Health Benefits of Honey and Its Various Uses
Honey has always been a very popular culinary delicacy as well as an important medical remedy for many millennia. Across the globe, our ancestors seemed to be well aware of the many health benefits of honey. Its earliest known use as a medicinal prescription is found in Sumerian clay tablets that may be almost 4000 years old. Almost 30% of the Sumerians' medical treatments included honey.
In India, honey is an important part of Siddha and Ayurveda – the ancient, traditional systems of medicine. In ancient Egypt, it was used in managing skin and eye diseases, and also as a natural bandage applied on wounds and burns. Several other cultures have also used honey for various medical purposes.
Today, honey is the focus of much scientific research by the medical community, which has been investigating and confirming the many uses of honey our forefathers thought up. Let's take a look at a few of these.
Health benefits of honey:
1. Honey is Good for Your Blood
Honey influences the body in different ways depending on how you consume it. If honey is mixed in tepid water and drunk, it has a beneficial impact on the red blood cell (RBC) count in the blood. RBCs are mainly responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood to various parts of the body. The honey-tepid water mixture raises the bloods hemoglobin levels, which takes care of anemic conditions. Iron deficiency anemia is a condition that occurs when dietary intake or absorption of iron is insufficient, and the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood is compromised. The reduced oxygen carrying capacity leads to fatigue, breathlessness, and sometimes depression and other problems. Honey can negate these issues by building the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
Building the level of oxygen in the blood is extremely important because how healthy the body is and how easily it rejuvenates itself depends on the level of oxygen in the blood. Preliminary research has also shown the positive effect of honey on hypertension or high blood pressure. Traditionally, honey is also consumed to reduce the effects of hypotension or low blood pressure.
There is also some preliminary evidence that honey can prevent low white blood cell (WBC) count in chemotherapy patients. In a small-scale experiment, 40% of patients at risk of low WBC count had no recurrence of the problem after consuming two teaspoons of therapeutic honey a day during chemotherapy.
2. Honey is Safer than Sugar
There has been a lot said about the negative effects of white sugar on the body. Honey is a great substitute that is as sweet but also safe to consume. Though honey also includes simple sugars in its chemical makeup, it is quite different from white sugar in that it contains about 30% glucose and 40% fructose – two monosaccharide or simple sugars – with 20% other complex sugars. Honey also includes dextrin, a starchy fiber. This combination helps the body regulate blood sugar levels.
3. Honey is Good for Yoga Practitioners
For those doing yogic practices, consuming honey brings balance to the blood chemistry and is especially recommended. Regular intake of honey makes the system more vibrant. Taking tepid water mildly laced with honey in the morning before beginning the practice can open the system up.
4. Honey is Antibacterial and Antiseptic
Consumption of honey promotes an increase is beneficial antioxidant agents, stimulates antibodies and combats harmful microbial activity. Several studies have also looked at honey in wound treatment. One study used a therapeutic honey that had undergone a special purification process, which destroyed all strains of bacteria in wounds among the study participants. Another study treated wounds and leg ulcers for 59 patients, of whom 80% had not responded to conventional treatment, with unprocessed honey. Except for one patient, all the others' wounds showed improvement. What's more, the infected wounds became sterile within one week of honey application.
In traditional medicine, one of the health benefits of honey includes the treatment of respiratory infections. Daily consumption of honey is used to deal with issues such as excess mucus and asthma.
Clinical research has also shown that medical-grade honey can destroy food-borne illness pathogens such as Eschetichia coli and salmonella. Honey has also shown promise in fighting bacterial strains that have developed resistance to antibiotics. Research has shown that honey is effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Honey fights infections on many levels making it difficult for pathogens to develop resistance to it. Antibiotics by contrast, typically target bacteria while they are growing, giving them an opportunity to evolve resistance. Honey is also found to disrupt what is known as quorum sensing, which reduces the virulence of bacterial pathogens, and allows antibiotics to take effect.
