Honey

According to Jonny Bowden, honey is pure alchemy. One little bee, foraging for nectar over an entire bee-lifetime only produces about one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey. They collect the nectar from flowers; the nectar mixes with enzymes in the bees' saliva; then they carry it back to the hive, and they make a deposit. Multiply that process by a few hundred bees and before you know it you've got a honeycomb.

The product we find in the hive, if we put our finger in and tasted it, is not the same food you find in the supermarket. The honey on the hive is very similar to the real, raw, unprocessed, unheated, unfiltered kind we'd get if we took that honeycomb and ate the contents with a spoon. It is a real food.

The types of plants bees forage on determines the color of the honey, the level of nutrients, the fragrance, and the taste. Honey from extremely cold regions is lighter in color than honey from the tropics. According to the Web site of Tropical Traditions, one very reliable company that Jonny Bowden likes, the strength of crystallization (hardness) determines the level of live-state nutrients and heat-sensitive enzymes. The harder the honey, the better.

Raw honey doesn't spoil. The nectar that the bees bring to the hive is about 60 percent water, and the bees "cure" it to be 18 to 19 percent water. At this level of water and with pH of 3 or 4, the honey is very stable and can last for centuries (it was found in Egyptian tombs). If it is left exposed to air, it will eventually ferment and develop and unpalatable taste. The bees prevent the fermentation by sealing the honey in the honeycomb.

Honey is one of the best poultices to apply directly to a burn. First, cool the burned tissue with cold water, if possible. Then merely spread honey on the burn or wound and leave it there for about a half hour. Reapply if necessary. Honey immediately seals off the damaged tissue from the air, reducing the pain while it works to rehydrate the wounded tissue; all the other magical bee-formulated components of honey proceed to do what they do to embellish and repair. Honey is antiseptic and helps to avoid infection.

The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook James Green, Herbalist