properties, especially the healing of wounds.
At various points around the globe has been used to prevent contamination of wounds, treat mastitis in dairy cows, cure peptic ulcers, gastroenteritis to alleviate and control the tub.
Currently one of the peculiarities of the honey that attracts more research universities and laboratories around the world is its power antibiotic course.


Sweet as honey
The honey is composed mainly of glucose and fructose, in addition to water, but contains other sugars (including maltose, sucrose, Turan, isomalt and maltulosa), acids, proteins and minerals.
Since it is a "sweet" high in fructose, honey under certain conditions tends to absorb water. For that reason often used in some bakery products to extend its "shelf life", as it maintains the moisture of the food.
But those are not their only nor the most admirable features:
As a sweetener, honey can replace sugar, contains about 69% of glucose and fructose. It is a source of energy: the honey provides 64 calories per tablespoon, an amount greater than that provided by sugar cane, which provides 50 calories per tablespoon. • It's easy digestion.
Improving the performance of those who do so much physical exercise as the athletes, helps maintain stable levels of glucose in the blood, the recovery of muscles and the restoration of glycogen after training.
It is said to be a source of vitamins and minerals, although recent studies show that the quantities of each other and are so small they are not significant.
It batericida and fungicide. Applied on wounds promotes the recovery of injured tissue and serves as an antiseptic.
Softens the skin. Combined with milk, honey has a softening effect.

Crystallized honey
There are many myths on how to recognize the pure honey bee, on the crystallized honey and whether it is possible to heat it or not. According to our investigations, many honeys that are sold in shops and supermarkets have been boiled and filtered for delaying the crystallization process, which is perfectly normal, but apparently it destroys some of their nutrients. Crystallized honey is not defective, no wax is dissolved and no sugar.
If the preferred liquid, simply place the bottle in a bowl with hot water (not in a water bath), or let alone is founded, as if it were butter, at untarla on hot cakes, bread or other foods hot.
Not recommended for heating in microwave or directly on the stove because it is easy to burn and its flavor is altered.
The case of antioxidants
It is nutritious and non-nutritive substances that can delay or inhibit oxidation, or neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals. The body suffers the effects of oxidative stress, responsible for the increase in cardiovascular disease and cancer, among other ills.
Research shows that honey contains numerous phenolic and non-phenolic antioxidants, whose quantity and characteristics are heavily dependent on the source from which it originates floral honey. The darker honeys usually have higher content of antioxidants, honey clearer.

Baby, refrain
Honey may contain Clostridium botulinum spores that cause infant botulism, a terrible disease that affects the nervous system of babies under one year and a half old. These spores are scattered in the atmosphere, and tend to accumulate in dust, soil and food badly packaged. The immune system of adults and children older than 18 months, in general, already has enough defenses to combat them, and that these spores become harmless when subjected to heat, for example, to manufacture food in ovens, toasters and rosticeros, to name a few.

In search of truth
In recent decades have been conducted numerous studies to determine the veracity and extent of the alleged power of honey antiseptic, especially in the treatment of wounds. In some textbooks healthcare shown that honey has antimicrobial properties, which promotes wound healing without encouraging the formation of crust, deodorizes the wounds that have a foul odor, stimulates the regeneration of tissues and, more importantly, keeps the wound hydrated , Which in many cases, it is important to prevent the new tissue is deformed.
The most recent studies have been conducted at the Research Unit of the Honey of Waikato, New Zealand, and the Christie Hospital in Manchester, England. In this latest study, from 2006, the application of honey for cancer patients to promote a swift recovery after surgery.
In these studies has been able to determine that honey inhibits a broad-spectrum of bacteria capable of causing an infection, and some fungi.
As to its composition, Honey is a super-saturated solution of sugar, of which 84% is a mix of fructose and glucose, while the water is only between 15 and 20% of their weight. The explanation for the antibacterial action is that the interaction of molecules of these sugars with water molecules would leave very little of the latter available for microorganisms.
Although certain types of yeast survive in some honeys with higher water content, with which the honey-decomposes, it is so scarce that is not enough to sustain any life form, even if the water content is lower than 17.1 % Fermentation is not possible.
Also, honey is undiluted acid half, with a pH of between 3.2 and 4.5, which is another factor that inhibits the development of many pathogens (such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp.; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 4.4; Streptococcus pyogenes). However, we must take into account that body fluids can dilute the honey and thus increase its pH.
But, apparently, the most important reason for which the honey has an antibacterial effect is that as a result of the activity of enzymes containing the bee, which occurs in a gland called hipofaríngea and serves to transform the nectar of flowers -, Honey produces hydrogen peroxide. This, which in nature is to preserve, allows that when t honey is diluted and change the pH, succeeding complex chemical formulations that result in the production of an antiseptic which can kill bacteria but without damaging the tissue.
As if all this were not enough, honey has antibacterial yet another mechanism based on photochemical, which is supposed to come into action under conditions where the former could be disqualified, for example, because of the heat. The latter mechanism has not been studied yet.

Will try?
There have been tests on wounds that did not respond to usual treatments based on antibiotics and antiseptics; the result, in almost all cases, was that honey was very effective to fight infection and promote healing quickly.
Although apparently honey from certain plants had a higher antibacterial activity than others, so far this has not been verified. But the researchers point out that while not everyone will discover the secrets of the honey is used with caution and be careful and constantly monitor the evolution of the wound, and try to detect by other means any sign of infection. It is also necessary to replicate as many times as necessary when the body fluids lost. In any case, the honey that is used to treat wounds, burns or other injuries should be kept in a cool, rather cold, and away from light.
Either way, scientific studies indicate that not all honeys have the same antiseptic power, and it has been studied only a few among the thousands of varieties of honey, so that we can not yet say that this is a remedy infallible.

Keep your treasure
If preserved in an airtight container with lid, honey can remain unchanged for decades and even over hundreds of years, but will depend on the conditions of storage. In general, you may lose your scent, which will crystallize, it becomes tasteless or all three. Most of the honey brands that offer their products in supermarkets down a shelf life of two years, but we all know that can last much longer.