Honey: Nature’s Most Flexible Creation

Honey’s first principle use is as bee food. Bees hop from flower to flower, sucking up the sweet liquid nectar and storing it in a special receptacle sac. They return to the hive and transmit the liquid to other bees that then ingest it, adding their special enzymes to the mix, before secreting it back into the honeycomb chambers of the hive. In time, it ripens and the bees use it to feed themselves.

Fortunately, bees tend to produce a surplus of honey and humans have been able to study their habits in order to increase production even more. People have been gathering honey and keeping bees since the beginning of recorded history and that longstanding tradition continues today. Today, there are over three hundred different kinds of honey produced in the United States alone.

As time has passed, we have discovered a laundry list of uses for honey. Honey does not just feed the bees, it also feeds us. Honey is a natural sweetener, packing almost twice as much sweetening power as can or beet sugar. It is an excellent accompaniment to many foods and is a wonderful ingredient in countless taste-tempting recipes. Whether used in a cake as a sweetener or as a means of bringing out the flavor of vegetables, honey is a kitchen mainstay.

We usually think of honey in terms of food, and for a good reason. The mellow sweetness and nuanced flavor of the golden liquid lends itself to so many kitchen uses. A spoonful of honey can sweeten a glass of tea, turn a plain piece of bread into a treat, glaze a delicious barbecued sparerib, or serve as the basis for an unforgettable salad dressing. All the while, it imparts more nutritional value and other health benefits than other common sugars.

Those health benefits do not end at the dining room table, either. Honey contains free radical-battling antioxidants, trace quantities of critical minerals, vitamins and a special antibacterial agent. Those medical possibilities are wrapped in an easy to use liquid. As a result, many different medical uses for honey also exist.

Honey is a superb cough suppressant, an excellent wound dressing, and a means by which one may be able to fight a variety of health problems including early baldness, halitosis, elevated cholesterol levels and even the pain associated with arthritis. Honey may not be an absolute cure-all, but it certainly does offer a great deal in terms of home remedies and health.

The composition of honey also encourages its use in a variety of beauty aids. Honey has nearly magical properties when applied to the skin. It moisturizes and leaves even problematic dry skin revived, dehydrated, supple and soft. When used correctly, honey can be a great way to fight acne and blemishes, too.     Many different facial masks and scrubs make use of honey.

It might be hard for some of us accustomed to only seeing honey in the kitchen pantry to imagine it used as a pre-wash hair conditioner or an after-shower hair shining agent, but it does serve those functions, too. Honey can be used from head to toe as part of a great personal hygiene and beauty regimen. You can use honey when soaking your feet in a warm bath or as part of your dental care plan.

Unbelievably, you can find honey used in other settings, too. It has been found in car radiators as part of antifreeze solutions. It has been at the core of golf balls. It has even been used in laundry rooms to treat fruit-based stains. Athletes use it to boost their energy levels and those who “had one too many” can use it to fight a hangover.

Honey’s first function might be feeding its manufacturers, the bees. However, it serves many other roles for people, as well. You can use it in the kitchen, as medicine, as a beauty product or for some several other purposes. Honey may be nature’s most flexible product.

If you are not using honey in your life, it is time to start. It is natural, inexpensive, healthy and incredibly effective in a variety of settings. Take the time to find a quality resource that can give you direction in the many different ways you can use honey in your life. You will be glad you did.