5. Honey is an Energy Food
One of the important uses of honey in traditional medicine is as an instant energy booster. As mentioned above, honey contains many different kinds of sugar molecules, especially glucose and fructose. However, unlike white sugar where fructose and glucose are combined as sucrose and require an additional step in the digestive process, in honey, these two sugars are separate. Thus, the glucose acts as an instant energy source.
The United States National Honey Board recommends consumption of honey because it contains many vitamins and minerals in small amounts. A list of these include: niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.
6. Honey Helps with Digestion
Honey helps reduce constipation, bloating and gas, thanks to it being a mild laxative. Honey is also rich in probiotic or "friendly" bacteria such as bifido bacteria and lactobacilli, which aid in digestion, promote the health of the immune system, and reduce allergies. Using honey in place of table sugar has been found to reduce the toxic effects in the gut of mycotoxins produced by fungi.
7. Honey Combats Skin and Scalp Infections
There are many health benefits of honey on skin and scalp wellbeing as well. In a small-scale study with 30 patients that looked at the effects of honey on treating seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff, participants applied diluted crude honey every alternate day by gently rubbing their problem areas for 2-3 minutes. The honey was left in place for three hours before being washed off with warm water. All the patients showed improvement with the treatment. Itching was relieved and scaling disappeared in a week, while lesions disappeared in two weeks. The patients' hair loss situation also improved. What's more, patients who continued the treatment for six months by applying honey once a week did not suffer from a relapse.
8. Honey Helps Children Sleep Soundly
Preliminary results from several studies indicate that honey can improve the quality of sleep in children. Based on parents' opinions, the studies concluded that honey reduced cough among children during the night and helped them sleep more soundly.
Points to Note
Honeys that are darker in color are considered to have more antioxidants. Honey does not rot and can be preserved for long periods of time when sealed properly. In fact, archaeologists have found sealed jars of honey in the tombs of pharaohs in the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes and in the tomb of Tutankhamen. There's no information on what the archaeologists did with all that honey!
Honey should not be given to infants under 12 months of age due to the risk that it may contain spores of the botulism bacteria that can lead to infant botulism. These spores are found in dust and soil and could find their way into honey. An infant's system is still not geared to defend itself against this kind of infection.
Another point to remember is that honey is not very different from white sugar when it comes to diabetics. Both products increase the blood sugar level and the same care must be taken by diabetic patients.
Uses of Honey in Siddha and Ayurveda
Perhaps no one has explored honey's benefits in as much depth as Indians have. Honey was considered to be nature's gift to mankind and was prescribed as an essential ingredient of every kitchen. It was seen as an important part of the diet for anyone over 12 months of age. Honey was considered a predigested food, and was said to be easily digested by human beings. One of the uses of honey in both Ayurveda and Siddha is as a vehicle for medicines. When mixed with honey, medicines are easily and quickly absorbed by the body, and they spread across the system through blood circulation. Honey is also said to maintain the potency of a medicine and prolong its effectiveness.
Siddha texts prescribe honey as part of the treatment for ushna (loosely translated as heat) related issues, excess mucous, vomiting, gas problems and impurities in the blood. Siddha texts identify seven different kinds of honey, of which the honey collected from dense mountainous forests, known as malaithen or mountain honey, is said to have the highest medicinal value. This kind of honey is said to carry in it the properties of many medicinal plants from which the bees collect nectar.
Traditional remedies and uses of honey
Honey Water
1-3 teaspoons with a glass of room temperature water, twice a day nourishes tissues and helps alleviate weakness in the nervous system.
1-3 teaspoons with a glass of lukewarm water provides instant energy and helps in weight management.
Health Benefits and Uses of Neem
Neem is a very unique tree and neem leaves are the most complex leaves on the planet. The neem tree has over 130 different biologically active compounds, and the neem leaf is one of the most complex leaves you can find on the planet.
