Apiculture And The Health Benefits Of Honey

[Jean-Phylipe Theriault]

Health Benefits Of Honey

Apiculture is a very important part of our lives; it is a big contributing factor of agriculture. Without bees to pollinate our fruits and vegetables we would have a big problem keeping up with consumers. Honeybees pollinate approximately 1/3 of all the foods humans consume. Without them we cant simply pollinate our crops by hand.

We may not realize how important bees are to our ecosystem, but the fact of the mater is they are one of the most important insects for humans. With out them, the flowers would never have developed to this day. We simply would never have the wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and flowers. How would we survive with out them? Bats are a good contributing factor to pollination process. We trust bees with a big job, but do we care enough to stop Global Warming.

Honey has a very unique, and complex chemical composition. It is predigested by the honeybee thus contains enzymes, and aide ‘s in the digestion process in the human body. Its helps break down foods, and undigested particles like, proteins, carbohydrates, organic acids, hormones and anti-microbial factors. Because of its unique chemical composition; when consumed It does not create a quick rush of insulin like sugar does. It is easily absorbed into the blood stream, and causes a continuous energizing effect over a vast period of time.

Honey has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. There are many products these days that contain honey. Berts Bees is a very popular product. They specialize in lip balms, hand creams, and spa products. It has been trusted for many years.

Many athletes chose a mixture of Honey and water over Gatoraid. When injected honey takes more time to be absorbed into the blood stream providing a constant energy level. Gatoraid is high is Sodium and is not as beneficial as the alternative. It seems that many products that are made by big companies can be replaced with an alternative substance found in nature.

Making sure honey is a 100% “Local” is a crucial step in purchasing it. Since honey has the ability to immunize your system from local allergen plants, shrubs, and trees. Unpasteurized honey contains pollen and other plant materials’, and distributes them trough out your body. If ingested during the summer season and consumed all the way through winter. You will have a higher chance of being immunized from all the allergens flowing in the air.

It is harder to find a good local quality “liquid” honey, Because Canadian law says that honey can be sold under a label that states that it is “local” Canadian honey, but this is not true since most venders are allowed to mix their honey with cheap offshore honey, from Asia, Africa, Australia ect… This gives the venders more of a profit with less of the quality.

Unpasteurized Honey is a wonderful source of essential vitamins and minerals like:
- Vitamins A, C, D, E and K
- Beta-Carotene
- All of the B-Complex Vitamins
- Magnesium, sulfer, phosphorus, calcium, iron, chlorine, potassium, iodine, sodium and manganese.

Honey is used in a wide variety of ways ranging from food to cosmetics. From face creams to body scrubs; from hair conditioner to bubble bath, honey provides consumers with a natural source of personal care products. Honey needs no preservatives, aditives, processing or refining, making it one of the few beauty products that can claim it comes straight from nature. Honey is a natural humectant, meaning it has the ability to attract and retain moisture. Honey’s mild nature makes it suitable for sensitive skin and baby products. And honey’s antioxidant and antimicrobial properties make it an ideal choice for lifelong skin and hair care.

In the near future honey will be used in medical products as well, since Its even used for its antibacterial properties. It can be put on a skin injury to help with the healing process. It’s a unique combination of high sugar content (which limits the amount of water available to the microorgenism for growth), high acidity (which creates a low pH environment) and naturally occurring antioxidants provide an effective multi-pronged attack. It has the ability to draw the moisture from the air and promots healing with virtually not scaring.
So honey is a wonderful multi-product that is beneficial to the human race. Its chemical compod is almost imposible to recreate and its amazing abilities make it’s the most beneficial natural product made by nature.

By: Robin Hartman