We tend to take honey for granted as just another sweetener choice, but in fact there is much more to this sticky treat than meets the eye. Honey has been used as a folk remedy in cultures around the world for millennia, and has been prescribed informally as a cure for smallpox, baldness, eye diseases, and indigestion. It’s even been used as a contraceptive. Now researchers are turning up new evidence of honey’s medicinal benefits left and right, mostly due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. I don’t think Winnie the Pooh would approve, but honey can be used for many other things besides food. Here are a few of those uses:
- Anti-scarring agent
- Anti-inflammatory: Effectively treats wounds, burns, and surgical incisions
- Moisturizer: A useful treatment for sunburn as well as a general-purpose skin softener
- Eye care: Effectively treats inflammation of the eyelid, some types of conjunctivitis, and keratitis (along with other forms of corneal damage)
- Anti-fungal: Used to treat athlete’s foot and other fungal infections
- Sore throat treatment: Can also kill the bacteria that sometimes causes sore throats
- Dental care: Used to reduce tooth decay—all that sticky sugar notwithstanding
- Anti-ulcer agent: Helps to heal ulcers and upset stomachs
- Digestive aid: Can regulate intestinal function, alleviating both constipation and diarrhea
- Sleep aid: Used as a sleep aid and to increase alertness
- Embalming material: Once used in Ancient Egyptian and Middle Eastern cultures to embalm the dead
September 4th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
honey – tells some of the things it can be used for but does not provide the details to tell us how to use it for those aids or how it was used to aid in those instances.