Raw honey benefits can include postpartum healing, breastfeeding hurdles, and benefits of raw honey for your overall health!
Local raw honey is unprocessed honey made close to where you live. If the honey is heavily processed, valuable nutrients and benefits of honey may be destroyed.
Additionally, honey never expires! However, The National Honey Board says that over a long period of time, honey may ādarken and lose its aroma and flavor or crystallize.ā
Raw Honey Nutrition
1 tablespoon of raw honey contains 64 calories, 17 grams of sugar, and smaller amounts of calcium, magnesium, manganese, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, and zinc [1, 2].
1. A Good Source of Antioxidants
Honey is considered a potential natural antioxidant medicine [3].
Antioxidants help to protect your body from cell damage due to free radicals. Oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body which can damage the bodyās cells and cause symptoms of aging, such as wrinkles and lead to a range of diseases, such as cancer and heart disease [4].Ā
Antioxidant compounds in raw honey called polyphenols have anti-inflammatory effects that may be beneficial in protecting yourself from conditions associated with oxidative stress [3].
2. Raw Honey Has Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties
Research has shown that the propolis (the compound produced by bees by mixing saliva and beeswax with gathered tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources) in raw honey has antifungal and antibacterial properties [5]. Further, raw honey contains hydrogen peroxide and glucose oxidase and has a low pH level, which means it can kill harmful bacteria and fungi [6].
Additionally, researchers have found that natural unheated honey has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity when tested against pathogenic bacteria, oral bacteria, and food spoilage bacteria. Honeyās antibacterial activity is even effective against antibiotic-resistant (MRSA) bacteria [7, 8, 9]. And unlike conventional antibiotics, raw honey only targets pathogenic bacteria without disturbing the growth of normal gastrointestinal flora when taken orally [10].
Furthermore, because of its unique chemical composition, raw honey does not help yeast or bacteria grow even though it does contain sugar which Candida (the bacteria that causes yeast, also known as thrush) continues growing from [10].
3. Raw Honey is Antimicrobial and a Natural Antiseptic
Raw honey is antimicrobial, which kills and inhibits the growth and development of bacteria and reduces the possibility of infection, sepsis, and putrefaction (decay or rotting in the body).
Additionally, raw honey is a natural antiseptic, which means it inhibits the growth and development of microorganisms without killing them.
4. Aids in Wound Healing
A 2017 review of studies found that honey, propolis, and royal jelly (a milky secretion produced by worker bees) may promote wound healing [11]. And this finding is supported by a study from 2021, which showed that medical-grade honey has promising results in wound therapy [12].
Honey can even be used for healing a first-degree tear after childbirth, as a first-degree perineal tear does not always call for stitches. A first-degree tear only involves the skin tissue, and when approximated well and if the mother is committed to resting, the tear can heal better on its own without additional trauma from suturing.
Keep in mind that medical-grade honey is inspected and sterile.
Check out The Truth About Raw Honey During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding here.
5. Potentially Protects Your Organ Systems
A research study from 2017 found potential protective effects for respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and nervous systems, and even has potential in cancer treatment [5].
6. Improve Your Digestive Health
Raw honey contains prebiotics and probiotics, enhancing the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut [10].
7. Boost Your Immune System
Raw honey contains phytonutrients, compounds found in plants that protect the plant from harm. The phytonutrients in honey operate its antioxidant properties and its antibacterial and antifungal effects.
Furthermore, phytonutrients are believed to be why raw honey has immune-boosting and anticancer benefits.
8. Cognitive Benefits
Bioactive molecules present in raw honey called polyphenols have an anti-inflammatory effect. The polyphenols in honey may be able to counter inflammation in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for memory [5].
Therefore, raw honey’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits can benefit many parts of your body, including your brain!
9. Soothe a Sore Throat and Cough
Raw honey is one of the best remedies for sore throat and cough due to its antibacterial, wound-healing, and anti-inflammatory properties [5, 13].
Try a cup of tea such as echinacea or chamomile with a tablespoon of local raw honey the next time a cold virus hits!
Where Can I Find Local Raw Honey?
If you live in a climate with snowy winters like myself, keep in mind that bees generally do not make honey during the Winter. So during the Summer, find raw honey at your local farmer’s market. I recommend getting as much as you’ll need to last you through the coming winter and save the address and phone number to their farm if you want to buy from them again!
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Sources:
[1] https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169640/nutrients
[2] Ajibola A. Novel Insights into the Health Importance of Natural Honey. Malays J Med Sci. 2015 Sep;22(5):7-22. PMID: 28239264; PMCID: PMC5295738.
[3] Ahmed S, Sulaiman SA, Baig AA, Ibrahim M, Liaqat S, Fatima S, Jabeen S, Shamim N, Othman NH. Honey as a Potential Natural Antioxidant Medicine: An Insight into Its Molecular Mechanisms of Action. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018 Jan 18;2018:8367846. doi: 10.1155/2018/8367846. PMID: 29492183; PMCID: PMC5822819.
[4] Lobo V, Patil A, Phatak A, Chandra N. Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health. Pharmacogn Rev. 2010 Jul;4(8):118-26. doi: 10.4103/0973-7847.70902. PMID: 22228951; PMCID: PMC3249911.
[5] Samarghandian S, Farkhondeh T, Samini F. Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research. Pharmacognosy Res. 2017;9(2):121-127. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.204647
[6] Mandal MD, Mandal S. Honey: its medicinal property and antibacterial activity. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2011;1(2):154-160. doi:10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60016-6
[7] Lusby PE, Coombes AL, Wilkinson JM. Bactericidal activity of different honeys against pathogenic bacteria. Arch Med Res. 2005;36:464ā467.
[8] Mundo MA, Padilla-Zakour OI, Worobo RW. Growth inhibition of foodborne pathogens and food spoilage organisms by select raw honeys. Int J Food Microbiol. 2004;97:1ā8.
[9] Albaridi NA. Antibacterial Potency of Honey. Int J Microbiol. 2019 Jun 2;2019:2464507. doi: 10.1155/2019/2464507. PMID: 31281362; PMCID: PMC6589292.
[10] Hussain MB. Role of Honey in Topical and Systemic Bacterial Infections. J Altern Complement Med. 2018 Jan;24(1):15-24. doi: 10.1089/acm.2017.0017. Epub 2017 Aug 24. PMID: 28837361.
[11] Pasupuleti VR, Sammugam L, Ramesh N, Gan SH. Honey, Propolis, and Royal Jelly: A Comprehensive Review of Their Biological Actions and Health Benefits. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;2017:1259510. doi:10.1155/2017/1259510
[12] Tashkandi H. Honey in wound healing: An updated review. Open Life Sci. 2021;16(1):1091-1100. Published 2021 Oct 6. doi:10.1515/biol-2021-0084
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