1. Anti-Cancer Benefits of Neem
Consuming neem every day keeps the number of cancerous cells within a certain limit. Neem has many incredible medicinal benefits, but one of the most important things is, it kills cancerous cells. Everyone has cancerous cells in their body, but normally, they are disorganized.
However, if you create certain situations in the body, they will get organized. As long as these cells are loafing around by themselves, it is not an issue. If they all gather in one place and hit it off, it becomes a problem. This is like a shift from petty crime to organized crime. It is a serious problem. If you consume neem every day, it keeps the number of cancerous cells in the body within a certain limit, so that they will not gang up against your system.
2. Anti-Bacterial Benefits of Neem
The world is full of bacteria. So is the body. There are more microorganisms living in you than you can imagine. Most of these bacteria are helpful. Without them, you would not be able to digest anything. In fact, you cannot exist without them. But some bacteria can cause you trouble. Your body constantly spends energy to manage these bacteria.
If excess levels of bacteria occur, you will feel "down" because your defense mechanism has to spend too much energy to fight them. By using neem internally and externally, you can manage these bacteria in such a way that they will not overgrow, and your body will not have to spend too much energy in fighting them. If you consume a certain amount of neem on a daily basis, it will destroy the troublesome bacteria in the intestinal region, and your colon will generally remain clean and free of infection.By using neem internally and externally, you can manage bacteria so that they will not overgrow.
Also, if there is a slight smell in certain areas of the body, it means bacteria are a little more active there. Almost everyone has some minor skin issues but if you wash your body with neem, it becomes clean and radiant. If you rub your body with neem paste before having a bath, let it dry for some time, and then wash it off with water, it will act as a good antibacterial cleanser. Alternatively, you can soak a few neem leaves in water overnight and bathe with this water in the morning.
3. Benefits of Neem for Yogic Sadhana
Above all, neem generates heat in the body. This generation of heat is supportive for generating intense forms of energy within the system. Different qualities can be predominant in the body – two of these are sheeta and ushna, in traditional terms. The closest word for "sheeta" in English is "cold," but that is not exactly what it is. If your system moves towards sheeta, the mucus levels in the body will go up. Excess mucus in the system is linked to a variety of conditions, from the common cold and sinusitis to many other issues. Neem generates heat in the body. This is supportive for generating intense forms of energy
For a hatha yogi, neem is particularly important because it keeps the body slightly oriented towards ushna. Ushna means you have some extra "fuel". For a sadhaka who explores unknown terrain, it is safer to carry an extra can of fuel, just in case your system needs that extra power. You want to keep the fire slightly higher than generally needed. If the body is in a condition of sheeta, you will not be capable of too much activity. But if you keep your body slightly on the ushna side, even if you travel, eat outside, or are exposed to whatever else, this extra fire in you will burn and handle these external influences. Neem is a big support in that direction.
Things to keep in Mind
One thing to keep in mind is, when consumed in excess, neem will kill sperm cells. In the first four to five months of pregnancy, when the fetus is developing, pregnant women should not have neem. Neem does not cause any damage to the ovaries but it causes excess heat. When a woman has just conceived and there is too much heat in the body, she may lose the fetus. If a woman is planning to conceive, she should not consume neem because there will be excess heat, and the system will treat the baby like a foreign body.If a woman is planning to conceive, she should not consume neem because there will be excess heat
If heat increases, certain changes will happen in the system – women will notice this more than men. In case this affects the normal process of the body, we bring the heat down to some extent, but we generally do not want to give up neem because for people who do sadhana, some amount of heat in the system is needed.
Once they begin to have neem on a daily basis, some women may find that their menstrual cycles become shorter. In that case, just drink more water. If having more water alone is not sufficient to reduce the heat, add a piece of lemon or the juice of half a lemon to the water. If that is still not enough, have a glass of ash gourd juice, which is very cooling. Another option is castor oil. If you put some of it into your navel, at your anahata, at the pit of the throat, and behind the ears, it will instantly cool the system.
