Honey is a natural topic for Valentine’s Day.   Here, we are discussing natural honey.  A sweet viscous liquid produced by honeybees.     A hive of honeybees can produce 100 pounds of extra honey annually and contains more than 60,000 bees.  Each bee produces a partial spoonful of honey during its three to 5-week lifetime.  There are three types of bees in the hive.   The Queen bee lays more than 1000 eggs per day.  Worker bees (all females)  are divided into several work groups:  some care for the eggs as they transform into adult bees,  some maintain the hive, some gather nectar and pollen from local plants and some produce honey.    Of course,  there are males also.   Males (drones) spend their time searching for a virgin queen bee to mate with.     Female bees have stingers and they die if they use it.   Drones do not have stingers.   Care and nurturing determine the adult role of each egg.   

In addition to honey, the hive produces bees wax (used to build honeycombs for storing the honey), propolis ( a sticky substance used to repair the hive), and Royal jelly (a special food for the queen).    About one third of American food comes directly or indirectly from honeybees.  Most fruits, vegetables and crops rely on bees for pollination.  

Honey is a viscous, sweet, supersaturated solution of sugars and water.  It is acidic   and contains trace chemicals related to the specific plants that the bee pollinates.    Honey can be stored without refrigeration and has been used to treat wounds for more than 4,000 years. 

Although there were no studies that definitively prove the effectiveness of honey for wound treatment it has been used to treat wounds and sore throats and coughs.   Local honey may help with allergy relief.   It also has been used as a memory booster and a sleep aid.    Osmosis may be a strong factor in the healing power of honey.    The sugary solution draws water from bacteria and damaged cells, weakening them and allowing healthy cells to grow.  The high viscosity film  protects the healing area from further contamination.

Although natural honey does not support the growth of most bacteria,  medical grade honey is usually sterilized.  The most studied honey for medical use comes from the Manuka plant of New Zealand.  It is marketed as Medihoney.     In some countries Medihoney  is available as a prescription drug.       It is also available online without a prescription.    There is more to learn about honey and its health benefits.    It is a natural substance and has been successfully used for various medical applications.    I enjoy a spoonful of honey in my cup of tea  just because it tastes good.    

Happy Valentine’s Day Honey    ;>)  

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Larry Howlett ©   2020     LDH@HTMDengineering.com

2/14/2020