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Question ID:   4707         Current Version: 2

Question:	Is honey good for your health?
Category:	Food & Drink > Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Keywords:	good, health benefit, honey
Type:	other

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Answer:

Honey is good for you! Honey is primarily composed of fructose, glucose, and water. Honey contains many vitamins including B1, B2, B6, C, E, K, and A. Honey also contains calcium, phosphorous, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, trace enzymes, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants. For more detailed information on honey, please visit the National Honey Board at www.nhb.org. Medicinal uses of bee products have been explored and implemented in diverse cultures throughout antiquity and in modern day texts. For example, Hippocrates and Democritus advised the use of honey for optimal health, and believed it could help cure disease. Hippocrates said in 400 B.C., "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food". One of the most common historical uses of honey was for the treatment of wounds. Honey was used as a salve, either alone or mixed with fat. Because of its antibiotic properties, it was said to heal dead tissues and ulcers. The sugar concentration in honey is so high that no bacteria can live in it. Honey was often used to treat gun shot wounds not only because of its bactericidal properties, but also because the consistency prohibited air and irritants from entering the wound, and in many cases it was more accessible than other forms of treatment. Honey has even been used in hospitals as a dressing for wounds, burns, and cuts! Honey is believed to help the immune system and fight infection. It is often used as a "home remedy" to treat colds. Honey mixed with lemon can be a soothing cough syrup. Ancient texts claim that honey may help to cure diseases of the lungs, liver, kidneys, and heart. Another interesting cure in many of the ancient medical texts is that of treating eye problems with a honey salve. Honey was used to treat conjunctiva, styes, swelling, cataracts, and eyesores. Mead (honey wine) is believed to be one of the oldest forms of alcoholic beverages. Many different societies produced and drank mead and its importance can be found in various countries including India, Ethiopia, Greece, Germany, and many others. Information on mead is vast and there are many sources for recipes, varieties, and history. Many current studies have promoted the intake of honey for athletes. Honey is a highly effective natural energy booster.

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