Health Benefits of Pippali Fruit According to Ayurveda
THIS FRUIT PEEPAL , HARE,MORE GINGER , in powder form make post Child Birth HALVA for mother to produce milk and improve health of Mother and Baby. Very popular among Caribbean Indians/Hindus
Pippali fruit (also known as long pepper) is the best among all the medicines. It is light, oily, bitter, hot and pungent in taste. Ripe Pippali is heavy, sweet, and cold and causes kapha. It increases pitta in this stage and balances pitta when in dry state. Pippali increases fire, is sweet in taste and strengthening.
Botanical Name: Piper Longum Linn.
Hindi Name: Pipala
English Name: Long Pepper
Kannada Name: Hippali, Hipli
Telugu Name: Pippallu
Tamil Name: Tippili
Bengali Name: Pipal
Malayalam Name:Tippali
Punjabi Name: Maghaun
It is a mild purgative, and overcomes respiratory problems, cough, stomach disorder, fever, and leprosy, discharge of vital humours, piles, liver problems, pain and dysentery. It overcomes kapha and vata in dry state and increases kapha and removes pitta in ripe state. Pippali has special impact on lungs and uterus.
Pippali is very beneficial in cases of cold and kapha related diseases. It overcomes tuberculosis, hiccups, fever, and germs, increases blood, purifies it, helps in urination and reduces vata. Pippali is bitter, pungent, hot, dry, light, helps in digestion, increases pitta, removes kapha, vata, burning sensation, overcomes liver diseases, germs and respiratory problems, and increases digestive fire.
Medicinal Uses of Pippali Fruit According to Ayurveda:
Treatment of Headache with Pippali Fruit:
Grind equal quantities of Pippali, black pepper, dry dates, Mulethi and dry ginger. Take two gram cooked in butter made with cow milk, sieve and take nasya to overcome headache.
Grind Pippali in water and apply the paste on forehead for relief.
Take nasya with Pippali churna to overcome headache caused due to cold.
Treatment of Sleeplessness with Pippali Fruit:
Take one to three gram Pippali root churna with sugar candy or double the quantity jaggery twice daily to overcome digestive problem and enjoysound sleep. Generally old people follow this remedy to overcome insomnia.
Treatment of Migraine with Pippali Fruit:
Grind equal quantities of Pippali and bacha powder; take three gram regularly with milk or hot water twice daily to get rid of migraine.
Treatment of Night Blindness with Pippali Fruit:
Make kajal with Pippali and apply in eyes to cure night blindness.
Treatment of Weak Eyesight and Eye Problems with Pippali Fruit:
Make a fine powder of Pippali and apply in eyes to overcome blurred vision, night blindness and other eye diseases. Grind one part of Pippali and two parts of Harad, make long sticks and rub on eyes to overcome secretion from eyes and other problems.
Treatment of Toothache with Pippali Fruit:
Mix rock salt, turmeric and rapeseed oil on one or two gram Pippali churna and apply on tooth to overcome pain.
Treatment of Ear ache with Pippali Fruit:
Heat Pippali powder on pan and pass its fume in ears to relieve earache caused due to wounds etc.
Treatment of Cold and Voice Disruption with Pippali Fruit:
Grind equal quantities of Pippali, roots, black pepper and dry ginger. Take two gram with honey and lick or add honey in Pippali quath and drink small quantity to overcome cold.
Treatment of Respiratory Problems with Pippali Fruit:
Mix one gram Pippali powder in double the quantity of honey and lick to relieve cough, hiccups, fever, voice disruption and liver diseases. It is beneficial in case of kapha diseases.
Take one-gram Pippali powder with equal quantity of Triphala and take thrice daily on empty stomach in the morning, half hour before lunch and dinner with honey to overcome hiccups, respiratory disease, fever etc.
Roast three to five grams Pippali extract in clarifiedbutter, mix rock salt and honey and take to overcome cough caused due to kapha.
Mix three-gram Pippali root powder and take it with honey thrice daily.
To Increase Breast Milk:
Take two gram Pippali powder and half spoon shatavar with honey twice daily to increase breast milk.
Take equal quantities of Pippali, Harad, dry ginger and take three gram powder with jaggery, mix a little bit of clarified butter and take with milk twice daily to increase breast milk. Use it regularly for two months.
Treatment of Heart disease with Pippali Fruit:
Make a fine powder with equal quantities of Pippali root and small cardamom. Take three gram with clarified butter twice daily to overcome constipation, heart disease instantly.
Mix equal quantities of Pippali churna in bijori lemon root skin and take in the morning on empty stomach with three gram Arjuna quath to overcome heart diseases and problems.
Take one-gram Pippali churna with honey in the morning to control cholesterol and overcome heart weakness.
Treatment of Hiccups with Pippali Fruit:
Mix Pippali churna and sugar in equal quantities and take with water for relief.
Mix equal quantities of Pippali and Mulethi and add same quantity of sugar. Take three gram and mix in bijora lemon juice and drink to overcome hiccups. It also controls vomiting. Take it with honey and drink hot water over it for relief.
Treatment of Chronic Disorder of Bowel Movement with Pippali Fruit:
Grind equal quantities of Pippali, hemp and dry ginger. Take two gram with honey twice or thrice daily before meals to overcome this problem.
Treatment of Chronic Dysentery and Loose Motions with Pippali Fruit:
Grind Pippali and take two gram with goat milk or cow milk to overcome chronic dysentery. Take this remedy on empty stomach.
Treatment of Stomach Cramps with Pippali Fruit:
Mix Pippali and small Harad in equal quantities and take spoonful twice daily with hot water to overcome stomachache, cramps, loose motionsStomachache: mix two gram each of Pippali and black pepper powder with hot water to overcome stomachache.
Treatment of Stomach Disease with Pippali Fruit:
Mix one part each of Pippali, dry ginger and black pepper. Drink it frequently and take spoonful with hot water after meals twice daily for relief.
Treatment of Jaundice with Pippali Fruit:
In case of jaundice, low digestive fire, loss of humours mix one part honey, two parts clarified butter, four parts Pippali, eight parts sugar candy, 32 parts milk, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, nagkesar (six parts each), grind, cook and make sweet balls, take one sweet ball daily.
Treatment of Intestinal Problems with Pippali Fruit:
Grind equal quantities of Pippali, cumin seeds, koot, plum and cow dung in fermented water and apply the paste for relief. This remedy is beneficial in case of first stage of the disease.
Treatment of Enlargement of Liver and Spleen with Pippali Fruit:
Take two to four gram Pippali churna with spoonful honey twice daily to overcome liver enlargement.
Improvement of Digestive Fire with Pippali Fruit:
Cook 250 gm Pippali and jaggery, one kilo clarified butter made with cow milk, four kilos goat milk (if cow milk is not available) on low flame till only clarified butter remains. Use this clarified butter in case of low digestive fire, tuberculosis, and cough. Take spoonful thrice daily.
Treatment of Piles with Pippali Fruit:
Mix half spoon Pippali churna, equal quantity of roasted cumin seeds and a little bit of rock salt. Take with diluted curd on empty stomach to relieve piles. Menstrual pain and conceiving: make a powder with equal quantities of Pippali, dry ginger, black pepper and nagkesar. Mix this powder in clarified butter and take it with milk to be blessed with children even in case of infertility. It removes uterus problems and swelling. It is also beneficial in case of menstrual pain and hormonal disorders. Use this remedy twice daily for two to three months.
Treatment of Labour Pain with Pippali Fruit:
Cook three gram Pippali root, three gram pushkar root, in 400 gm water till it reduces to 100gm, sieve and drink with a little bit of honey and asafetida to relieve labour pain and cause quick delivery. The above quath should be given cold to the women after delivery.
Mix clarified butter in Pippali churna and lick to control excessive secretion after delivery.
Treatment of Obesity with Pippali Fruit:
Add honey in two gram Pippali churna and take thrice daily to reduce weight. Do not drink anything except water till one hour after taking this medicine.
Treatment of Pain with Pippali Fruit:
Take half spoon Pippali root churna with hot water or milk to overcome pain. It also helps in enjoying sound sleep. Add half spoon turmeric powder in milk and drink to relieve pain caused due to injury, sprain etc.
Treatment for Children with Pippali Fruit:
Mix one-gram Pippali churna with five-gram honey and massage on gums of children to grow teeth without pain. Rub 125 gm big Pippali and take it with honey to relieve fever, cough and spleen enlargement. Mix Pippali and Triphala powder in equal quantities, take 200 mg to one gram with clarified butter and honey and make the child lick twice daily if he cries continuously.
Treatment of Sciatica with Pippali Fruit:
Mix Pippali and dry ginger and heat oil in it. Massage the oil on sciatica nerve for relief. Mix three-gram Pippali churna in 100 gm cow urine and 10 gm castor oil and drink twice daily for relief. Take half spoon Pippali churna with two spoonfuls castor oil twice daily to overcome sciatica pain.
Treatment of Fever with Pippali Fruit:
Take Pippali with honey in case of fever caused after delivery, meningitis, arthritis, kapha generated fever. Take half spoon Pippali powder twice daily for relief. It is simple and effective medicine.
Health Benefits of Hot and Cold Baths According to Ayurveda
Taking bath regularly keeps you healthy, fresh, energetic and rejuvenated for the whole day and for life is a statement made in Ayurveda centuries ago. All of us take bath daily as a formality and as a routine part of our daily schedules. But the medical importance of taking bath has not been emphasized and explained anywhere other than the oldest holistic medical science…Ayurveda. Here we shall be discussing about the holistic and medical horizons of bathing.
What are the benefits of bathing?
"Deepanam vrishyamaayushyam snaanamojo bala pradam
Kandoo mala shrama sweda tandraa trut daaha paapmanut"
Deepana:
Enhances the digestive fire (capacity) and regularizes metabolism. This property enables us to digest our food properly. This may probably brought about by improvisation of circulation retention of heat after bath.
Vrishyam:
Aphrodisiac effect. keeps us fresh and spirited during the act. Bathing relaxes the mind and body from the effects of day long stress and fills in enthusiasm.
Aayushyam:
Enhances life span. It means to say that it fills in a new energy and life in all the cells.
Oorja Bala Pradam:
Provides energy and strength. This is achieved when the bath alleviates tiredness and fatigue enabling an individual to get actively involved in physical and mental activities.
Relieves one from kandoo (itching), mala (dirt), shrama (fatigue), sweda (sweating), tandra (stupor), trut (thirst), daaha (burning sensation) and paapma (effects of unwholesome and sinful acts)
Effects of Morning Bath:
"Praata snaanam cha paapaharanam duswapna pradhwamsanam shouchasya aayatanam malaapaharanam samvardhanam tejasaam"
"Roopa dhyotakaram shareera sukhadam kaamaagni sandeepanam streenaam manmatha gaahanam shramaharam snaane dashaite gunaaha"
The below mentioned 8 fold benefits are achieved after snana (bath):
Relieves one from paapma (effects of unwholesome and sinful acts)
Destroys the effects of bad dreams and nightmares.
Source of cleanliness.
Removes dirt and dust.
Improves appetite.
Improves color and complexion.
Gives freshness to the body.
Relieves one from fatigue.
Health Benefits of Having Cold and Hot bath:
Cold bath helps alleviate Raktapitta (haemorrhagic disorders).
Hot bath increases strength of an individual and pacified the aggravated vata and kapha.
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Posted by: Pramod Agrawal <pka_ur@yahoo.com>
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